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Brenda J. Linert

We’ve been publishing a lot of readers’ letters lately about the role of the Electoral College in the selection of our president, including many from writers — most likely Hillary Clinton backers — angry that the popular vote was, in essence, discounted in the results of the Nov. 8 presidential election. Clinton actually received about 2.8 million more popular votes than Trump, but Trump, of course, won the Electoral College, 306 to 232, and thus the title of president-elect. I’ve heard some voters question whether they wasted their time heading to the polls, while others ...

20 students worthy of praise; more to come

As in past years, I had the opportunity last week to attend the Twenty Under 20 banquet, a wonderful event honoring 20 of our area’s best and brightest — all under the age of 20. If you ever worried you might lose faith in our area’s youth or in our future, you should take some time to read the magazine that came with Friday’s Tribune Chronicle profiling each of these 20 students, their leadership, academics and volunteerism. Twenty Under 20 is co-sponsored by the Tribune Chronicle and Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley. If you’re a regular Tribune Chronicle ...

Trump planting skepticism among voters

My office phone has been ringing a lot lately. In past weeks, I’ve seen a trend in the calls from readers taking on an accusatory tone that we, like all mainstream media, must be in cahoots to keep Donald Trump out of office. These folks really believe that we journalists have created a global conspiracy. The anger directed at some media organizations has grown, particularly at some Trump rallies. In Cincinnati, for example, a crowd at a Trump rally met reporters with sustained boos, curses and chants of “Tell the truth, tell the truth.” That was after Trump had been ...

Brick and mortar stores aren’t going away

As I chopped celery, diced onions and otherwise transformed clumps of bread into stuffing for a 20-pound turkey early Thanksgiving morning, I was entertained by the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade flashing on a large screen across the room. Just like those Thanksgivings when I was a child and it was my mother who spent her holiday mornings creating the stuffing while watching the parade flicker on a smaller kitchen television, the floats, giant balloons, marching bands and pop singers crawled to a stop on the big green carpet in front of the giant New York City retailer that ...

Fight fake news plague by reading the newspaper

Attempts to spread fake news have existed as long as newspapers have. Yet suddenly, “fake news” has become a dastardly buzz word, causing newfound serious concern, triggering debate and criticism as if it’s something new. Since the Nov. 8 general election, Facebook and other forms of social media have come under fire for failing to rein in reports of fake news and propaganda now even being blamed for swaying the presidential election. According to a new study released Tuesday, researchers at Stanford Graduate School of Education took 18 months to determine that young ...

Fight to preserve free press for democracy

Two months from today, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as our 45th president. During his campaign, the president-elect made many interesting promises, and now most Americans are wondering how many will come to fruition. One such promise could have significant effects on how much information newspapers may be able to provide to readers in the future. I’m referring, of course, to Trump’s promise to “open up our libel laws,” making it easier to sue the media and “win lots of money.” First off, responsible media always works hard to ensure stories are reported ...