Articles of interest about the virus, journalism, writing, & fakes - June 7

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***THE VIRUS

Should I Buy a Copper Face Mask? Does Copper Provide Protection Against COVID-19?

Doctors rank the activities most likely to spread the coronavirus

Coronavirus drugmakers' latest tactics: Science by press release

From hair salons to gyms, experts rank 36 activities by coronavirus risk level

Which kind of face mask is the best protection against coronavirus?

Can you catch COVID-19 from delivered packages?

A Monday Is a Tuesday Is a Sunday as COVID-19 Disrupts Internal Clock

***JOURNALISTS & THE PROTESTS 

NY Police shove, make AP journalists stop covering protest

United States added to list of most dangerous countries for journalists for first time

U.S. police have attacked journalists at least 100 times in the past four days

Journalists covering protests targeted

Texas journalist loses eye to tear gas canister during demonstrations against George Floyd's death 

Louisville TV Reporter Shot By Police During Live Broadcast Covering Street

Journalists are being attacked while doing their jobs

Covering a protest? Know your rights

Journalists at times targeted by police during protests in Detroit

Conservative reporter in video pretending to board up a Santa Monica business has been fired 

Ohio State student journalists told police they were media. Then police sprayed them. ($)

***JOURNALISM RESOURCES

Know your rights when covering a protest

3 Web Tools That Can Help in Idea Generation and Research 

8 great online learning resources for journalists and journalism educators

Safety Advisory: Covering U.S. protests over police violence 

***THE BUSINESS OF JOURNALISM

Microsoft lays off journalists to replace them with AI

On this date in 1980: CNN launches

***FAKES & FRAUDS

Texas county GOP leaders share conspiracy theories about George Floyd's death

How these filmmakers concocted a viral coronavirus conspiracy video

28% of Americans are very confident they could fact-check COVID-19 news 

LA Sues California Company, Alleging 'Sophisticated' COVID-19 Fraud

What Happens If You Click A Link On A Phishing Email?

Australian anti-vaxxers label Covid-19 a 'scam' and break distancing rules at anti-5G protests

A guide to fighting lies, fake news, and chaos online

Evangelicals split on the notion of 'fake news' and QAnon

Sid Miller falsely says George Soros orchestrated George Floyd protests 

***WRITING & READING 

7 Pieces of Reading Advice From History’s Greatest Minds

Lawsuit over online book lending could bankrupt Internet Archive

Albert Einstein Explains Why We Need to Read the Classics

Two-Thirds Of The Population Can’t Find The Grammar Mistakes In These Sentences — Can You? 

***SOCIAL MEDIA 

Satirical websites are testing Facebook's policy on not being the 'arbiter of truth' by running false headlines claiming Mark Zuckerberg is dead or abusive 

Facebook is a hotbed for violent extremism and it doesn't seem to care

***LANGUAGE

Words matter when talking about race and unrest, experts say 

Study of Cantonese lexical tone shows language evolution possibly linked to genes  

***PRIVACY & SECURITY 

Cybersecurity warning: Hackers are targeting your smartphone as way into the company network

The Government is Regularly Flying Predator Drones Over American Cities

***PRODUCING MEDIA

PhotoRoom automagically removes background from your photo

unduly influenced by outside suggestion

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Referees favour home teams in judgment calls, particularly those that happen at a crucial stage in a game. If a batter chooses not to swing at a baseball pitch, the pitch is more likely to be called a strike if the home team is pitching. This tendency is most extreme in close games. In soccer, referees are more likely to award penalties to the home team, hand out fewer punishments for offences to home players.

Are referees deliberately biased? The authors (of Scorecasting) think not. Instead, they blame the fact that referees, like the rest of us, tend subconsciously to rely on crowdsourcing, picking up on the mood of the crowd when making their decision.

“Anchoring” is the name economists give to people’s tendency to be unduly influenced by outside suggestion. Take away the crowd and the home bias shrinks, as it did a few years back when 21 Italian soccer matches were played without supporters following incidents of crowd violence. In these games the home bias declined by 23% on fouls called, by 26% for yellow cards and by a remarkable 70% for red cards, which remove a player from the game and have a particularly big impact on the result.

From The Referee's an Anchor in The Economist

If you go to bed angry

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If you go to sleep after a fight with someone, you may “preserve” those emotions. That’s the finding of researchers at the University of Massachusetts. Scientists showed images (some positive, some negative) to more than 100 people and checked 12 hours later to see which pictures stuck with the subjects. The response changed depending as to whether the person had slept during the 12-hour break or not. Sleeping seemed to protect the emotional response. You can read the details in The Journal of Neuroscience.

Other studies have also support the idea that sleep enhances emotional memories. If you have difficulty sleeping after an upsetting day, it could be your mind’s way of trying to avoid storing that memory. It’s a reminder of the Bible verse that reads, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Eph. 4:26).

