February 10, 2021 Dear Diary, Well, we’re having another bad Facebook day. They won’t let us run our “promoted post” ads again. We’ve had problems before, but for the last few months they’ve mostly sailed through. But our boost this week got rejected – they sent us the dreaded “This... Read more
By Justin Sanders “To act, someone needs to give you a great role. To direct, you need a great play. To design, you need a production. But to write, all you need is an idea and a pen and some blank paper and you can command your own future.” It’s... Read more
In October 2019, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg rounded up an audience in a classically appointed lecture hall at Georgetown University and declared, “Giving everyone a voice empowers the powerless and pushes society to be better over time.” “The ability to speak freely,” he added, “has been central in the fight... Read more
By Justin Sanders The pandemic has been a devastating experience – but like many devastating experiences it has also been a catalyst for creativity. Over this past year, artists have found new inspiration not only in terms of subject matter, but in how they package and present their work. Previously,... Read more
By Ruth Vitale One of the most important lessons I have learned in my three-plus decades as a film executive is the importance of storytelling. The biggest budget and the most famous stars in the world will rarely save a film if the narrative is broken. If audiences cannot follow... Read more
The last update to our chronological compendium of Google’s harmful misdeeds ended with an October 2020 bombshell, as the United States Department of Justice formally charged the company with antitrust violations related to its search and advertising businesses. Since then, we’ve seen the ramifications of this federal antitrust lawsuit rapidly unfold. As one... Read more
Whatever the fallout of the political violence that has already dogged 2021, one thing is certain: Facebook will be under more scrutiny than ever for its role in fomenting it. The platform has shown in recent years that it is willing to “do something” to moderate hateful and illegal content... Read more
By Justin Sanders Longtime Colorado resident Don Vasicek wears many hats. He is a screenwriter who has worked on projects ranging from intimate family dramas to big-budget fantasy epics. He is a filmmaker whose hard-hitting documentaries have tackled racism and intolerance. He is a novelist whose books tell warmhearted stories with grace... Read more
Coincidental with the Big Tech CEOs getting chewed out by Democrats and Republicans alike late last year in one of several Section 230 hearings, Yaël Eisenstat – ex-CIA officer, past White House Advisor, and Facebook’s former head of global elections integrity operations – rendered a diagnosis of what’s gone wrong. “[A]t... Read more
By Justin Sanders
The pandemic rages on and it’s awfully cold and dark outside, but the warm light of creativity still burns. We may not be able to go to a movie theater right now, or get out to see a play, concert, museum, or art gallery – but on our phones, computers,... Read more