Media Nation

How Claude AI helped improve the look and legibility of Media Nation

For quite a few years I used WordPress’ indent feature for blockquotes rather than the actual blockquote command. The reason was that blockquotes in the theme that I use (Twenty Sixteen) were ugly, with type larger than the regular text (the opposite of what you would see in a book or a printed article) and in italics.

But then I noticed that indents didn’t show up at all in posts that went out by email, leading to confusion among my subscribers — that is, my most engaged readers. I decided to find out if I could modify the blockquote feature. WordPress allows you to add custom CSS to your theme, but I know very little about how to use CSS. I could have asked in a WordPress forum, but I tried to see if I could get an answer from AI instead.

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Northeastern has given us all access to the enterprise version of Claude, Anthropic’s AI platform. It’s a mixed blessing, although I’ve found that it’s very good as a search engine — often better than Google, which is now also glopped up by AI. I simply make sure I ask Claude to add the underlying links to its answer so I don’t get taken in by hallucinations. But Claude is also known for being quite good at coding. What I needed was low-level, so I thought maybe it could help.

Indeed it could. I began by asking, “In the Twenty Sixteen WordPress theme, how can I change the CSS so that blockquotes do not appear in italics?” Claude provided me with several options; I chose the simplest one, which was a short bit of custom CSS that I could add to my theme:

blockquote {
     font-style: normal;
}

It worked. A subsequent query enabled me to make the blockquote type smaller. Then, just last week, I noticed that any formatting in the blockquote was stripped out. For instance, a recent memo from Boston Globe Media CEO Linda Henry contained boldface and italicized text, which did not appear when I reproduced her message. The formatting code was there; it just wasn’t visible. Claude produced CSS commands that overrode the theme. You can see the results here, with bold and italic type just as Henry had it in her message.

I make some light use of AI in my other work. When I need to transcribe an audio interview, I use Otter, which is powered by AI. I’ve experimented with using AI to compile summaries from transcripts and even (just for my own use) an actual news story. Very occasionally I’ve used AI to produce illustrations for this blog, which seems to draw more objections than other AI applications, probably because it’s right in people’s faces.

Just the other day, someone complained to me on social media that she was not going to visit a local news outlet I had mentioned because she had encountered an AI-produced illustration there. When I asked why, she replied that it was because AI relies on plagiarism. Oh, I get it. Sometime this year I’m hoping to receive $3,000 as my share of a class-action lawsuit against Anthropic because one of my books, “The Return of the Moguls,” was used to train Claude.

And let’s not overlook the massive amounts of energy that are required to power AI. On a recent New York Times podcast, Ezra Klein and his guests observed that AI is deeply unpopular with the public (sub. req.), even though they’re using it, because all they really know is that it’s going to take away jobs and is driving up electricity costs.

But AI isn’t going anywhere, and if we’re going to use it (and we are, even if we try to avoid it), we need to find ways to do so ethically and responsibly.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone, and best wishes for peace, prosperity and good health in 2026. As always, thank you for reading. Go Sox!

Part of the Snow Village model train exhibit by William F. Meagher on display recently at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in Wellesley. Photo (cc) 2025 by Dan Kennedy.

Fewer posts, less politics, more news about local news: What’s ahead for Media Nation in 2026

At the Pistachio Café in New Haven, Conn. Photo (cc) 2021 by Dan Kennedy.

I launched Media Nation in 2005. If you count two predecessor blogs that I wrote solo and for The Boston Phoenix dating back to 2001, then Media Nation is among the oldest such projects in the country. It was also part of a dying breed until the past few years, when the rise of newsletters — blogs by another name — gave an enormous boost to independent media reporting and commentary.

Over the years, I’ve made several changes, and I’m planning to reposition Media Nation again in 2026. I had considered a hard reset but decided instead on a change of emphasis, which I can ignore as the news and my interests dictate.

First, I hope to cut way back on politically oriented media commentary. Nothing drives clicks like a post slamming Donald Trump, or slamming some failure in the way the media are covering him. But you can get that anywhere. My goal is write fewer such posts in favor of solutions to the local news crisis (my research specialty, after all); Boston- and New England-oriented media news (note to Boston Globe staffers: Keep those internal memos coming!); and music, books and whatever quirky stuff catches my eye.

Second, I plan to write less frequently. Counting this post, I wrote 306 blog posts in 2025, which adds up to nearly six per week. When I started doing this, I never intended to write so often. A lot of that comes from feeling like I’m obliged to write about every major news development that’s at the intersection of media and politics. As I said, I’m going to cut back on that. I think that two or three posts per week, more or less, is the right number, and I’m going to try not to feel guilty if I write only once. In exchange, I’ll aim to lean into substance and topics that you won’t find elsewhere.

