Candidates, elected officials, and pundits should not promote or excuse threats or violence. They should call out and condemn threats and violence, regardless of who is doing it and who the target is. www.thefp.com/p/fear-is-no...

Political violence should be condemned, even when that violence is committed against people you disagree with. The point of democracy is that we argue rather than fight. Normalizing violence undermines the point of democracy. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Possibly the perfect metaphor for 2026. Jay Vine wins Tour Down Under after two kangaroos cause mass crash www.nytimes.com/athletic/699...

Pleased to announce that John Barth has endowed a Democracy Innovation Prize at @smpagwu.bsky.social. Modeled on venture competitions, the prize will reward GW students who come up with ways to strengthen our democracy. I hope other schools follow John's lead. mediarelations.gwu.edu/school-media...

Want a good perspective on ethics and AI? Read Plato's Phaedrus. Want a good perspective on debates about gender and identity? Read Plato's Phaedrus. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

What political elites say matters.

Fellow faculty updating spring syllabi: Below are resources for teaching ethics in campaigns, advocacy, and political communication from @engagingnews.bsky.social and the Project on Ethics in Political Communication (that I direct, so a bit selfish but still worth checking out).

"You wouldn't believe it - eggs have gone up again. Never vote for this Government again, I won't. I'll give the Liberals a go." Albert in Agatha Christie's Postern of Fate (1973) www.agathachristie.com/stories/post...

Quick and easy paper or article: Review Tetlock and related literature Collect talking head and pundit predictions about political events (Jan 30 shutdown? who does polling say the public blames?) Ask several LLMs the same question Compare the accuracy of the predictions My money is on the bots

My end of semester note to students in @smpagwu.bsky.social at the George Washington University: Embrace rituals. "Routines are about doing. Rituals are about being." www.peterloge.com/uncategorize...

Most campuses, most of the time, are full of people learning and working together. Put down your phone, take a walk, talk to your neighbors. And for heaven's sake, don't believe every headline you read. wapo.st/3XJkFf5

Public service is not for private gain. “Government officials should not, and should not appear to be, endorsing a commercial product. Full stop,” Project on Ethics in Political Communication director Peter Loge. www.notus.org/money/mike-h...

"...calling your opponents traitors — and then specifically saying that it warrants the death penalty — is reckless, inappropriate, irresponsible.” US Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) We couldn't have said it better. thehill.com/homenews/562...

We're hiring! Legislative & Advocacy Specialist to develop integrated advocacy approaches using policy & comms strategies. Seeking candidates with 3+ yrs of experience, at least 1 yr working on the Hill or fed legislative advocacy. Hybrid position based in D.C. Details: https://protdem.org/3LVQP4q

Your read-ahead for today's meeting between Trump and Mamdani. Roland Barthes on wrestling; "The virtue of all-in wrestling is that it is the spectacle of excess." web.mit.edu/21l.432/www/...

Great opportunity with a tight deadline of Nov 28 napawash.org/bridge-allia...

What if there is no 'who' in the 'what' of AI and politics? (thanks to @swaisbord.bsky.social for the idea) www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Comms pros: Come work with me www.gwu.jobs/postings/122...

Dear @dcunitedofficial.bsky.social, Fans fought to keep DC United from moving to Baltimore before Audi Field. I'm not driving to Baltimore because you want to squeeze more money from a beleagured fan base. Best, A season ticket holder since 1996 www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

A quick reminder for everyone preparing their hottakes on tomorrow's elections: The results will not automatically prove you were right all along, and that therefore everyone should follow you, hire you, subscribe to your substack, or book you on their shows.

New project from an old friend and Emerson College classmate Scott Stiffler. Check it out, and if you can support the paper. Local and community media matter. lgbtqcommunitynews.nyc

The definition of optimism: I just renewed my @dcunitedofficial.bsky.social season tickets. Note this is also the defintion of foolhardy.

Instead of AI, what if it had been an impersonator or human stand in? AI is the news hook but the question is about the connection between image, truth, and reality. New tech, questions at least as old as Plato. www.axios.com/local/richmo...

Once more: The president's party has lost the Virginia governor's race all but once since at least the early 1970s. The White House is a bellweather for VA, not the reverse. From @politico.com: "The Virginia governor’s race was supposed to be the bellwether for both parties ahead of next year..."

A reminder to everyone covering or commenting on the Virginia governor's race: The election is not a bell weather or mandate on the president. The president's party has lost the Virginia governor's race all but once in least half a century. www.nga.org/former-gover...