Stephen Goforth

Articles of Interest about the virus & higher ed - June 1

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***THE VIRUS

Can You Get Time Off to Recover From COVID-19?

Can you have both flu and COVID-19 at the same time

A third of Americans now show signs of clinical anxiety or depression

A Simulation Of Different Real Life Scenarios And Your Coronavirus Exposure Risk (video)

Here's Why Your Sleep Has Been So Messed Up During Quarantine

How We Can Mitigate the Psychological Impact of Quarantine

The surfaces that kill bacteria and viruses

***HIGHER ED & THE VIRUS

How Colleges Can Keep the Coronavirus Off Campus (opinion)

Higher-Ed Lobbying Group Asks Congress for Liability Shields

Risky Strategy by Many Private Colleges Leaves Them Exposed

Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Other Colleges Face Coronavirus Lawsuits

***HIGHER ED

Michigan State University hit by ransomware gang

U.S. College Towns on Edge as Coronavirus Threatens Football Season

Some depts plan on suspending or limiting graduate cohorts

Coronavirus raises new questions about the value of higher education

***THE FALL SEMESTER 

Iona College to start fall semester 3 weeks early, offers courses in hybrid format

Texas A&M University System to reopen campuses in the fall with modifications

Michigan colleges plan for fall amid pandemic

Colleges counter looming enrollment declines with tuition bargains

College Athletics And Higher Ed Quietly Ask For Congressional Intervention On Liability, Other Issues

***LAYOFFS & FURLOUGHS

Even with a $27 billion endowment, Stanford University expects layoffs will be 'unavoidable'

Kentucky announced it will not lay off staff--experts doubt that many universities can do the same

Fort Lewis College expects to issue furloughs, layoffs

***COLLEGE FINANCE

 TCU chancellor says school is ‘scrambling’ to make up $50 million in losses from COVID-19

Could a fifth of America’s colleges really face the chop? ($)

UNC braces for harsh budget cuts in wake of pandemic 

Brown University cut 11 varsity athletic programs

***TEACHING

 9 takeaways from teaching online during COVID-19

‘I’m Teaching Into a Vacuum’: 14 Educators on Quarantine Learning

New resources to help support faculty with quality online instruction

Remember the MOOCs? After Near-Death, They’re Booming

The Future of College Is Online, and It’s Cheaper (opinion)

Florida universities’ switch to online learning was tough - but could last for years

***ONLINE CHEATING

62 percent of college students say they have cheated on tests and coursework

Study: Students who experience a hotter than average year appeared to experience reduced learning

***ACADEMIC LIFE

Adjuncts fear losing livelihoods

Stanford Joins List Of Law Schools With White Professors Using The N-Word In Class

***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS

Professor says Seminary used Covid-19 as an excuse to get rid of him 

In summer of uncertainty, small is good for Mennonite colleges

Pensacola Christian College offering students $10.3M in aid during COVID crisis

***LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

Black Liberty University instructor resigns in response to Jerry Falwell’s ‘racist’ tweets

Jerry Falwell Jr. Will Only Wear Face Mask He Designed Featuring Virginia Governor Northam's Blackface Photo

***RESEARCH

Scientific misinformation persists when retractions and corrections are not promptly issued

Network models to think about why retractions often fail

Good science, which requires scrutiny and replication, simply cannot move at the speed of the rolling news cycle  

COVID law review paper promotes ‘ableism and eugenics,’ activists say, demanding retraction 

Open peer review: promoting transparency in open science

A Multi-perspective Analysis of Retractions in Life Sciences

***STUDENT LIFE

This Is What an 1869 MIT Entrance Exam Looks Like

NYU’s virtual graduation event turned into ‘a vaporwave nightmare’

Promoting Student Mental Health in Difficult Days

New Grads Say Discrimination on Campuses Not Taken Seriously

Coursera Will Now Offer All College Students Free Access To Its Courses

Who comes out on top

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To understand a company’s strategy, look at what they actually do rather than what they say they do. The same logic applies to one’s life. For example, ambitious people will reliably tell you that family, or being a mother or father, is the most important thing in their lives. Yet when pressed to choose between racing home to deal with a chaotic pre-bedtime scene and staying another hour at the office to solve a problem, they will usually keep working. It’s these small, everyday decisions that reveal if you’re following a path to being the best possible spouse and parent. If your family matters most to you, when you think about all the choices you’ve made with your time in a week, does your family come out on top?

Clay Christensen, How will you Measure your Life?

A 10-year-old girl has sent more than 1,500 art kits

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The Elevator Pitch  

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The Challenge: Create a compelling speech about your entire professional life-lasting no more than 15-second. Be able to offer it on demand and under pressure. 

The so-called “elevator pitch” requires serious practice. Regardless of the audience, irrespective of whether you are sitting, standing, or walking down a hall or talking on the phone, you should be comfortable offering it. You never know whether your next open door will take place at family gatherings, in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, or at a coffee shop.   