Third, the collapse of social media led me to write a number of multi-item posts so that I could post short updates and observations as I used to do on Twitter. With the rise of Bluesky, I don’t feel like I need to do that. Bluesky is tiny, but that’s OK; you can use it without joining. I’ve embedded my Bluesky feed in the right-hand rail on Media Nation, which is easy to access if you’re reading on a laptop. On a phone, just scroll all the way down. You can also follow my feed without actually registering for Bluesky by clicking here — although if you do register, you can follow other worthwhile feeds as well.

Finally, a note about commenting: I have not changed my policy. You can still post comments here. But if you look at my revised policy, you’ll see that I’m emphasizing Facebook as the place where the deepest, most interesting conversations are taking place. For some reason, people are much more likely to weigh in on Facebook about something I’ve written than they are here. So why scream into the void? I post links to all of my Media Nation content on my public (that is, we don’t need to be “friends”) Facebook feed, which you can access here.

And if you’d like to support my work for just $6 a month, you can do so by visiting my Patreon. You’ll receive a weekly newsletter with exclusive commentary, a roundup of the week’s posts, photography and music. Media Nation itself will remain free.

With South Station unveiling fare gates, it’s time to rethink an annoying and unnecessary practice

Fare gates are coming to South Station, as they did to North Station several years ago. The way it works is that you tap your ticket (on paper or on your phone) at a gate to gain entry to the waiting area for commuter rail. If you’re arriving, you simply reverse the procedure and tap it to leave. It’s convenient and helps prevent scofflaws from evading fares. But there is one massively annoying aspect to this, and it could easily be solved.

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As Michael P. Norton reports for State House News Service, “Conductors will also still check tickets on board trains to verify travel zones.” That makes sense. Let’s say you ride the Lowell line out of North Station. It costs just $2.40, one way, to travel between West Medford and North Station. By contrast, a one-way ticket between the end of the line in Lowell and North Station costs $10.50.

(Let me pause here and observe that the longer your train commute, the more you’re helping to ease traffic congestion and air pollution. Given that, a flat rate would make more sense. But I digress.)

Now, here’s the aggravating part. I commute between West Medford and North Station. A lot of riders get on or off at that final (or first) stop, so the train is often overcrowded. Yet the conductors — always friendly and helpful — have to squeeze their way through so that they can inspect our tickets.

Why? West Medford commuters are already paying the cheapest fares. There is no reason to check our tickets. Thanks to the fare gates, we could not have gotten on unless we’d already paid and scanned our way in. If the conductors did their job before the train arrived in West Medford, or after it left, the train would be much less crowded, and it would be a lot easier for them to do their work.

This is not a big deal except that it’s completely unnecessary. With South Station fare gates coming online, this would be a good time for MBTA general manager Phil Eng and commuter rail contractor Keolis to eliminate a minor annoyance for those of us who take the train.

Disney’s role in fueling middle-class resentment was Media Nation’s top post of 2025

1. How two-tier Disney is helping to fuel the rise of middle-class anger and resentment (Sept. 2). Taking your family to a Disney resort has always been an expensive proposition — but at least you had the sense that everyone was in it together. Not anymore. As The New York Times reported, Disney in recent years has embraced a two-tier system that shuts out middle-class and working-class families. You have to pay massive fees to avoid standing in line for top attractions. You have to stay at an expensive Disney hotel or other Disney-owned accommodations even to get access to the best deals. Our once-common culture has split in two, one for the shrinking middle class, the other for the rich.

2. The Associated Press tells its book critics that it’s ending weekly reviews (Aug. 8). It’s always humbling when I republish a memo and attract more traffic than my own deathless prose is able to generate. Anyway, a Media Nation correspondent passed along a depressing note from Anthony McCartney, the AP’s global entertainment and lifestyle editor, that began:

I am writing to share that the AP is ending its weekly book reviews, beginning Sept. 1. This was a difficult decision but one made after a thorough review of AP’s story offerings and what is being most read on our website and mobile apps as well as what customers are using. Unfortunately, the audience for book reviews is relatively low and we can no longer sustain the time it takes to plan, coordinate, write and edit reviews. AP will continue covering books as stories, but at the moment those will handled exclusively by staffers.

3. Renée Graham quits Globe editorial board over Charlie Kirk editorial but will remain as a columnist (Sept. 18). The shocking public murder of right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk prompted some disingenuous commentary from observers who should have known better — including The Boston Globe’s editorial board, which ran a piece whose headline initially read “We need more Charlie Kirks.” The editorial intoned that “his weapon of choice was always words,” making no reference to his doxxing of left-wing academics, leading to harassment and death threats. That prompted Renée Graham to quit the editorial board in protest. Fortunately for those of us who value her voice, she has continued writing her column and her newsletter.

Continue reading “Disney’s role in fueling middle-class resentment was Media Nation’s top post of 2025”

Presenting this fall’s final projects by my Northeastern opinion journalism students

For a larger view, please click here.

This past semester I had a small but mighty class of students who took my course POV: The Art and Craft of Opinion Journalism. They wrote personal essays, reviews, op-ed-style pieces and, as their final project, an enterprise story encompassing research, interviews and a strong point of view. Here is a presentation of their work. They did a great job.

