The Washington Post publishes the world’s most epic correction

The Washington Post publishes the world’s most epic correction

Korsha Wilson published an article in the Washington Post’s food section. Then the Post published a correction. The correction is 579 words long and includes 15 bullet points. It raises a few questions about who gets published and who checks facts in the publications you read. Wilson, a freelancer, contributed an article about black families…

How to write like a badass: Jeff Bezos defies Pecker blackmail

How to write like a badass: Jeff Bezos defies Pecker blackmail

Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post, received emails threatening blackmail from the parent company of the National Enquirer. Rather than knuckle under, he defiantly published the blackmail emails in his own post. If you want to write with conviction while under pressure, there’s a lot to learn here. Bezos’s post…

Going beyond a Washington Post academic’s prescription for college writing teachers

Going beyond a Washington Post academic’s prescription for college writing teachers

Jeffrey Selingo wrote a piece called “Why can’t college graduates write coherent prose?” for the Washington Post. He’s right to require more practice, but ignores the need to practice writing that’s appropriate for a screen. Lots of college students can’t write I know. I’ve hired or mentored many of them. Writing skills are spotty and…

Is Emmanuel Macron really this wonderful? Who is?
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Is Emmanuel Macron really this wonderful? Who is?

The new president of France, Emmanuel Macron, is getting rave reviews. Here’s a passage worth reading: [The President] has a magnetic personality and exudes positive energy, which is infectious to those around him. He has an unparalleled ability to communicate with people, whether he is speaking to a room of three or an arena of…

Blame yourself, not the media, for salacious Trump coverage
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Blame yourself, not the media, for salacious Trump coverage

Do you think that the news media favor sensation over substance? The evidence shows the opposite. So why does it seem that way? Because sensation is what we, as readers, want, and social algorithms give us what we ask for. The two most newsworthy things that Donald Trump did in the last two days were these: He…