That's what I asked Jeff Hancock, the Cornell University professor who collaborated with Facebook on its 'emotional contagion' study, which subtly manipulated the news feeds of users to see if happier inputs made for sadder outputs. I also listened closely as he spoke of being in the center of an internet storm. Conclusion: I am not convinced.
In November of last year, I said that I was joining First Look Media, Pierre Omidyar's start-up, as a (paid) advisor. Today, I am announcing that I am no longer involved in First Look.
A disgusted viewer and longtime critic of the Sunday shows — that would be me — interviews NBC's Chuck Todd about his attempt to remake the most famous of those shows.
If the weight of the evidence allows you to make a judgment, but instead you go with "he said, she said," you're behaving recklessly even as you tell yourself you're doing the cautious thing.
PRESSTHINK is written and edited by professor Jay Rosen, who taught at NYU from 1986 – 2025. The blog is about the fate of the press in a digital era and the challenges involved in rethinking what journalism is today. It presents essays, press criticism, interviews and speeches. PressThink does not accept advertising.