Linda Henry aims to deepen the Globe’s neighborhood coverage and expand in New England

You can count on one hand the number of independently owned large metro newspapers that are doing reasonably well and continuing to grow. Among them is The Boston Globe. Today’s print edition features a full-page ad consisting of a year-end message from Linda Henry, the CEO of Boston Globe Media, in which she lays out a few intriguing hints about what’s to come in 2026. (I have not seen it online or in an email, at least not yet.)

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Among the goals she lays out for the coming year: “Deepening coverage of Boston’s neighborhoods and expanding our presence across New England.” More city coverage would certainly be welcome. But I’m especially interested in her focus on New England.

The Globe’s Rhode Island and New Hampshire coverage have been valuable additions to the paper’s mission. Its reporting on the recent mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, was not only comprehensive and well-executed, but it also helped inform its coverage of what turned out to be a related killing in Brookline. So what’s next?

Continue reading “Linda Henry aims to deepen the Globe’s neighborhood coverage and expand in New England”

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

*The Big Guy has landed at Grace Episcopal Church in Medford, Mass.*

Founding editor Marc Levy has left Cambridge Day, the news outlet he launched in 2009

Cambridge Day’s founding editor, Marc Levy, has left the newspaper. His departure was announced in an email to Day contributors from editor-in-chief Michael Fitzgerald that was forwarded to me by a trusted source and confirmed by Fitzgerald. He writes:

Some changes are easier to share than others. I’m sad to say Cambridge Day’s founder, Marc Levy, has resigned effective immediately. Since re-starting the publication in 2009, Marc’s passion for community journalism has been unparalleled. He has been tireless, creative, resourceful, and dedicated to telling the stories of Cambridge and Somerville.

I know many of you, perhaps all of you, began contributing to the publication because of your admiration and respect for him and the publication he worked so hard to build. We are all part of his legacy. There’s still a great deal to do to achieve his goal in a sustainable way and I hope you will continue to work with me to make it so.

Levy has been a vital force for local journalism in Cambridge for 16 years, reporting on the city as the Gannett-owned Cambridge Chronicle cut back on its coverage and, at some point during the past several years, shut down almost unnoticed. The Day has also served as an occasional outlet for our Northeastern journalism students.

But it was always a bare-bones operation. That began to change in late 2024, when the Day — nominally a for-profit — was acquired by a nonprofit organization called Cambridge News Inc. At the same time, according to the Day’s “About” page, the Cambridge Community Foundation set up a Local News Fund to provide some assistance to the paper.

The Day is a digital-and-print operation; Cambridge Day is the name of the website, while the print edition is known as The Week.

Fitzgerald, an experienced journalist whose most recent stop had been as editor-in-chief at Harvard Public Health, came on board as the Day’s top editor in September 2025, with Levy remaining on the masthead as well. Levy’s departure is not the only change that’s taken place. Recently Fitzgerald said the Day would cut back on governmental coverage in Somerville, explaining, “If we’re going to be Cambridge Day, we need to be doing a good job of covering as much of Cambridge as we can.”

Levy declined to comment when I contacted him Tuesday night. Fitzgerald told me by email: “I meant what I said in the note. I’m sad about his departure. He gave his all to keep journalism alive in Cambridge and Somerville, and we’re well-positioned to build on that foundation.”

Watch it while you can: Yashar Ali has posted a broadcast-quality version of that ‘60 Minutes’ report

Click on the image to watch “Inside CECOT.”

We have reached the let’s-hope-Canada-beams-in-news-that’s-being-censored-in-our-own-country stage of authoritarianism.

On Monday afternoon, the “60 Minutes” story on mostly Venezuelan detainees being sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador — canceled by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss — popped up on Canada’s Global TV app. It was taken down a short time later because of copyright issues, but it’s been showing up here and there on social media ever since. I’m hoping this broadcast-quality version, on Yashar Ali’s newsletter, The Reset, will stick around for a while.

As you’ll see, detainees, many of whom have not been accused of any crime other than being in the U.S. illegally, say there were subjected to beatings, torture and sexual abuse during their time in the CECOT prison. As for Weiss’ complaint that the story did not include any comment from the Trump regime, here’s what we hear toward the end of Sharyn Alfonsi’s report:

The Department of Homeland Security declined our request for an interview and referred all questions about CECOT to El Salvador. The government there did not respond to our request.

We’ve been having a debate on Facebook over whether it’s fair to say that Weiss “canceled” the story given that she has said she wants to run it after it’s re-edited. I contend that it was canceled, not delayed, because it was scheduled to run on Sunday evening and it wasn’t. Also, Weiss has made it clear that if the story does run, it won’t be what you see here.

As Alfonsi said, to cancel the story for lack of White House comment even though they were given an opportunity to weigh in is to hand a “veto” to the very officials that “60 Minutes” was trying to hold to account. As I tell my students, you need to give people you’re reporting on a fair chance to respond — but you can’t let it drag on for so long that their silence is used to kill the story.