Journalists and pundits: Please stop calling the Virginia governor's race a "bellweather." The president's party nearly always loses the Virginia governor's race. If anything, the US presidential election is a bellweather for Virgnia. share.google/u4JzegwqAwRH...

The latest from colleague @davekarpf.bsky.social in The Atlantic. Dave is always worth reading.

Irresponsible consultants will drop Venmo quarters into AI gumball machines and pitch whatever comes out to voters. New tech, old questions. campaignsandelections.com/ce-45/the-po...

So cool to be asked to contribute to a special issue of a magazine to which I subscribed. Huge thanks to Campaigns & Elections for indulging me. This may be the only time you read Clark's Dairy (RIP), AOL, Protagoras, Bierstadt, and AI in the same article. campaignsandelections.com/ce-45/the-po...

For 250 years, the American story has been an optimistic one full of flawed carachters, broken promises, and false starts, but ultimately moving toward the promise of a more perfect union. What's our next chapter? What Will America’s Story Be After Trump? www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/o...

A few days ago, Kristen Grimm and I talked about the ethics of talking about political violence. Everyone should reinforce is unacceptable, rare, and wildly unpopular. www.ethicsinpoliticalcommunication.org/blog/recordi...

Kristen Grimm and I talked about the ethics of talking about political violence. Everyone should reinforce that political violence is unacceptable, rare, and wildly unpopular, and that everyone needs to build community and build social trust. www.ethicsinpoliticalcommunication.org/blog/recordi...

What are the ethics of talking about political violence? Join Project director Peter Loge and communications leader Kristen Grimm tomorrow for a conversation about how to ensure political violence remains rare, condemned, and unpopular www.ethicsinpoliticalcommunication.org/blog/event-t...

Join the Project on Ethics in Political Communication for a conversation with Kristen Grimm about the ethics of talking about political violence. Details and registration here: www.ethicsinpoliticalcommunication.org/blog/event-t...

Journalists, pundits, and politicians: Political rhetoric matters and framing matters. Defining political violence as normal and acceptable makes it normal and acceptable. The result is a democratic death spiral. www.ethicsinpoliticalcommunication.org/blog/the-eth...

Looking forward to diving into The Crisis Casebook by Edward Segal (not just because I'm quoted in it talking about soccer) bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

Someone should be emphasizing that we know absolutely nothing about the person who murdered Charlie Kirk or why they did it.

Political violence is unacceptable. The point of democracy is that we argue instead of shooting. Violence is, by definition, anti-democratic. Do not promote, applaud, mock, or minimize political violence.

Two high school friends, one a Democrat the other a Republican, started a national organization to fix politics. They are committed to principled partisanship and honest debate rather than partisan ranting and talking points. This is what politics should look like. www.deseret.com/politics/202...

My advice for students at the start of the fall 2025 semester: Be curious without preconceptions. Come for the Socrates, Kropotkin, Zevon, and Lana Del Rey, stay for the marmots playing ping pong in a bouncy house. www.peterloge.com/uncategorize...

A Basque journalist was denied entry into the US to cover a Basque festival. The Basques helped shape American democracy, from John Adams borrowing ideas for America's founding to elected officials today with Basque roots. Appalling begins to describe it. www.ktvb.com/article/news...

Updating a media effects syllabus for this fall - what recent work on the spiral of silence should I include?

@dcunitedofficial.bsky.social is a bad soccer team that is getting worse. "Legacy Night" was embarassing reminders of a once proud franchise that is now more interested in p.r. stunts than players. I've had season tix since the start, for at least 10 years it's felt like a charitable contribution.

A line that didn't make Canadian news last night - The Epstein saga is the R-rated mash up of Real Staffers of Washington DC and Love Island that none of us wanted but we're all forced to watch.

How do you advocate for systemic change while still promoting the system? How do you make the need for change urgent enough for people to act without making them more cynical or tuning out entirely?

Watching Lauren James for England is like watching a random former pro who randomly shows up in a Sunday morning pickup game. So casually so good.

A step in the right direction for @dcunitedofficial.bsky.social. D.C. United fires Troy Lesesne as coach after U.S. Open Cup loss to Nashville www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...

In a few weeks tens of thousands of people will gather in Boise, Idaho to celebrate Basque culture - now is a good time to revisit the lessons they taught John Adams when he accidentally wound up in Bilbao in 1779. www.idahopress.com/opinion/gues...

I served as a senior advisor to FDA Commissioner Rob Califf at the end of the Obama administration - this @nytimes.com piece on what's happening to this critical agency is worth your time. Inside the Collapse of the F.D.A. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/m...