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Salute to journalists who died doing their jobs

Brenda J. Linert

I write from time to time about frustrations I sometimes face in my line of work, whether it be dealing with elected leaders and politicians — particularly at election time; reporting errors we’ve published and must own; readers who sometimes are critical of our coverage; or even the growing challenge of simply finding experienced journalists to fill newsroom vacancies. Just last week, I was frustrated by something that occurred, and I took a few minutes to calm my nerves with some fresh air and a brisk walk outside the office. That’s a luxury that so many journalists around the ...

Child deaths prove social media is no game

Brenda J. Linert

I recall being dared by my friends, as a child, to put my hand on the electric fence surrounding a cow field just down the rural country lane from the southwestern Pennsylvania home where I grew up. I accepted the dare, and we all laughed out loud as the electric volt zapped through my body. It was, well, shocking, but since I’m still here to write about it, I guess it ended OK. I’m pretty sure reading this will be the first time my mother learns of my ridiculous childhood stunt. Sadly, when Jacob Stevens’ parents learned about the stupid teen challenge their son recently took ...

Is AI good or bad? Depends on whom you ask

Brenda J. Linert

On three separate occasions recently I was involved in conversations about whether advances in artificial intelligence, or AI, is concerning to me as a journalist. No doubt the question stems from growing interest in new forms of AI known as “Generative AI.” That’s a form of AI now ...

Going to vote? Don’t forget your photo ID

Brenda J. Linert

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

Brenda J. Linert

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

Brenda J. Linert

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 ...