Tenant's tweet leads to lawsuit

Who knew that a 140 character tweet could lead to a $50,000 defamation lawsuit for a Chicago woman? Amanda Bonnen wrote the tweet in reference to a battle with her landlord over alleged mold in her apartment. (I've learned you can never use alleged enough.)


Horizon Group Management filed a lawsuit against her, claiming that her statement damaged the company's business reputation.

According to the complaint, Bonnen "maliciously and wrongfully published the false and defamatory Tweet on Twitter, thereby allowing the Tweet to be distributed throughout the world."

Seriously?! Does the company really think it has a chance, considering Bonnen only has 20 followers on Twitter. It's not as if she distributed the message to thousands of people. And, even if that were the case, the company would have a difficult time proving defamation.

If anything, Horizon officials are harming the company by filing a lawsuit, thrusting the company into the media spotlight around the world.

Is Jon Stewart the most trusted anchor?

Now that Walter Cronkite is gone, is there another news anchor who might be worthy of the being called "The Most Trusted Man in America."

Brian Williams? Matt Lauer? Charles Gibson? Nope!

Think Jon Stewart. Stewart's show that mocks traditional newscasts and how stories are reported has attracted a huge following since its debut nine years ago.

Now, The Daily Show's Stewart has been selected, in an online poll conducted by Time Magazine, as America's Most Trusted Newscaster, post-Cronkite. Matched up against Williams, Katie Couric and Gibson, Stewart prevailed with 44 percent of the vote.

So what does it say about the current state of TV news that the most trusted anchor is a comedian?

Stewart proves every night that he's one of the few journalists willing to ask the hard questions and call politicians in their BS. When it comes to exposing hypocrisy, holding politicians accountable, and getting at the core truths behind the spin, there is no better source than The Daily Show.

To view the results, click here.

My predictions about the Web were all wrong

In the late ’90s when I was studying abroad in Europe, one of my communications professors assigned a term paper that was to focus on our predictions of the Internet’s future. Until a recent spring-cleaning -- a purging of sorts -- at my parent’s house, I had all but forgotten about my eight-page attempt to make sense of the emerging web and its potential impact.

Tucked away with dozens of other college essays and class notes was the paper titled, “The World Wide Web: Just Another Fad.” A fad? Really. Could I have been that naïve? As I read about what my “crystal ball” had in store for cyberspace, I thought about how dim-witted I was to right such a thing. To think that I only used the Internet back then “once or twice a week to send emails to friends and family back home,” as noted in the paper, seems almost unbelievable by today’s standard.

In addition, I quoted a research article by Brill (1997), who wrote, “While some media professionals worry that the Internet will usurp traditional media, most agree the Internet is not yet what it needs to be…It appears unlikely that online newspapers will soon replace existing media” (p. 3, 4).

I can’t help but laugh when I read that line. We now know the implications of the Internet -- while many are yet to be seen -- that even scholars couldn’t have predicted. Today, we’re witnessing what some thought was unlikely.

The new medium has provided countless channels for people, who traditionally turned to newspapers or television for news, to consume information, and the resulting impact on the newspaper and broadcast industries has been seismic.

I will make no such predictions about the future of those industries.

Learning from Cronkite

It’s not just journalists who should take pause to reflect on the contributions of Walter Cronkite. All communications professionals can learn a valuable lesson from Cronkite’s matter-a-fact style, a signature of a truly credible man.

A 1973 U.S. poll named him “The Most Trusted Man in America."

So, how do you get people to trust you and your message? A recent posting on PRSA.org indicates what communications professionals can take away from Cronkite’s approach:

• Know a little bit about a lot of different things.
• Seek out the truth and then to tell the full story.
• Honesty, selflessness and integrity will remain relevant for years to come.

The passing of journalism's rock

Walter Cronkite embodied all that journalism should be: open, honest, credible, and truthful. I fear the passing of Cronkite signals the end to an era when journalism stayed true to the fundamentals it was built upon.

Cronkite’s passing comes at an interesting time – when journalism is being transformed by new media. The longtime CBS News anchor’s dedication to informing the public in a credible manner should serve as a reminder of how we should be reporting news, even at a time when technology is changing the media landscape.

Being a journalist is an awesome responsibility. Cronkite carried the weight of that responsibility seriously. He knew he had an obligation to deliver the stories that millions of Americans not only wanted to know, but also needed to know. His "no frills," straightforward style will be missed.

Cronkite set the standard.

The need for companies to get in the social media mix

Companies that aren’t jumping into the social media mix are making a mistake -- wasting a big opportunity to reach out to audiences. Glossy publications with posed pictures and carefully scripted messages have dominated the traditional marketing landscape.

But, now folks want more than that. With countless places to turn for information, particularly the personal, unedited nature of blogs and social networking sites, audiences are now looking for a more authentic voice.

For example, college admission marketers must use social media tool to recruit students. It’s not an option. It’s a necessity. Online blogs, for example, allow a level of interactivity for prospective students and give them an inside look at an institution that traditional marketing materials can not.

The biggest challenge may be convincing administrators, many who may cringe at the openness of social media tools. I would argue that one reason social media bodes well for a company is that it conveys a sense of openness that will translate into trust in a company. In addition, if you’re not in the mix, your target audience will turn elsewhere for the authentic information.

Catching up with the times

It’s difficult to remember life before the Internet. Well, I actually got a taste of it every time I went over to my parents' house. You see, until I recently took action, it was a non-wired zone. Yes, not be able to log-on caused great pain for me.

The installation of a wireless router catapulted my parents into the digital age. Actually that would be an overstatement. After attempting to teach my mother how to use the Internet, I see that it is difficult to teach old dogs new tricks. I set up a g-mail account for her, but the inbox has remained unchecked. Skype to connect with her ten children across the country?! Forget about it.

However, she has grown accustomed to perusing the all-important recipe and clothing sites. And, now I even find her scribbling down web addresses she hears on television. Bravo. A step in the right direction. Just think, Facebook might be right around the corner for her.