NOTES TO CARL | LESSONS IN MEDIOCRITY
Randy Seaver, a grumpy old guy, offers advice to his grandson and howls at the moon
I am a journalist, and I love making lists. So, it should come as no surprise that I woke up at 3:30 a.m. yesterday with the idea that I should make a list of my favorite journalists – people who have inspired me, people I have worked with and even people I have worked for.
Originally published in the Bangor Daily News, September 23, 2025 A homeless encampment in Biddeford that was cleared by the city in 2024 (Seaver) In a lot of ways, I am probably a lot like you. I am a middle-aged, married white guy with a mortgage and a modest home in a quiet residential neighborhood … Continue reading Crazy, homeless people: What do we do?
For centuries, newspapers, (and then later) radio and television news operations kept an immeasurable amount of gravitas in their pants’ pocket, like so many nickels and dimes. The publishers, editors (and oftentimes the reporters) took your trust in them for granted.
Not too long ago, a very well-known and respected Boston Globe columnist opined that there are some good reasons why a growing number of Americans no longer “trust the media.” In his Nov. 29, 2022 opinion column, Jeff Jacoby pointed to a recent Gallup report, which revealed that just one out of three Americans claimed … Continue reading Achtung, Baby
While media criticism is important and necessary, a lot of people who blame "the media" have no idea what they are talking about.
NOTES TO CARL | LESSONS IN MEDIOCRITY 