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Hi everyone: I took an extended break from posting on my blog but I am ready to get back in earnest in 2019. Upcoming topics will reflect some of the projects I am currently working on including: the benefits of sustainable aquaculture in protecting the ocean; and how recreational fishing and hunting provides many benefits … Continue reading Upcoming 2019 blog posts

Many disasters are not caused by a single factor, but by a multitude of factors that happen either simultaneously or in close succession. If each factor happens by itself, everything is fine. However, history has shown us time and time again (e.g., Titanic, Hindenburg, too many plane crashes to count, etc.) that disasters do happen … Continue reading Lake Oroville crisis a perfect storm of four factors

There is no denying that the election of Donald Trump will go down as a history changing event. Of course, we will likely need to wait several years or even decades to accurately assess the impacts of a President Trump Administration. Given the declining voter turnout in recent elections, it is apparent that many Americans … Continue reading The one thing you can do now to change “politics as usual.”

With all the attention on fake news recently, many people have asked me; “How can you tell if a story is trustworthy?” As someone trained in the scientific method (I studied biology in college) but who has worked in the communications field my entire career, I go through these five general steps when assessing the … Continue reading Five things to look for in trustworthy news stories

You know fake news has become a big deal when President Obama feels the need to briefly address the impact of fake news on the current partisan political climate during his final official press briefing on December 16. Facebook, a favorite platform for disseminating fake news, has also recently announced formal actions to limit the … Continue reading Five actions you can take to combat fake news

“Fake” news has been in the news A LOT lately. (Check out these recent stories from the NY Times, NPR, Newshour and another from NY Times on foreign influence) Sometimes with near tragic consequences as the recent episode at a Washington D.C. pizzeria demonstrates. As a professional communicator and trained scientist, I am not immune … Continue reading Why do people believe fake news?

The first presidential debate is behind us and the consensus winner was Hillary Clinton. Much has been written about why political analysts believe she won. These stories in Vox (7 ways she baited Trump) and Washington Post (Trump’s feud with Latina beauty queen) are two of my favorite takes on what Clinton did to get … Continue reading Clinton and the benefits of smiling in the first debate

How to be Prepared for Public Testimony [Updated: John Stumpf announced his immediate resignation on October 12, 2016, as CEO and chairman of the board. Based on his congressional testimony I break down below, I’m surprised this outcome took this long.] In case you missed it, Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf got publicly eviscerated by … Continue reading The evisceration of John Stumpf

Given the attention facing resident Olympian “bad boy” Ryan Lochte, I thought I’d share some friendly advice I’d provide him if we were chilling out somewhere right now in North Carolina eating some pulled pork and enjoying a cold one. In doing so, I hope everyone can learn a few things about how to handle … Continue reading My advice to Ryan Lochte (I.e., How to handle a personal crisis)

“Clinton questions whether Sanders is qualified to be president,” Washington Post, April 6, 2016. This headline certainly grabs your attention but like thousands of headlines generated daily, is it accurate? The challenge of any writer or editor is to create a headline that gets people to read the actual story. Have a great story but … Continue reading Headlines matter (for better or worse)