Michael Socolow
@michaelsocolow.bsky.social
Communication & Journalism, University of Maine.
2019 Fulbright Scholar, University of Canberra.
Posts speak only for myself, not my employer
https://cmj.umaine.edu/faculty-staff/michael-j-socolow/
2019 Fulbright Scholar, University of Canberra.
Posts speak only for myself, not my employer
https://cmj.umaine.edu/faculty-staff/michael-j-socolow/
"When the time comes, I might rather see my own preteen daughter attend a school like Amherst or Davidson... than a research university such as my own. The form of higher ed that they provide seems poised to be the most resilient in the years to come."
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
The Accidental Winners of the War on Higher Ed
Go to a small liberal-arts college if you can.
www.theatlantic.com
January 29, 2026 at 5:02 PM
"When the time comes, I might rather see my own preteen daughter attend a school like Amherst or Davidson... than a research university such as my own. The form of higher ed that they provide seems poised to be the most resilient in the years to come."
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
In, re: Bill Belichick and the ludicrious Hall of Fame vote.
"On the whole it is better to deserve honors & not have them, than to have them & not deserve them."
-Mark Twain
www.shapell.org/manuscript/m...
"On the whole it is better to deserve honors & not have them, than to have them & not deserve them."
-Mark Twain
www.shapell.org/manuscript/m...
Mark Twain Quote: Public Honor | Shapell Manuscript Foundation
Famous Mark Twain aphorism about deserving honors on the menu from the New Willard Hotel in 1906. Read the original letter & more online at the Shapell Manuscript Foundation.
www.shapell.org
January 28, 2026 at 8:35 PM
In, re: Bill Belichick and the ludicrious Hall of Fame vote.
"On the whole it is better to deserve honors & not have them, than to have them & not deserve them."
-Mark Twain
www.shapell.org/manuscript/m...
"On the whole it is better to deserve honors & not have them, than to have them & not deserve them."
-Mark Twain
www.shapell.org/manuscript/m...
I found a copy of CBS News Standards (1999), and I checked them against the *new* CBS News values of 2026.
The latest in The Lint Trap.
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/cbs-news-s...
The latest in The Lint Trap.
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/cbs-news-s...
CBS News Standards, Then and Now
I found the 1999 edition of CBS News Standards. Let's Compare it to the New CBS News "values"
linttrapofhistory.substack.com
January 28, 2026 at 5:21 PM
I found a copy of CBS News Standards (1999), and I checked them against the *new* CBS News values of 2026.
The latest in The Lint Trap.
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/cbs-news-s...
The latest in The Lint Trap.
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/cbs-news-s...
Reposted by Michael Socolow
There’s never been more concern about who owns the news ... And yet: Reaching Americans isn’t the same as persuading them. And the audiences of the properties these billionaires are acquiring have shrunk dramatically—even as their relative value has soared. From @michaelsocolow.bsky.social 👇
January 28, 2026 at 2:33 PM
There’s never been more concern about who owns the news ... And yet: Reaching Americans isn’t the same as persuading them. And the audiences of the properties these billionaires are acquiring have shrunk dramatically—even as their relative value has soared. From @michaelsocolow.bsky.social 👇
Reposted by Michael Socolow
Michael Socolow on what owning America’s most valuable media properties actually gets you—and what it doesn’t …
www.thesgnl.com/2025/12/bil...
No paywall through February 4
@michaelsocolow.bsky.social
www.thesgnl.com/2025/12/bil...
No paywall through February 4
@michaelsocolow.bsky.social
All the reach in the world
What does owning America’s most valuable media properties actually get you? Michael Socolow on the challenges and limits of billionaire influence.
www.thesgnl.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Michael Socolow on what owning America’s most valuable media properties actually gets you—and what it doesn’t …
www.thesgnl.com/2025/12/bil...
No paywall through February 4
@michaelsocolow.bsky.social
www.thesgnl.com/2025/12/bil...
No paywall through February 4
@michaelsocolow.bsky.social
Bari Weiss is trying to invent something new in "start-up mode" at CBS News.
It's not an evolution- she says TV ratings no longer matter [heresy!]. It's totally new.
I wish whatever ensues didn't carry the CBS News brand.
