Overload!
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December 22, 2008 12:02 PM
Interview with Clay Shirky, Part II
"Newspapers have discovered civic function awfully late to be taken seriously"
Clay Shirky teaches at the Interactive Telecommunications program at New York University and is the author, most recently, of Here Comes Everybody, about how new means of communication are changing the social environment. CJR’s Russ Juskalian recently spoke with Shirky about knowledge, the Internet, and why we shouldn’t worry about information overload. The first part of the interview can be...
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December 19, 2008 12:08 PM
Interview with Clay Shirky, Part I
"There’s always a new Luddism whenever there’s change."
Clay Shirky teaches at the Interactive Telecommunications program at New York University and is the author, most recently, of Here Comes Everybody, about how new means of communication are changing the social environment. CJR's Russ Juskalian recently spoke with Shirky about knowledge, the Internet, and why we shouldn't worry about information overload. The second part of the interview can be...
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December 18, 2008 12:08 PM
Disaster Reporting through the Ages
In both the Galveston and Katrina storms, the news often was the news
The day after a massive storm hit Galveston, Texas on September 8, 1900, the headlines outside the region were tentative. "Galveston May Be Wiped out by Storm," wrote the New York Times. The Washington Post reported on the "Fear that the City Has Been Wrecked by Storm." The hurricane that overwhelmed Galveston—which was the Gulf Coast's largest port...
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December 17, 2008 11:29 AM
Maggie Jackson on the Erosion of Attention
The author of Distracted talks about information overload
Journalist Maggie Jackson is the author of 2008's Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age. She recently talked with Russ Juskalian about the dangers of the divided attention span and how we might combat information overload.
Edited by Betwa...
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December 16, 2008 11:55 AM
Kluge: Gary Marcus on Attention and the Brain
The cognitive psychologist talks to CJR about how the brain works
Gary Marcus is a professor of psychology at New York University, where he studies developmental cognitive neuroscience. In his latest book, Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind, he writes about the clumsy way in which our brains evolved. CJR's Russ Juskalian recently talked with Marcus about the brain, and what information overload might mean for cognitive development.
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December 15, 2008 11:50 AM
David Shenk on Data Smog
The journalist and author talks to CJR about information overload
Journalist David Shenk has been writing about the topic of information overload for over a decade. In his 1997 book Data Smog, Shenk was one of the first to identify the problem, explore it in detail, and propose some possible solutions. CJR's Russ Juskalian recently talked with Shenk about information overload and its ramifications for journalism.
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December 08, 2008 12:00 PM
How Attention Networks Work: Transcript
Cognitive psychologist Michael Posner on the neurological bases for attention
Cognitive neuroscientist Michael Posner is an internationally recognized expert on attentional networks and cognition. CJR contributor Russ Juskalian recently talked to Posner about attention, cognition, and how media consumption affects both. This is a full transcript of their discussion.
Michael Posner: I’m Michael Posner, I’m a professor emeritus at the University of Oregon, where I’ve been since 1965. My...
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December 03, 2008 12:00 PM
Linked Out
One day, one story, one million hyperlinks
Like most people my age, I get most of my news online. I begin the day by checking The New York Times, The Washington Post, and several local papers and blogs. There's only so much news I can read before I have to work, and so the process of "checking" various news sources means scanning the headlines. I don't...
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Web Only Special Feature
Overload!
Journalism’s battle for relevance in an age of too much information
A Web-only supplement to the November/December 2008 print issue of the Columbia Journalism Review. Click here to read the cover story on information overload.
About Overload! RSS
A Web-only supplement to the Nov/Dec 2008 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review on information overload. Featuring articles, videos, and interviews covering all sides of the issue.
Desks
The Audit Business
- Amplifying the Drumbeat on the “Overdraft Protection” Racket The issue picks up momentum in the financial press
- Journal: Wall Street Pay Could Set Records
The Observatory Science
- Some Optimism for the Future of Science Journalism And especially for international collaboration
- NSF “Underwriting” Coverage… And other controversies from the World Conference of Science Journalists
Campaign Desk Politics & Policy
- More PitneyGate Fallout? Press focused on who asked questions at Obama town hall
- The Economy Today: School’s Out With Money Tight, Classes Are Slashed


