3 to read: What makes Steve Bannon tick | All about shield laws | RIP, John McLaughlin

By Matt Carroll <@MattatMIT>

Aug. 23, 2016: Cool stuff about journalism, once a week. Get notified via email? Subscribe: 3toread (at) gmail.com.

1. The most “dangerous political operative in America” is at Trump’s side: In a seismic shift last week, Trump shook up his campaign staff, bringing on board Breitbart’s Steve Bannon. Bloomberg’s Joshua Green wrote a fascinating take on Bannon, with this sub hed: “”Steve Bannon runs the new vast right-wing conspiracy — and he wants to take down both Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush.” It’s a year old feature, but still offers fascinating insight into what makes Bannon tick.
2. Shield laws & journalist’s privilege: Welcome to the incredibly confusing and complicated world of journalism shield laws, where protection for reporters ranges from OK to pathetic, depending on the type of case and where you work. Jonathan Peters of Columbia Jrn Review pens “what every reporter should know about shield laws.” Informative.
3. RIP, John McLaughlin, provocateur of public affairs TV: John McLaughlin’s TV career spanned decades; his influence as host of The McLaughlin Group was legendary. His bellow — “Wronnng!” — became a catchphrase. A wonderful obit by Erik Wemple of the Washington Post on one of journalism’s stars from a fast vanishing era.

Bonus: Deepstream turns the chaos of livestreams into curated order: Livestreams are popular — whether it’s a revolt in Turkey or a house fire across town, people are increasingly tuning in. But livestreams pose problems — for instance, context is usually lacking and it can be difficult to find the stream you want. Deepstream aims to tame all that. And they are looking for media partners. (Transparency alert: I’m hopelessly conflicted, as I’m helping Gordon Mangum, the founder. Still, it’s cool.)

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Matt Carroll runs the Future of News initiative at the MIT Media Lab.