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2020s
Media Analysis
Automotive News staff struggle to transcend paper’s checkered past
The May 19th print edition of Automotive News ran two commentaries that debated California’s ability regulate pollution caused by the automobile industry. In the first commentary, Reporter Larry P. Vellequette (2025) acknowledged that the industry […]
Multimedia
Why does Joe Ligo’s PBS series sanewash AMC’s mid-70s recklessness?
I have mixed reactions to Joe Ligo’s (2025) fourth episode of his six-part television series on American Motors. This 30-minute program focuses on the automaker’s two final big-ticket redesigns before losing its independence: the 1974 […]
Current Events
Is JVL right that ‘Trump killed Tesla’ as a viable automaker?
Last week political commentator Jonathan V. Last (2025d) declared that Elon Musk’s close association with President Trump has “killed Tesla.” That was happy news to Last, who had previously argued that a good way to […]
Photo Essay
You can drive your car to a uniquely American twist on Stonehenge
If you wanted to see Stonehenge but haven’t managed to fly to England, there is an alternative in the United States. Around a century ago philanthropist Sam Hill built a replica in a rural corner […]
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Media Analysis
Do car ads need to talk down to people in order to be engaging?
One of the laziest kinds of clickbait in the auto history media are posts of old advertisements, commercials and various types of marketing videos. All too often the text that accompanies the ads could be […]
History
William Porter brought a thoughtful approach to his design work at GM
I can be quite critical of Automotive News, so in fairness I should note when they do good work. A case in point is a feature story by David Phillips (2025) about William L. Porter. […]
Current Events
Is this an example of good corporate crisis management?
My undergraduate education mainly focused on journalism, but I did take a public relations class. What I remember most about it were case studies that analyzed how corporations responded to crises. The faculty member emphasized […]
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