media reform

Anyone who spends time on the web has seen the words FAIL splashed across pictures of cats with their heads stuck in empty cans or dogs dressed by their humans as Oompa Loompas. Don't get us wrong, those can be pretty funny. But you know what's even better? Making the digital bombast of FAIL less associated with the minor humiliations of pets, and more so with the project of media reform -- which just may involve a more pointed, and meaningful, kind of humilation. 

I finally unpacked from last weekend's NCMR, and unloaded the special NCMR tote bag. I've learned from the past couple conferences I've attended that tote bags are apparently a necessary part of every conference. Am I being an ungracious a**hole when I say I find this ridiculous? Sure, tote bags are helpful in organizing all the conference materials and other items handed out at workshops, but don't people bring their own bags?

I was back in Minneapolis this weekend for the National Conference for Media Reform, an annual event organized by the folks at Free Press, a nonpartisan group focused on media reform and policy.