Yesterday, we learned about two promotional stunts, one executed and one planned. Elon Musk launched a Tesla Roadster into solar orbit and word leaked that Donald Trump and the U.S. military were planning a massive military parade. These are both branding exercises. What do they say about the brands they reflect? Sports cars in space…
On Friday, the House Intelligence Committee released the formerly classified memo written by Representative Devin Nunes casting doubt on the political motivations of the FBI. Some say it proves bias; others have demonstrated how it omits facts and muddies timing to make a partisan point. But as writing goes, it’s like chasing a rabbit down…
The NSA changed its mission statement, deleting honesty and changing the definitions of integrity and transparency. The changes are revealing, because changes in mission statements reflect changes in how an organization views itself. The Intercept noticed that the NSA mission had changed. You can read the old statement, archived, here; the new one is here….
Donald Trump tweeted that he’s “like, really smart.” Anything in writing that uses “like” in this way sets off alarm bells, because it’s the ultimate weasel word. Here’s Trump’s series of tweets. Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats…
According to the Washington Post, the Trump administration has a list of words that analysts at the Centers for Disease Control aren’t supposed to use in budget requests. While banning words can make sense, the words that these officials picked were a pretty dumb way to politicize a scientific organization. Here’s what the Post wrote,…
HuffPost got access to the style guide for The Daily Stormer, a prominent neo-Nazi website. It’s like most style guides except in the language it contains about Jews and racial slurs. If you can bear to look at it, it might make you think about the language you’re using, too. I’ll start this post with…
President Donald Trump backed the evangelical Republican favorite Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race, who lost to the Democrat, Doug Jones. Given his penchant for nasty revenge tweets, his response so far has been muted . . . but you haven’t seen the drafts he never sent. Here’s what he said: Congratulations to Doug…
Who’s going to win the special election for the next U.S. Senator from Alabama? According to the two most recent polls, it’s either Republican Roy Moore by 9 points or Democrat Doug Jones by 10 points. How is this much variation even possible? Unless a pollster stands over the shoulder of each individual who votes…
I’ve enjoyed watching Al Franken in the Senate — his was a witty and consistent voice. In the wake of accusations that he sexually assaulted women, he is resigning. His exit speech was evasive, self-serving, and inappropriate for a man who had demonstrated integrity in his service as a senator. After eight women accused him of…