Going to vote? Don’t forget your photo ID

April 9, 2023

I’m writing this week’s column piecemeal — between scheduled interviews with local political candidates seeking their party’s nominations in the quickly approaching May 2 primary election. Yes, it’s that time again. Overall, this year’s local primary election is pretty limited with only a few contested races on local ballots. Still, that’s not to diminish the importance of these grassroots races in communities where there are more than one candidate seeking to advance to the November general election. Based on that, it seems this might be a good opportunity to roll ...

Success comes from much more than just luck

April 2, 2023

It’s the immense number of people that I recall most about my 2014 visit to India. The vast sea of people in cities like Mumbai truly is unimaginable to Americans who never experienced first hand such population density. As we drove throughout the city, I remember asking our driver why so many vehicles were pulled over on bridges and along roadsides with people — mostly men — sitting alone on the hoods of the cars. I was told they stopped there simply to find some alone time or personal space, which, in this country of nearly 1.4 billion people, is not easy to come by. It was ...

TikTok’s future of mindless drivel questionable

March 26, 2023

Hoopla is growing over security concerns about the hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok, leaving many of us to wonder whether risks we keep hearing really are legitimate and whether we should delete TikTok from our cellphones. Many — myself included — routinely entertain ourselves by scrolling through short, often silly, videos depicting things like celebrities line dancing in their kitchens, music videos shot by concertgoers, toddlers mimicking their parents’ colorful language, or the ever-growing assortment of talking dog videos. My sons find it especially amusing when ...

Blogger law slippery slope for press freedoms

March 19, 2023

It is ironic that I’m writing this week’s column about proposed new restrictions for political bloggers on, this, National Sunshine Week. The week comes around each March to raise awareness of the importance of open government and to promote dialogue on the impact of excessive official secrecy. A Florida lawmaker’s proposal that would require bloggers who write about Florida politicians to register with the government is raising First Amendment concerns. It should. If passed, the legislation proposed by Sen. Jason Brodeur of Lake Mary in the “Sunshine State” (how’s ...

Accurate, fair reporting best way to grow trust

March 12, 2023

A Pew Research Center survey released in October indicates that half of the 18- to 29-year-olds in the United States have “some” or even “a lot” of trust in information they get from social media sites. Frightening, I know. But here’s something that’s even more worrisome. That number is just about 6 percent lower than the 56 percent of those surveyed who said they have the same level of trust in information obtained from national news organizations. We’re talking CNN, Wall Street Journal, NBC News reporting here. The only consolation I take from the study is a ...

Drones are latest unregulated policing efforts

March 5, 2023

Not only are some communities OK with doing police work with electronic devices like unmanned cameras and license plate readers, but now some also are answering 9-1-1 calls for help with — wait for it — drones. An informed and attentive reader last week emailed me a Feb. 27 story from the MIT Technology Review about a California town where police drones respond to 911 calls. According to the story, the “true debate on privacy and policies is lagging behind.” Sounds familiar. Last Sunday, this newspaper’s editorial board (of which I am a member) took issue with the ...