It's not the same product Murrow+Cronkite packaged & sold.
It's not an evolution- she says TV ratings no longer matter [heresy!]. It's totally new.
I wish whatever ensues didn't carry the CBS News brand.
It's not the same product Murrow+Cronkite packaged & sold.
January 27, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Bari Weiss is trying to invent something new in "start-up mode" at CBS News.
It's not an evolution- she says TV ratings no longer matter [heresy!]. It's totally new.
I wish whatever ensues didn't carry the CBS News brand.
It's not the same product Murrow+Cronkite packaged & sold.
It's not an evolution- she says TV ratings no longer matter [heresy!]. It's totally new.
I wish whatever ensues didn't carry the CBS News brand.
It's not the same product Murrow+Cronkite packaged & sold.
This isn't entirely bad. It has some good ideas in it.
But she calls the operation a "start up" and seems to be pursuing a radical transformation (for example: downplaying TV ratings?).
I just wish they didn't use the CBS News brand name for this new thing, whatever it ends up being.
But she calls the operation a "start up" and seems to be pursuing a radical transformation (for example: downplaying TV ratings?).
I just wish they didn't use the CBS News brand name for this new thing, whatever it ends up being.
Here, in three posts, are the written remarks by Bari Weiss at today's CBS News town hall meeting. Part one of three:
January 27, 2026 at 7:01 PM
This isn't entirely bad. It has some good ideas in it.
But she calls the operation a "start up" and seems to be pursuing a radical transformation (for example: downplaying TV ratings?).
I just wish they didn't use the CBS News brand name for this new thing, whatever it ends up being.
But she calls the operation a "start up" and seems to be pursuing a radical transformation (for example: downplaying TV ratings?).
I just wish they didn't use the CBS News brand name for this new thing, whatever it ends up being.
At some point, we're going to stop training AI and AI is going to start training us.
January 26, 2026 at 10:20 PM
At some point, we're going to stop training AI and AI is going to start training us.
The carved cedar transformation mask created by the Kwakwaka’wakw people of British Columbia that provided the original inspiration for the Seattle Seahawks logo...
... resides in the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine.
umaine.edu/news/2025/09...
... resides in the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine.
umaine.edu/news/2025/09...
January 26, 2026 at 3:37 AM
The carved cedar transformation mask created by the Kwakwaka’wakw people of British Columbia that provided the original inspiration for the Seattle Seahawks logo...
... resides in the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine.
umaine.edu/news/2025/09...
... resides in the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine.
umaine.edu/news/2025/09...
A private jet with 8 people on board crashed on takeoff during a storm in Bangor, Maine, tonight at 7:45 p.m., and it barely makes the news.
No information on any of the passengers yet.
www.wabi.tv/2026/01/26/c...
No information on any of the passengers yet.
www.wabi.tv/2026/01/26/c...
UPDATE: Small business jet crashes at Bangor International Airport; Eight onboard
First responders are at the Bangor International Airport Sunday night on the runway for an incident.
www.wabi.tv
January 26, 2026 at 3:28 AM
A private jet with 8 people on board crashed on takeoff during a storm in Bangor, Maine, tonight at 7:45 p.m., and it barely makes the news.
No information on any of the passengers yet.
www.wabi.tv/2026/01/26/c...
No information on any of the passengers yet.
www.wabi.tv/2026/01/26/c...
This study suggested body-worn cameras would *help* police, because in 2012 only civilian videos structured public narratives.
That's why throughout 2010s, police around USA started wearing cameras.
It worked: Youtube/Reddit are filled with copraganda, police doing good things.
That's why throughout 2010s, police around USA started wearing cameras.
It worked: Youtube/Reddit are filled with copraganda, police doing good things.
D.A. Kelly, "Cops, Cameras and Accountability: User-Generated Online Video and Public Space Police-Civilian Interactions" (2012)
The first doctoral dissertation I advised to completion. Now used by the DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance to train staff.
bja.ojp.gov/sites/g/file...
The first doctoral dissertation I advised to completion. Now used by the DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance to train staff.
bja.ojp.gov/sites/g/file...
bja.ojp.gov
January 25, 2026 at 2:58 PM
This study suggested body-worn cameras would *help* police, because in 2012 only civilian videos structured public narratives.