You’ll want to describe the impact you have had and can continue to have on a project or work environment. Make it about who you are rather than what you do. 

Don’t try to rattle off as much information as possible, like a college debater. Be thoughtful and deliberate. Show you are calm and confident. Yet still, be passionate and genuine. 

These questions that may help you discover your elevator pitch and paint a compelling self-portrait:

What do you think your value to an employer is?

What have you been proudest of in your work life? 

What do you love to do?

What makes you unique?

A word of caution: Pre-packaged, over-practiced canned pitches can come across as lacking respect for the one you are trying to win over. They are not a means to an end but is a person. Your goal isn’t just to sell yourself but start an Elevator Conversation. It's not just me; it’s about us.

Think of it this way: Most people want to hire interesting, intelligent people who they would enjoy spending time working with day-to-day—not slogan shouters.

Stephen Goforth

Articles of interest about the virus, journalism, fakes, books & more - May 27

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***THE VIRUS 

Is it safe to try on clothes at a store? What you need to know

Why COVID-19's weirdest symptoms are only emerging now

6 feet away isn’t enough

Preparing for the Post-Pandemic Workplace 

***WORKING DURING THE PANDEMIC 

Prepare to be tracked and tested as you return to work 

Want to Be More Productive? Try Doing Less 

The healthcare industry has embraced texting. Here’s one reason that should give you pause 

Mirrors And Webcams Don’t Always Provide Accurate Reflections

***WRITING & READING 

America is reading more in quarantine, but indie booksellers are missing out  

Why Everyone Is Rereading Their Favorite Books In Quarantine

The best Android apps for writers: text editors, grammar checkers, idea generators, and more 

How The Pandemic Is Affecting Book Publishing Industry

How Not to Teach Grammar

***JOURNALISM 

AP Stylebook: Now with digital security tips for journalists

Is Email the Future of Journalism? 

13 security tips for journalists covering hate online

A Journalist’s Guide to Using Zoom for Community Engagement

California newsrooms know how to prepare for disasters

OANN Trump’s Favorite TV Network Is Post-parody 

Lawsuit over popular 'S-Town' podcast dismissed, movie now in early stages 

Coronavirus patterns make local news even more important 

13 security tips for journalists covering hate online

A Journalist’s Guide to Using Zoom for Community Engagement

Science journalism needed now, more than ever

Ahmaud Arbery Shooting: Latest Case Of Overuse Of 'Unarmed Black Man'  

***THE BUSINESS OF JOURNALISM

Judge Throws Out One America Now Defamation Suit vs. Rachel Maddow

New York Times phasing out all 3rd-party advertising data

LinkedIn Editorial Is Now LinkedIn News, With Big Ambitions

***FAKES & FRAUDS

How to Spot a Misleading Crowd Photo

"Fake news" laws on the rise globally during the coronavirus pandemic 

Lessons From Operation "Denver," the KGB’s Massive AIDS Disinformation Campaign

How Bad Is The COVID-19 Misinformation Epidemic?

In a new course this fall, students will create and study the history of digital fakes 

1 In 5 Adults In England Think The Coronavirus Is A Hoax 

Bill Gates, bogeyman of virus conspiracy theorists

These Are The Fake Experts Pushing Pseudoscience And Conspiracy Theories About The Coronavirus Pandemic

"The church of QAnon": How a bizarre conspiracy theory is linked to evangelical Christianity

***SOCIAL MEDIA 

Twitter Places Fact-Checking Warning On Trump Tweet For 1st Time

Researchers: Nearly Half Of Accounts Tweeting About Coronavirus Are Likely Bots

TikTok is coming after Snapchat with a new augmented reality ad format

Increased Social Media Usage Creates Perfect Conditions For Spread Of Misinformation 

***LANGUAGE & LITERATURE 

This Word Does Not Exist

After nationwide backlash, a school board rescinded its vote to scratch 5 books off high school curriculums

***POETRY

Altoona professor's poetry collection lauded by critics and scholars

The Academy Of American Poets Announces 2020 Recipients Of Poetry Fund Grants

***PRIVACY & SECURITY 

Chrome will block ads that drain your resources: How to turn it on now

Videoconferencing: Think Twice Before Hitting 'Record'

***PRODUCING MEDIA

Free alternatives to Photoshop that give you maximum creative freedom

Recording During The Coronavirus Pandemic

How to Disinfect Camera Equipment and Spaces

The Best Advice

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Talk a little less, and listen more. Less advice is often the best advice. People don’t need lots of advice; they need a listening ear and some positive reinforcement. What they want to know is often already somewhere inside of them. They just need time to think, be and breathe, and continue to explore the undirected journeys that will eventually help them find their direction.

Marc and Angel Chernoff