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Interrobang
We have questions!

Author: Sherwin Arnott

Graphic design, business, communications, epistemology, journalism, public relations, science. Twitter:@sherwinarnott.
Reality testing: measuring the long term impact of journalism

Reality testing: measuring the long term impact of journalism

By Sherwin Arnott August 17, 2023September 2, 2023

When Margaret Wente was getting busted repeatedly for plagiarizing, her publisher, The Globe and Mail, more or less defended her. Critical commentators’ noted that no one spins harder or better…

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Some notes on microblogging

Some notes on microblogging

By Sherwin Arnott July 25, 2023July 25, 2023

This week Twitter continues to burn money by rebranding to X. I’m still at Twitter at @sherwinarnott. But I don’t know for how long. Twitter remains more or less functional,…

Read More Some notes on microbloggingContinue

Cognition trick: the Google Effect

Cognition trick: the Google Effect

By Sherwin Arnott July 8, 2023September 2, 2023

The Google effect is a kind of digital amnesia that permeates this internet age. Explored by Sparrow, Liu, and Wegner, this variety of cognitive bias reveals the fascinating relationship between…

Read More Cognition trick: the Google EffectContinue

Five kinds of compassion, according to Gabor Maté

Five kinds of compassion, according to Gabor Maté

By Sherwin Arnott June 4, 2023July 25, 2023

I’ve been reading (listening to) The Myth of Normal, by Gabor MatĂ©. It’s a fascinating look at the role of trauma in our selves, but also in our collective selves….

Read More Five kinds of compassion, according to Gabor MatéContinue

The stickiness of so-called “reverse racism”

The stickiness of so-called “reverse racism”

By Sherwin Arnott March 21, 2023September 3, 2023

“Reverse racism” has been debunked many times. It’s a bogus idea. Unfortunately, it is also a bogus idea that is widely believed. Like other rightwing tropes such as “the nazis…

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Municipal election recommendations for #YYJ

Municipal election recommendations for #YYJ

By Bharat & Sherwin Arnott October 3, 2022October 5, 2022

I live in a family of three with a young kid, downtown adjacent, in a condo. Here are my voting recommendations.

Read More Municipal election recommendations for #YYJContinue

Research notes on defunding the police, from Halifax

Research notes on defunding the police, from Halifax

By Sherwin Arnott January 24, 2022October 4, 2022

The hard work of an important committee in Halifax has recently come to fruition. The Subcommittee to Define Defunding the Police have finished their research, their surveys, and their deliberations…

Read More Research notes on defunding the police, from HalifaxContinue

The state of hyperlinking in journalism, a case study

The state of hyperlinking in journalism, a case study

By Sherwin Arnott April 3, 2021September 3, 2023

From time to time I like to check in on how news orgs are doing with their online publishing practices. In particular, I like to review how they handle reports…

Read More The state of hyperlinking in journalism, a case studyContinue

White supremacy, doing journalism, and the explanatory comma

White supremacy, doing journalism, and the explanatory comma

By Sherwin Arnott March 7, 2021October 4, 2022

This particular Code Switch episode on the explanatory comma is itself a kind of extended explanatory comma, or perhaps an interrogatory comma, because Demby and Marisol Meraji take time to really discuss and think about their own discomfort with this practice.

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Headlines, cognitive processing, and problematic information

Headlines, cognitive processing, and problematic information

By Sherwin Arnott November 17, 2020October 4, 2022

Headlines matter. Publishers know it. Good headlines help with the understanding, reach, and impact of a story. Headlines frame articles, shaping the information in the article that follows, and alter reader comprehension.

Read More Headlines, cognitive processing, and problematic informationContinue

A new generation of queer love: Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau

A new generation of queer love: Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau

By Sherwin Arnott & Rebecca Cory May 30, 2020October 4, 2022

Bloom is a graphic novel about a young man in a small town, working in his family’s bakery. It is a meditation on patience and slowness and joy.

Read More A new generation of queer love: Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna GanucheauContinue

Three unforgettable moments in [my] hockey history

Three unforgettable moments in [my] hockey history

By Sherwin Arnott January 14, 2020November 17, 2020

Where I grew up in Northern Alberta, hockey was a big deal. My big brother played hockey. And my dad, who was not a great skater, played hockey in a…

Read More Three unforgettable moments in [my] hockey historyContinue

I seen it

I seen it

By Sherwin Arnott August 24, 2019August 29, 2019

She was kind. But she was also ruthlessly attentive to my Northern Alberta dialect. Sometimes she would simply say it back to me. I seen.