That's why throughout 2010s, police around USA started wearing cameras.
It worked: Youtube/Reddit are filled with copraganda, police doing good things.
That's why throughout 2010s, police around USA started wearing cameras.
It worked: Youtube/Reddit are filled with copraganda, police doing good things.
It's a descriptive case study analysis (as per Yin, 2003), in which theory is deduced from the case studies.
Boy, did this theory ever pan out.
Now it's being proven daily.
Boy, did this theory ever pan out.
Now it's being proven daily.
January 25, 2026 at 4:16 AM
It's a descriptive case study analysis (as per Yin, 2003), in which theory is deduced from the case studies.
Boy, did this theory ever pan out.
Now it's being proven daily.
Boy, did this theory ever pan out.
Now it's being proven daily.
D.A. Kelly, "Cops, Cameras and Accountability: User-Generated Online Video and Public Space Police-Civilian Interactions" (2012)
The first doctoral dissertation I advised to completion. Now used by the DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance to train staff.
bja.ojp.gov/sites/g/file...
The first doctoral dissertation I advised to completion. Now used by the DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance to train staff.
bja.ojp.gov/sites/g/file...
bja.ojp.gov
January 25, 2026 at 3:54 AM
D.A. Kelly, "Cops, Cameras and Accountability: User-Generated Online Video and Public Space Police-Civilian Interactions" (2012)
The first doctoral dissertation I advised to completion. Now used by the DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance to train staff.
bja.ojp.gov/sites/g/file...
The first doctoral dissertation I advised to completion. Now used by the DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance to train staff.
bja.ojp.gov/sites/g/file...
With the Tik Tok deal closing, remember:
The original Tik Tok divestiture law was the first time President Trump openly defied a law passed by Congress, signed by the President, that was upheld as Constitutional by the Supreme Court.
A precedent?
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/what-does-...
The original Tik Tok divestiture law was the first time President Trump openly defied a law passed by Congress, signed by the President, that was upheld as Constitutional by the Supreme Court.
A precedent?
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/what-does-...
What Does the Tik Tok Deal Really Mean?
I can't confidently predict the social media company's future. But I suspect history will consider the whole episode in a different context, for very different reasons.
linttrapofhistory.substack.com
January 23, 2026 at 2:06 AM
With the Tik Tok deal closing, remember:
The original Tik Tok divestiture law was the first time President Trump openly defied a law passed by Congress, signed by the President, that was upheld as Constitutional by the Supreme Court.
A precedent?
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/what-does-...
The original Tik Tok divestiture law was the first time President Trump openly defied a law passed by Congress, signed by the President, that was upheld as Constitutional by the Supreme Court.
A precedent?
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/what-does-...
It's way too early to suggest Bari Weiss has put CBS News into a "death spiral" through terrible management, but she's damaged "60 Minutes" ratings and hasn't improved the journalistic product (so far).
That cannot continue indefinitely.
radaronline.com/p/cbs-boss-b...
That cannot continue indefinitely.
radaronline.com/p/cbs-boss-b...
Chaos at CBS: New Boss Bari Weiss' Dynamic Could Lead to a 'Death Spiral' That is 'Hard to Reverse' as Network Continues to Undergo Changes
Employees at the once highly respected CBS newsroom are just waiting to see who is next, as their new boss cleans house amid the change in philosophy.
radaronline.com
January 22, 2026 at 2:15 AM
It's way too early to suggest Bari Weiss has put CBS News into a "death spiral" through terrible management, but she's damaged "60 Minutes" ratings and hasn't improved the journalistic product (so far).
That cannot continue indefinitely.
radaronline.com/p/cbs-boss-b...
That cannot continue indefinitely.
radaronline.com/p/cbs-boss-b...
Look what I found on an old bookshelf: "CBS News Standards" (1999)
CBS News President Andrew Heyward's February, 1999 update (Linda Mason oversaw the revisions).
The original was written by CBS News President Richard Salant in 1976.
Will make interesting reading.
CBS News President Andrew Heyward's February, 1999 update (Linda Mason oversaw the revisions).
