Author Archives: Bill Schmitt

Unknown's avatar

About Bill Schmitt

Bill Schmitt is a Catholic journalist, author, educator, and marketing-communications specialist whose recent work can be seen on the Magis Center blog, in the diocesan newspaper of the Diocese of Albany, and in commentaries at “Phronesis in Pieces” on the Substack platform and at “OnWord.net”. As a secular reporter/editor, he worked at Gannett Westchester Newspapers, McGraw-Hill, Cahners Business Information, Kiplinger Washington Letter, and Chemical Week magazine. Bill has been an adjunct professor of English and media at several schools, including Fordham University and the U of Notre Dame. Full bio: Click "About" at billschmitt.substack.com

“I Don’t Know”–That’s Music to my Ears

Posted on December 18, 2018 by Bill Schmitt

  A television commentator recently made a remark that has caused me to ponder once again some trends in our culture and in the way we communicate. With tongue in cheek, he predicted that, in the not too distant future, … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Spirit of communication, Uncategorized, Words | Leave a comment

A Little Child Shall Lead Them (and Tell the Story, too)

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Bill Schmitt

Enjoy this! I received it from my friend Kyle Heimann, whose morning radio program can be heard here. You can spread the word about his daily Advent emails, which were the source for this video. Happy Advent!

Posted in Prayer, Spirit of communication | Leave a comment

We Have Met the Candidates, and They Are Us

Posted on November 6, 2018 by Bill Schmitt

Let’s make this Election Day a kind of “Feast of All Saint-Candidates,” following up on the Catholic Church’s recent “Feast of All Saints.” I’ll explain this modest proposal, but first I’ll acknowledge its flaws. They’re found in the candidates we’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Prayer, Spirit of communication, Words | Leave a comment

It’s Saint Francis’ Feast Day! Any Implications?

Posted on October 4, 2018 by Bill Schmitt

These are days for recognizing fragility. How vulnerable we are to destructive temptations–and to others’ accusations that we are sinful. We tend to let our recognition of sinfulness drive us apart, but it actually should draw us together. We share … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Spirit of communication, Words | Leave a comment

“Farsighted” Decisions and Nearsighted News

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Bill Schmitt

You’re familiar with Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. Steven Johnson has produced a book that serves as a valuable response to that celebration of spontaneity. Farsighted: How We Make the Decisions that Matter the Most … Continue reading →

Posted in Spirit of communication, Words | Leave a comment

Echoes of Hope from a Journalistic Legend: Seymour Hersh

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Bill Schmitt

   Book TV’s coverage of a June 2018 interview with veteran New York Times journalist Seymour Hersh, discussing his book, Reporter: A Memoir, yields a video that is compelling almost to the point of exhausting. No action-hero scriptwriter in Hollywood could … Continue reading →

Posted in Spirit of communication, Words, Writing | Leave a comment

Accordion in “Africa”–Truly the World’s Instrument

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Bill Schmitt

Here’s something you don’t see–or hear–every day! A great performance of the great Toto song, “Africa,” with an accordionist in the band. And not just any accordionist, but the one and only “Weird Al” Yankovic. Enjoy it, courtesy of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Spirit of communication | Leave a comment

All Politics Is Local? That’s News to Me!

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Bill Schmitt

I grew up reading the New York Daily News and other local papers available on Long Island. Perhaps the biggest take-away message from my newspaper habit–and the most influential message, since I wound up becoming a journalist–was that local news is fun. … Continue reading →

Posted in Spirit of communication, Writing | Leave a comment

Society’s High Stakes, High Tensions, High Hopes

Posted on July 22, 2018 by Bill Schmitt

A Reflection from C-Span’s BookTV “We’re at a point in the course of social evolution when the demands of survival converge with the higher ideals of humanity and the well-being of human society.” That’s an observation at the close of A … Continue reading →

Posted in Spirit of communication, Words | Leave a comment

Reap with Those Who Reap?

Posted on July 14, 2018 by Bill Schmitt

I had not heard about the game show, “Paid Off,” until I read a poignant new piece in The Huffington Post. It  It describes a case of replacing news with entertainment–a case I think has relevance to Pope Francis’ 2018 World Day … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Spirit of communication, Words | Leave a comment