Trolls and ***holes are on Notice
One thing the pandemic unearthed is the amount of bullying and harassment that anyone in the media is subjected to.
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The Only One We Get
I’ve been truly gobsmacked over the sheer number of comments here and on social media about my alcoholism post. It amazes me that people respond so generously to an honest revelation about something that, not so long ago, brought me feelings of shame. But it’s when we reveal our flaws that we give others permission to do the same. We ought to learn this stuff in school. So, thank you for sharing your experiences and simply for being kind.
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Media Panel on Zoom – Tonight!
It’s tonight – Make the Media Want You – a live-streamed panel discussion leading up to the Forest City London Music Awards. This session is part of a series, hosted by yours truly via Zoom. It’s free, it’s Wednesday from 7-8 pm and it’s going to be fun and informative, or your money cheerfully refunded!
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My Pal Alexa
The Amazon Echo, also known as Alexa, is becoming more popular every day. Derek and I have had one for a few years, dating back to the start of our involvement with the company Witlingo. We both contribute voice work to the Witlingo stable of “skills” – the term for apps in the voice-first world.
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Reading Words and Naming Names
Anecdotal evidence used as fact only causes trouble. I like dark roast coffee. My husband likes dark roast coffee, as do a couple of our friends. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that most people like dark roast coffee. However, that’s the kind of weak country-club polling that some people draw their steadfast conclusions from. …
Birthing Another Book
I’ve signed the contract with Hibbert & Stiles . The manuscript has been edited. My fifth book is in production to come out as both a book-book and an eBook. Be Our Guest (working title) will be spineless, not in tone but it physical nature. It’s a quick read meant for publicists, talent managers and anyone at all who has an interest in radio and in getting a guest spot on the air. …
Love’s Labour’s Lost
It’s possible that I’m falling out of love with my first love: media. Okay, you got me. My first love was Donny Osmond but that was unrequited so it doesn’t count. Media has mostly loved me back even when I thought I was unlovable. Media has kept me guessing, engaged, interested and energized. And it’s not even media’s fault that my feelings are changing. It’s the fault of its wild child, social media. …
Write With Me
Back in September, I posted a blog about what potential radio guests should know before they pitch an idea. (Want to Attract the Media? Follow These Tips!) It was shared several times on social media and some people messaged me privately to say that these things never occurred to them. I know! That’s why I wrote it. 🙂 …
Want to Attract the Media? Follow These Tips!
Dear PR professionals and those who wish to be,
Every day we in the media are deluged with emails, social media posts, phone calls and other messages from you. Sometimes, what you have to offer is of value to us. Other times it is not. Regardless, if you want to develop a working relationship with us, here are some blunt and handy tips to follow: …
Musings on Media
A massive report on Canada’s media was released a couple of weeks ago. It aimed to study the country’s corporate media landscape – newspapers, radio, television, Internet – and report to the federal government on what can be done to make sure that 1. journalism survives and 2. democracy also survives because without journalists, no one keeps politicians in check. This is why Donald Trump is attempting to repeatedly discredit major media. But I digress. Â …
A Difficult Truth
A couple of years ago, I was hired by a local First Nations group to speak to their chiefs about media relations. They were finding it difficult to talk to reporters and to get stories reported accurately, and wanted some tips. I came away from that session with a tough realization: I had taken on a mild form of racism through osmosis in my years in media, and didn’t even know it. Â …
What’s Next
My journalist friend Dan, who teaches part-time at Western University, tells his students something very wise. He says, I can’t teach you how to use what’s next in journalism, because it hasn’t been invented yet. …
Top Media Releases of 2015
Sometimes media get it wrong. But sometimes we’re working from information that gets it even wronger! (I know!) …
No Cure for Stupid
Did you hear about the provincial candidate in Newfoundland and Labrador who made some foolish comments and had to drop out of the race? Progressive Conservative Tina Olivero apparently thinks some people with cancer can cure themselves with self-awareness. …
Time Passages
My number one pet peeve, over even the misuse of the apostrophe and coworkers putting delicate glasses on the bottom rack of the work dishwasher, is the way merchants conspire to rush time. …
This Gal’s Got to Rant
If there was any doubt, and there was among some people, that Bill Cosby was a rapist who drugged his victims, the news yesterday that he admitted so himself ought to have put that to rest. …
What Ignorance Makes Us Miss
Recently, I had the privilege of being hired to present some media relations practices and techniques to an important advocacy group for native bands in our region. And I came away with almost as much information as I gave. …
Sacred Cows Get Slaughtered
There’s a lot of interesting reading in so-called non-mainstream newspapers. London has a couple. They’re not beholden to advertisers or any perception of what is universally good or bad. They are free to opine about whatever catches their fancy. One of these is the London Yodeller. …