Very, very excited to be interning with The Week! I’ll be working with the social media team, working to boost the magazine’s presence on Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook; developing relationships with partners; and mastering the fine art of analytics. I’ll also be producing editorial content. I’ve been a huge fan of the publication for a long time and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
1 Longform.org is rolling out their picks for the best nonfiction published in 2011. I contributed my nine favorite stories on media and journalism. The editors wound up going with a barebones format (check it out), so I’m posting here my original list, complete with introductions and excerpts.
I’ve been privately complaining about Twitter’s shortcomings for a while. Finally got around to writing about it for Full Stop here.
Did a quick, fun piece for Ad Age with Dan Hirschhorn on the NBA lockout. Wish I could write about Kevin Durant, Grantland and NBA 2K12 every day.
The Christmas tree “tax” story is a classic example of big media outlets pretending there are two sides to a story, when there’s really a clear, straightforward answer. The only thing more shocking than the White House caving to this nonsense is the fact that a senior editor for the Atlantic (Derek Thompson) bought in.
How Drudge Became the Grinch That Ruined Christmas for Tree Farmers
In the Drudge Report’s world of sensationalist all-caps headlines, it doesn’t get much better than “OBAMA’S NEW ‘CHRISTMAS TREE TAX.’” In five sparse words, the headline captured pretty much everything Drudge and its readers believe about the current administration, in which big-government liberals would figure out a way to tax Christmas during hard economic times. The only problem? It wasn’t true. The 15-cents-a-tree charge that caused so much commotion earlier in the week was not a tax, and it has little to do with the Obama administration. What the Department of Agriculture actually set forth is a commodity checkoff program: a common means of allowing industry groups to pool their resources for marketing and research purposes. Moreover, the effort was led by the National Christmas Tree Association itself, which touts support from over 70% of the industry.
Was: Living in Sarasota, writing a column for Ticket Sarasota, working as an office assistant at a marine insurance company.
Now: Live in Brooklyn, intern for Ad Age and longform.org, and do a little freelance marketing consultant work.
I love it. I love the city. I love working for Ad Age. It’s very much a temporary gig, though. As much as I hate job hunting, I’m excited to start thinking about the next step.
