Author Archives: Bill Schmitt

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About Bill Schmitt

OnWord.net is the home for Bill Schmitt's blog and biographical information. This blog, initiated during Bill's nearly 14 years as a communications professional at Notre Dame, expresses Bill's opinions alone. Go to "About Bill Schmitt" and "I Link, Therefore I Am" to see samples of multimedia content I'm producing now and have produced during my journalism career and my marketing communications career. Like me at facebook.com/wgschmitt, follow me on Twitter @wschmitt, and meet "bill schmitt" on LinkedIn.

The Abstract Arts, Framing Reality

Posted on October 29, 2022 by Bill Schmitt

Published 10/28/22 at billschmitt.substack.com, reprinted here with some modifications. Previously on Substack … We talked about the “Brights” as a movement of liberal atheists who introduced themselves in a New York Times commentary in 2003 and continued promoting their doctrines of illumination. Those ideas … Continue reading →

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Right Side of History? Wrong Side of Mystery?

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Bill Schmitt

Published in Substack on 10/15/22 at billschmitt.substack.com Religion is making a lot of news. Some pundits say its conventional forms are a remedy for the chaos in society today. Some say religiosity has morphed into a secular theology particularly common … Continue reading →

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The Foresight Saga

Posted on October 20, 2022 by Bill Schmitt

Published on 9/1/22 at billschmitt.substack.com. The prescient 1977 book Mediaworld, written by John M. Phelan, who taught my Broadcasting 101 course at Fordham, defined propaganda as “the control of behavior through the control of belief.” Phelan wrote, “The evil of propaganda is … Continue reading →

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Privilege Has its Memberships

Posted on September 25, 2022 by Bill Schmitt

This two-part blog post combines (and adapts) commentaries written for my regular contributions to “Substack” (found at billschmitt.substack.com). The pair of reflections, which carried dates of August 16 and September 15, respectively, appeared under my Substack title, “Phronesis in Pieces.” … Continue reading →

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Pronounced Flaws in Our Messages

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Bill Schmitt

(This was also published on August 6 as the first segment of my newsletter at billschmitt.substack.com) Words demand good stewardship. They are multi-dimensional containers of meaning. Never have they been more definition-fluid, and never have they shown more definition-intersectionality, thanks … Continue reading →

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Hang-Ups About Spiderman on Film

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Bill Schmitt

(Also published on August 5 as the first segment of my newsletter at billschmitt.substack.com) My “Spidey sense” was tingling as I finally watched the Spiderman: No Way Home film. I watched it on DVD, not the web. As an avid fan of … Continue reading →

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Gone Fission: This TV Spot is the Bomb!

Posted on July 19, 2022 by Bill Schmitt

(Published in the blog of the Magis Center on July 28) This month, the world got to watch a public service announcement released by New York City’s emergency management office. It offers steps to take when a nuclear attack has … Continue reading →

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Crash of Symbols

Posted on July 6, 2022 by Bill Schmitt

My reporting for the June 25, 2022 issue of The Tablet, Brooklyn’s Catholic diocesan newspaper, reminded me that only one-third of U.S. Catholics say they believe in the “real presence” of Jesus Christ in the bread and wine consecrated at … Continue reading →

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Notes for “Saints and Scholars” Presentation

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Bill Schmitt

Dear Prof. Albarran and Students: It was an honor and pleasure to talk with you yesterday as part of Holy Cross College’s annual “Saints and Scholars” program. Here are some notes to amplify the thoughts I shared with you about … Continue reading →

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Research Report Prompted Bishops to Start National Campaign

Posted on June 28, 2022 by Bill Schmitt

(Story by Bill Schmitt published in The Tablet of the Diocese of Brooklyn, June 25, 2022) The backstory of the National Eucharistic Revival planned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) includes surprising statistics from a Pew Research Center … Continue reading →

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