The original was written by CBS News President Richard Salant in 1976.
Will make interesting reading.
January 22, 2026 at 1:44 AM
Look what I found on an old bookshelf: "CBS News Standards" (1999)
CBS News President Andrew Heyward's February, 1999 update (Linda Mason oversaw the revisions).
The original was written by CBS News President Richard Salant in 1976.
Will make interesting reading.
CBS News President Andrew Heyward's February, 1999 update (Linda Mason oversaw the revisions).
The original was written by CBS News President Richard Salant in 1976.
Will make interesting reading.
It's telling that Indiana University produced the nation's top football program the same year the state legislature forced the university to complete some of the most draconian cuts to academics in the school's history... and nobody's noticed the "coincidence."
www.highereddive.com/news/indiana...
www.highereddive.com/news/indiana...
Indiana public colleges to shed or consolidate over 400 degree programs
The dramatic restructuring comes in response to a statute that aims to end programs that produce low numbers of graduates over a three-year period.
www.highereddive.com
January 21, 2026 at 4:06 PM
It's telling that Indiana University produced the nation's top football program the same year the state legislature forced the university to complete some of the most draconian cuts to academics in the school's history... and nobody's noticed the "coincidence."
www.highereddive.com/news/indiana...
www.highereddive.com/news/indiana...
In the 1960s - 1970s, many best-sellers were "written" by authors speaking into tape recorders.
Some of my favorite reads ("Ball Four" "Instant Replay") were composed this way.
What happened to that method?
The latest in The Lint Trap
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/when-books...
Some of my favorite reads ("Ball Four" "Instant Replay") were composed this way.
What happened to that method?
The latest in The Lint Trap
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/when-books...
When Books Were "Written" By Speaking Into Tape Recorders
In the 1960s and 1970s, when portable recording technology became affordable, best-selling books dictated into tape recorders became common. Today we have books composed via voice-to-text.
linttrapofhistory.substack.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:16 PM
In the 1960s - 1970s, many best-sellers were "written" by authors speaking into tape recorders.
Some of my favorite reads ("Ball Four" "Instant Replay") were composed this way.
What happened to that method?
The latest in The Lint Trap
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/when-books...
Some of my favorite reads ("Ball Four" "Instant Replay") were composed this way.
What happened to that method?
The latest in The Lint Trap
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/when-books...
“The problem with you guys is, you think there will always be a CBS News”.
-Bill Leonard, CBS News President in its glory days, to Peter Herford, Saigon Bureau Chief in Vietnam War (1966-1967), who's still alive + posts on Substack 60 years later.
peterherford.substack.com/p/the-cbs-ev...
-Bill Leonard, CBS News President in its glory days, to Peter Herford, Saigon Bureau Chief in Vietnam War (1966-1967), who's still alive + posts on Substack 60 years later.
peterherford.substack.com/p/the-cbs-ev...
THE CBS EVENING NEWS WITH WALTER CRONKITE
BOTH CRONKITE AND CBS NEWS DIED DIED DECADES AGO
peterherford.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:16 AM
“The problem with you guys is, you think there will always be a CBS News”.
-Bill Leonard, CBS News President in its glory days, to Peter Herford, Saigon Bureau Chief in Vietnam War (1966-1967), who's still alive + posts on Substack 60 years later.
peterherford.substack.com/p/the-cbs-ev...
-Bill Leonard, CBS News President in its glory days, to Peter Herford, Saigon Bureau Chief in Vietnam War (1966-1967), who's still alive + posts on Substack 60 years later.
peterherford.substack.com/p/the-cbs-ev...
Somebody's got to do a Cletus safari out to Western Kansas or Eastern South Dakota and find the one old trucker in a diner who'll say on-camera: "I'm a one-issue voter. I voted for the guy so we could invade Greenland!"
"Voices from the heartland, up next, on the *new* CBS Evening News..."
"Voices from the heartland, up next, on the *new* CBS Evening News..."
January 19, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Somebody's got to do a Cletus safari out to Western Kansas or Eastern South Dakota and find the one old trucker in a diner who'll say on-camera: "I'm a one-issue voter. I voted for the guy so we could invade Greenland!"
