Category Archives: Spirit of communication

Not Unburdened: Why You Gotta Be So Meme?

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

It’s like I just fell out of a coconut tree. I still don’t fully understand what Vice President Kamala Harris means by promoting “what can be, unburdened by what has been.” Please join me as I seek help through the … Continue reading →

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Surprised by Politicized ‘Joy’—An Ode to Decode

Posted on August 18, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

This commentary is also published in “Phronesis in Pieces,” at billschmitt.substack.com. Please consider subscribing there to support a large archive of articles at the intersection of faith, public affiairs, journalism, and our society’s craving for truth, hope, and love. You’ll … Continue reading →

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Book Sheds Light on a Media Mentor’s Outreach

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Published in The Tablet, the newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn, on July 20, 2024. Reprinted by permission from DeSales Media Group. Find the content here. by William Schmitt PROSPECT HEIGHTS — For years, Father John Cush has taught and … Continue reading →

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OK, Boomer, Looks Like You’ll Be President Again

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

This article is included in the latest edition of “Phronesis in Pieces,” found at billschmitt.substack.com. The edition also includes the story below, a commentary about the Olympics controversy and our viewpoints on what’s really real. Passing a torch to a … Continue reading →

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Beware of Narrowing the Wide World of Sports

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

American media have long stood accused of partisan partnering to tilt their coverage of national politics. Now, the broadcast of the 2024 Olympics has reminded us of another arena in the world of competitive storytelling. Our society’s participation in reality, … Continue reading →

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Behold Our Post-Truth Society—Breaking News, Broken Politics

Posted on July 19, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

The past three weeks of mesmerizing political news revealed one sign of societal mayhem not yet pounced upon by pundits. “Post-truth” thinking, a virus first diagnosed in the public square eight years ago, outed itself as a major force at … Continue reading →

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Jimmy Carter and Friends: Hope for Today’s Malaise

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

We tend to shower praise on people who “fit in,” but it’s more instructive to appreciate folks who are unique—which is everyone. Former President Jimmy Carter has blazed new trails, and The Washington Post on June 22 reminded us that … Continue reading →

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Pope Calls for ‘Healthy Politics’ to Remedy AI Wounds

Posted on June 18, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Pope Francis brought his campaign for a new modus vivendi between humans and artificial intelligence directly to a meeting of world leaders on June 14. His sobering message: Governments—and all of us—must up our game in confronting the moral hazard … Continue reading →

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‘I Remind You, You’re Under Oath’

Posted on June 13, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Amid the courtroom traumas of lawfare and divisive political chatter we might call “jawfare,” one upbeat element of America’s news diet still speaks well of us. Journalists chronicle this edifying subtext halfheartedly, more in its breach than in its observance. … Continue reading →

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‘There’s the Glass House. Here’s the Stone.’

Posted on May 27, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Our society’s embrace of the all-purpose polarizer—the worldview labeled “oppressed vs. oppressor” or “victim vs. victimizer”—prompts us to weaponize everything, including guilt. We’ve got lots of glass houses and plenty of stones. Guilt is already a formidable material when it … Continue reading →

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