And Now My Blog is Fit to Share

Facebook symbol from Wikimedia Commons.

For the past several weeks, this media blog has been forbidden on Facebook.

I don’t know why. True, I do express political opinions here—but also true, they’re pretty mild opinions. In my commentary on American media, I opine all the time, and I’m not very kind to President Donald Trump in this venue.

But being anti-Trump is still allowed, not against the law. Yet. I certainly have not engaged in any discourse here that is iffy from a First Amendment point of view—no true threats, no fraud, no libel. Calling Trump an idiot is not libel—mostly because he’s a prominent politician and is thus open to public criticism. And, also, he’s an idiot; truth is a defense against libel.

Yeah, I’m having some fun as I write this. I am feeling a little liberated. Over weekend, several Facebook friends tried to post links to my blog, and all were blocked. They all got the “violates community standards message” from the company.

Well, being OK with the First Amendment doesn’t give me the right to have my blog promoted on Facebook. It’s a private company, and sets its own rules. On the other hand, one reason the site is so popular is that it is a fairly open venue for expression. I don’t mind that Facebook attempts to establish some rules—let’s hope the election of 2020, unlike the one of 2016, is not hijacked so much by fakery spread by Facebook.

The story changed this morning. I was tagged in a post that linked to a blog post of mine--I was back on Facebook! I posted a link myself to be sure, and it was not blocked. So, thanks, Facebook. You’ve let this mostly harmless little blog back in to your Marketplace of Ideas. I think that’s great.

But it was inexplicable that the AI bots at Facebook blocked me in the first place, with no explanation other than a generic “this post does not meet our community standards.” I did read those standards, and found nothing relevant to this blog.

As inexplicably as it appeared, the Facebook ban evaporated. Bravo? Score one for mild free speech?

Thanks, Mary Vermilion. Your post was the first sign Iowa Media Life was Facebook safe once more.

 Still, it leaves me feeling a bit odd. The ban descended mysteriously. It wasn’t quite as mysterious why it was lifted—family and friends played a role—but still. It’s a reminder that Facebook is a private reserve, not a public park. It has a lot of importance in our lives and politics, but is not under any public control.

It’s just a reality to keep in mind. It points to a problem for Facebook, when it's rules appear capricious and it's actions can frustrate its users.

What Helps Me Escape from TRMS

TRMS—the Rachel Maddow Show—has become almost required viewing for my wife and me this COVID-19 season. She is the liberal news explainer, and I appreciate that.

Lately, she’s been on a bit of an editorial crusade, sounding the alarm about infections at the nation’s nursing homes. It’s a worthwhile cause.

And I find I rarely watch Fox News these days. As a journalism professor, I used to try to catch at least a bit of that network each week, just to sample it—I don’t have the heart any more. Any part of the Trump Universe alternative right-wing media zone of delusion is just too much for me at the moment.

So, I read The Gazette, my local paper. I listen to NPR. I catch the president’s briefings when I want a small dose of crazy, and I always feel WTF after a few seconds. And then there is Rachel.

But I also have to escape. What is my relief when life and a pandemic brings me down?

Lately, besides TRMS, my wife and I have become fan kids of a new NBC show. You can’t exactly call it a comedy or a drama. It’s sort of like a sitcom in that it has a situation and a fair amount of comedy, but it’s a mixed genre show.

Publicity image from NBC.com. Jane Levy as Zoey.

It’s that girl from Suburgatory, Jane Levy, all grown up and coding in San Francisco. It’s “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.” From my own limited experience visiting high tech sites in the Bay Area, the set isn’t really over-the-top. The cafeterias at Facebook (which won’t post this post because my media blog is inexplicably banned) are way better than the cereal bar, by the way.



Besides Ms. Levy being talented (catch her practicing saying “hey” in the latest episode), there are other gems in this cast. Superstar Mary Steenburgen is mom. Peter Gallagher, years after being in a coma in that Christmas movie, gets to act with his eyes as her fading father.

I don’t know if the characters are “real” in any real sense. But it feels real. Mostly, the show is an old-fashioned Broadway musical using contemporary pop songs. The show is also commenting on contemporary high tech life, the feeling of it before the pandemic of 2020. It's kind of sad to think of all those characters now being stuck in their over-priced apartments.

On this blog, I’ve written before about music and how it expresses emotion. I’ve used it as an assignment in several classes—having students parse the reason a particular song touches them or has meaning. And the musical covers of pop songs on Zoey are watchable and fun.





So, I recommend it. The duet between Steenburgen and Gallagher at the end of the latest episode may make you cry. It did me, and it felt good.

Finally, worth the mention even though he always mentions news, is the incomparable Randy Rainbow. I need a smile now and then, and his latest video certainly delivers:

When News Makes You Cry

I think it’s all getting got me. The news is hard to consume these days, and it is a tragedy that the sad news won’t stop.

Twice in last two days, news reports left me a sobbing mess, weeping alone for strangers I don’t know, but whose loss for some reason touches me.

It happened first during the MSNBC wrap-up of COVID-19 news. A report, “Inside One Nurse’s 13-hour Shift in the ICU Hot Zone,” followed the experience of one nurse—and she reported on the loss of a hospital employee. She chocked up, as did I.



Whew. Maybe it’s cleansing to shed some tears—but sadly, I’m afraid we’re in for way more cleansing in days ahead.

Then this morning, I was listening to “Morning Edition” on NPR, and they presented their remembrance of John Prine, the great American singer-songwriter.

“Hello in there.” Here comes the rain again.

The song itself, "Hello in There," is worth listening too, if you can handle it right now:



And, a few days ago, the co-founder of Fountains of Wayne, Adam Schlesinger, died. The cost of this pandemic continues to mount.

I have turned away from the news, to some extent, when I can’t handle it. Bike rides help. But I don’t want to unplug completely.

Credible news is something that’s being hit hard by this crisis—another round of retraction and layoffs is bound to hit American newsrooms.

Well, I’ll shed some tears today. But I will carry on and not lose hope.

In the wake of 9/11, Fountains of Wayne appeared on Conan O’Brien’s late-night TV show to sing a cover of a Kinks song. Conan replayed that clip recently—and it’s message is important, too, especially when the news makes me cry: