February 2012
6 posts
National Geographic Magazine: Stop SOPA! →
It’d be fascinating to learn what National Geographic thinks of SOPA.
nationalgeographicmagazine:
I’m speaking for myself, not on behalf of National Geographic when I say that if you do not know anything about SOPA, all you really need to know is that you should be against it. Go here for a very brief overview and to show support: https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/
and here...
“In democratic countries knowledge of how to combine is the mother of all other...”
– Alexis de Tocqueville - Wikiquote
January 2012
8 posts
Wall or window? →
31 Dec 2011: Rupert Murdoch joins Twitter →
Dear John, If Rupert can do it, then so can you.
“Talk about tarnishing a once-iconic brand” →
The whole article is here.
Thanks to Scott Woodham of the Alaska Dispatch for asking me to write this piece.
And thanks also to the readers of the Alaska Dispatch for their…
December 2011
10 posts
“Democracy is not a spectator sport” →
Welcome to readers of the ALASKA DISPATCH.
If what you’re seeing raises questions for you,
please consider encouraging
John Fahey, Chairman and CEO of National Geographic,
to share some…
Excellent question →
“drugs, inc. crack sunday 8pm national geographic channel.” why is this ad on abc family?
— hanukhanuk (@hanukhanuk) December 26, 2011
And a happy, healthy 2012…. →
What, we wonder, is the lesson learned? →
Also worth noting: National Geographic’s feature film The Way Back — directed by Peter Weir — lost more than $12 million. We’d like to say we’re surprised, except we’re not. Here’s what we posted
“The China Syndrome: The Sequel” →
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From “
Are we a media company? Or a Society? (part 2) →
For your consideration (and highly recommended): Beware of Images, a new documentary by Sergio Toporek that’s currently in production. His project echoes many themes I’ve touched upon here at…
Objective Nonsense (part 28) →
“In a world full of shrill voices and agendas, we at National Geographic are committed to an unbiased presentation of facts…. It’s what we’ve been doing for more than 120 years.”
— NGM…
“Stereotypes about the South have risen again….” →
Here at Society Matters, we’ve long argued that selling our Society’s good name to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation — the majority owner of the National Geographic Channel — has been a…
“You’ve got to change a bit….” (reprise) →
{ from our Greatest Hits archive }
John Fahey comments on the future of non-profit organizations during a panel discussion in September 2010 in Washington, DC.
If you were…
Can they feel the ground rumbling at 17th & M... →
National Geographic magazine is still animated by the Your Shot / Our Shot conceit, which attempts to lay down a clear and very wide line between camera hobbyists (Your Shot) and The Great…
November 2011
10 posts
“Don’t pretend you don’t know it.” →
“Today, the West feels very shy about human rights and the political situation. They’re in need of money. But every penny they borrowed or made from China has really come as a result…
The Bikini Test →
“This is no stunt.”
Follow-up questions:
What if the young woman is wearing a one-piece?
Does cup size matter?
Do 20-year-old blondes attract more sharks than 22-year-olds…
An open letter from Priit Vesilind →
Priit Vesilind
I made my career at National Geographic magazine as writer and editor, and agree with Alan Mairson that “Society Matters.” When Alan began this website I agreed…
Driving our Society off a cliff →
Nissan & National Geographic throw the advertising-editorial divide under an SUV.
Details here.
Why do we think this strategy is unsustainable? Because these sorts of…
“This is no stunt.” →
Despite the title, Shark Attack Experiment: LIVE is not about watching sharks possibly tear someone to shreds on live TV. No, that’s not the point at all — even though the…
Objective Nonsense (part 27) →
Remember Chris Johns’ claim that National Geographic has “no agenda”? It was part of an Editor’s Note in which Chris insisted that in “a world of shrill voices and agendas, we at National…
What happened to Terry Garcia? →
Terry Garcia is Executive Vice President for Mission Programs
at the National Geographic Society.
We’re still trying to make sense of this very odd sequence of events:
The Planet vs. Pictures of The Planet →
Why do people seem to be awestruck in this video?
Are they amazed by the animals depicted? Or by the depiction of the animals? Are they mesmerized by The Planet? Or by The Technology? (It’s…
“It’s good!” →
Yes, we know — this clip is from 2006. But when we first saw it yesterday, it was news to us — and it’s a classic. Enjoy.
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Want to publish in China? Here are the rules. →
Read the whole thing here.
_____
Docility defined:
Chris Johns & Terry Adamson of National Geographic meet with our Society’s new publishing partners in the…
October 2011
5 posts
Fill in the blank →
iPhone is to Apple
as
_______ is to National Geographic
Study in Contrasts →
Back in 1985, when John Sculley and the Apple board basically fired [Steve] Jobs from his own company, they were disgusted that he had left billions of dollars on the table. First,…
Moore: Shake each money tree (e.g., you), but... →
October 5, 2011
As publishers try to cope with a feeble ad market by wringing more money out of readers, the membership model is gaining interest.
Declan…
Take that, you Instagram hacks! →
Nikon then gets laughed off the interwebs.
Read the whole (amusing) thing here.
Over a “delay”? Really? →
(from Politico)
Terry Garcia, President Obama’s pick for the No. 2 spot at the Commerce Department, is withdrawing his nomination because it’s been delayed in the Senate,
September 2011
2 posts
The Big Cats →
On the other hand, Mr. Putin does care about the planet:
In related news:
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Meet Your Society: David Haslingden →
David Haslingden
Mr. David Haslingden serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Fox Networks Group.
Mr. Haslingden is also the CEO of National Geographic Channels…
February 2011
12 posts
Would someone please give Steve Burns a newspaper? →
Which side of history are we on? →
Nick Kristof
“Bahrain is another Middle East domino wobbled by an angry youth — and it has struck back with volleys of tear gas, rubber bullets and even buckshot at…
“An obligation to respond….” →
President Barack Obama
“The people of Egypt have rights that are universal. That includes the right to peaceful assembly and association, the right to free speech, and…
Wikileaks & National Geographic →
Dear John,
What’s the backstory on
this Wikileaks cable?
For Zahi Hawass, the walls are closing in →
“The functionaries of a dictatorship,
perhaps of any order,
take on the character of their leaders.”
Read the whole article here.
The Bullies Who Rule Bahrain →
For more on the crackdown in Bahrain, see today’s coverage from Global Voices.
_____
FYI: Last year, the Kingdom of Bahrain became one of 15 nations where the new…
“Silent about things that matter” →
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent
about things that matter.”
“In the end we will remember not the…
Pharaoh is gone. But where’s Dr. Hawass? →
February 11, 2011 (The New York Times)
It’s a monumental day in Egypt — and a wake-up call for autocrats everywhere.
But, what happens now to Zahi Hawass, the National…
What is National Geographic trying to do? →
Tom Friedman
In 40 years of writing about the Middle East, I have never seen anything like what is happening in Tahrir Square. In a region where the truth and truth-tellers…