Read More I seen itContinue

Journalism is the business of influence

Journalism is the business of influence

By Sherwin Arnott July 28, 2019November 17, 2020

Good journalists do what they do because they care. They have interests. The organizations that employ journalists also are guided by interests. They have purpose. The Washington Post wears their…

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Journalism’s allergy to substantive regulation

Journalism’s allergy to substantive regulation

By Sherwin Arnott July 27, 2019November 17, 2020

Misinformation is a big deal. Hate online is a big deal. And as the public catches up to their reach and impact, we’ll see more and more talk about regulation…

Read More Journalism’s allergy to substantive regulationContinue

Paul Wells, conservatism, satire, and Maclean’s footprint

Paul Wells, conservatism, satire, and Maclean’s footprint

By Sherwin Arnott July 25, 2019November 17, 2020

I like Maclean’s about as much as I like the National Post. They’re rightwing, partisan, and legacy. On my view they have courted hate and burned trust, undermining journalism along…

Read More Paul Wells, conservatism, satire, and Maclean’s footprintContinue

The look, and the social nature of knowledge

The look, and the social nature of knowledge

By Sherwin Arnott July 25, 2019January 14, 2020

When I was growing up I was bad with context. Super bad. My young logic-oriented self just did not understand humans and their social “nuance.” I’m still trying. Perhaps I’m…

Read More The look, and the social nature of knowledgeContinue

Hyperlinking in Canadian journalism (Case study, IPBES report)

Hyperlinking in Canadian journalism (Case study, IPBES report)

By Sherwin Arnott May 11, 2019July 29, 2019

If news orgs are serious about being good partners in mitigating misinformation, they need to link meaningfully to relevant references and especially science-based organizations…

Read More Hyperlinking in Canadian journalism (Case study, IPBES report)Continue

My cell phone carrier has stopped spamming me

My cell phone carrier has stopped spamming me

By Sherwin Arnott May 8, 2019May 30, 2019

My local gym and community centre is awesome. It’s a little less than three kilometres from my home. The pool is great. The gym is nice. It’s got a kind…

Read More My cell phone carrier has stopped spamming meContinue

The dominant press is a giant inertia machine

The dominant press is a giant inertia machine

By Sherwin Arnott May 8, 2019May 30, 2019

But here’s an old idea: what if dominant journalism, by and large and in the long run, is actually a drag on progress? What if dominant journalism, and by that I mean the mainstream press, is actually a conservative force? On this view, it’s a drag on change…

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The dream of proportional representation dies again; long live pro rep

The dream of proportional representation dies again; long live pro rep

By Sherwin Arnott December 21, 2018May 30, 2019

I campaigned during the first and second referendums we had here in BC regarding proportional representation. We won the first one. 58% of voters voted yes for the Citizen Assembly…

Read More The dream of proportional representation dies again; long live pro repContinue

Map of earthquake liquefaction risks around Victoria

Map of earthquake liquefaction risks around Victoria

By Sherwin Arnott October 23, 2018May 30, 2019

My father recently sent me these amazing resources about various risks due to earthquake around Victoria. I immediately had to look at one, because the thought of the ground turning to liquid is terrifying to me…

Read More Map of earthquake liquefaction risks around VictoriaContinue

Tsleil-Waututh Nation versus Bill Morneau, the duty to consult, and the public interest

Tsleil-Waututh Nation versus Bill Morneau, the duty to consult, and the public interest

By Sherwin Arnott August 30, 2018May 30, 2019

Say it with me. The duty to consult Indigenous people does not conflict with the public interest…

Read More Tsleil-Waututh Nation versus Bill Morneau, the duty to consult, and the public interestContinue

Martin Speckter, type design, and the interrobang

Martin Speckter, type design, and the interrobang

By Sherwin Arnott August 11, 2018February 27, 2021

99% Invisible did an episode on the interrobang recently. I was interested to learn that early Greek and Roman writing didn’t have spaces! Rack that up to stuff I took for granted. Apparently an ad man in the sixties developed the interrobang…

Read More Martin Speckter, type design, and the interrobangContinue

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