"Voices from the heartland, up next, on the *new* CBS Evening News..."
"Voices from the heartland, up next, on the *new* CBS Evening News..."
“8 Things Bari Weiss Unintentionally Accomplished By Interfering with "60 Minutes"
“60 Minutes” ratings are down [at least] 15% since she interfered with the broadcast in December.
In other words: This post is holding up pretty well.
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/8-things-b...
“60 Minutes” ratings are down [at least] 15% since she interfered with the broadcast in December.
In other words: This post is holding up pretty well.
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/8-things-b...
January 19, 2026 at 5:50 PM
“8 Things Bari Weiss Unintentionally Accomplished By Interfering with "60 Minutes"
“60 Minutes” ratings are down [at least] 15% since she interfered with the broadcast in December.
In other words: This post is holding up pretty well.
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/8-things-b...
“60 Minutes” ratings are down [at least] 15% since she interfered with the broadcast in December.
In other words: This post is holding up pretty well.
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/8-things-b...
"If we’re going to run another story about a topic that has by now been much-covered we need to advance it.”
That's why Weiss demanded revisions to the previous CECOT segment.
She should be judged by the standards she herself has named.
We'll see tonight if the story is advanced.
That's why Weiss demanded revisions to the previous CECOT segment.
She should be judged by the standards she herself has named.
We'll see tonight if the story is advanced.
January 18, 2026 at 10:15 PM
"If we’re going to run another story about a topic that has by now been much-covered we need to advance it.”
That's why Weiss demanded revisions to the previous CECOT segment.
She should be judged by the standards she herself has named.
We'll see tonight if the story is advanced.
That's why Weiss demanded revisions to the previous CECOT segment.
She should be judged by the standards she herself has named.
We'll see tonight if the story is advanced.
Apparently, my guess was wrong. We'll see.
Segment is now scheduled against NBC's NFL playoff game tonight, which will be this week's highest-rated TV program because the two teams are Los Angeles Rams (TV market #2) vs. Chicago Bears (TV market #3).
x.com/brianstelter...
Segment is now scheduled against NBC's NFL playoff game tonight, which will be this week's highest-rated TV program because the two teams are Los Angeles Rams (TV market #2) vs. Chicago Bears (TV market #3).
x.com/brianstelter...
January 18, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Apparently, my guess was wrong. We'll see.
Segment is now scheduled against NBC's NFL playoff game tonight, which will be this week's highest-rated TV program because the two teams are Los Angeles Rams (TV market #2) vs. Chicago Bears (TV market #3).
x.com/brianstelter...
Segment is now scheduled against NBC's NFL playoff game tonight, which will be this week's highest-rated TV program because the two teams are Los Angeles Rams (TV market #2) vs. Chicago Bears (TV market #3).
x.com/brianstelter...
I'm guessing if "60 Minutes" airs the revised CECOT package, it'll be on its Sunday, February 8, 2026 program.
That show will have the lowest "60 Minutes" viewership of the season, primarily because NBC will be airing the Winter Olympics all day and the Super Bowl that night.
That show will have the lowest "60 Minutes" viewership of the season, primarily because NBC will be airing the Winter Olympics all day and the Super Bowl that night.
January 18, 2026 at 2:48 AM
I'm guessing if "60 Minutes" airs the revised CECOT package, it'll be on its Sunday, February 8, 2026 program.
That show will have the lowest "60 Minutes" viewership of the season, primarily because NBC will be airing the Winter Olympics all day and the Super Bowl that night.
That show will have the lowest "60 Minutes" viewership of the season, primarily because NBC will be airing the Winter Olympics all day and the Super Bowl that night.
When deadlines no longer exist in news [every deadline is *right now*], small, inconsequential stories are amplified far out of proportion, while massively important stories become just more new "content."
That's a huge problem.
The concept of "scale" in journalism is warped.
That's a huge problem.
The concept of "scale" in journalism is warped.
January 17, 2026 at 2:16 PM
When deadlines no longer exist in news [every deadline is *right now*], small, inconsequential stories are amplified far out of proportion, while massively important stories become just more new "content."
That's a huge problem.
The concept of "scale" in journalism is warped.
That's a huge problem.
The concept of "scale" in journalism is warped.