More than a decade ago, Britain was rocked by an almost unimaginable scandal – dozens of mostly Pakistani men had been kidnapping and grooming young girls and engaging in gang rape. The hideous crime was made worse when local police actively worked to both cover up the crimes and went so far as to charge victims’ families and the girls themselves with assorted crimes. Britain’s establishment, fearing a fanning of hate against immigrants, turned a blind eye. (Britain’s news media were complicit in turning a blind eye.) The establishment is still turning a blind eye, writes Sam Bidwell at The Critic Magazine. Ben Sixsmith says they’re trying to cover up their own cowardice. The big upsurge in publicity started because of a single tweet by a certain Tesla owner, and then came a followup tweet by Bill Ackman.
The U.S. State Department’s Global Engagement Center, whose purpose was supposedly to fight disinformation, has closed its doors. Its funding was stripped from the defense spending bill, and it likely faced a quick demise under the incoming administration. What we know about its activities depends upon which media you trust and believe. USA Today says “US nerve center to combat China and Russia propaganda shut down by GOP opposition.” The Wall Street Journal says it battled foreign disinformation. Fox News points out that the GEC was instrumental in censoring Americans who didn’t think COVID originated in a wet market.
I usually ignore celebrity stories (and political endorsements), but this one caught my eye because of the implications for public relations. While I knew there was a movie star promotion industry in Hollywood, I didn’t know there was also a celebrity smearing industry, often within the same firm. Neville Hobson suggests some PR ethics lessons from the Blake Lively controversy, while Kat Rosenfeld at The Free Press takes a look at the controversy and the art of the smear and counter-smear.
More Good Reads
Life and Culture
Grandma’s House – Nathaniel Urban at The Imaginative Conservative.
British Stuff
Buried plaque sends detectorist on WWI quest – Helen Burchell at BBC.
The Story of Orange Marmalade – Spitalfields Life.
Writing and Literature
Life before death – Anthony Daniels at The New Criterion.
Voices from the Dead Letter Office – Cynthia Ozick at Harper’s Magazine.
How to Read More in 2025 – Thomas Kidd.
The Art of Creative Living – T.S. Poetry Press.
Art
Busting the myths about my dad Frank Auerbach (according to son Jake) – The Art Newspaper.
Poetry
Becoming an Instrument of the Poem: An Interview with Paul Muldoon – Caitlyn Doyle at Literary Matters.
Start Close In – David Whyte.
“Ode written in the Beginning of the Year 1746,” poem by William Collins – Sally Thomas at Poems Ancient and Modern.
My Mother’s Teeth – Angela Alaimo O’Donnell at First Things Magazine.
“As I Know by Love”: Wendell Berry’s Another Day – Jeffrey Bilbro at Front Porch Republic.
American Stuff
2024 Year in Review: #1 – The Elephant in the Room: Is America headed toward a second civil war? – Emerging Civil War.
Faith
Four Remembrances for the New Year – Curtis Solomon at Biblical Counseling Coalition.
Simple Love – Alison Krauss
Painting: Portrait of Giulio Clovio. Oil on canvas by El Greco (1541-1614).
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