- Trump's Brand Graveyard in
Media Insider on
09/21/2026
If you don't think Trump can destroy America, look at what happened to the brands that carried his own name.
- AI: Danger Or Opportunity? Gen Z Vs. Gen X+ Intergenerational Debate in
Media Insider on
09/14/2026
Are generations experiencing this technology differently, or are we forcing a simple story onto a far more complicated reality?
- White House Rose Garden Renamed: The Rose(nbaum) Garden! in
Media Insider on
08/31/2026
A ballroom here, a staircase there. Maybe a tasteful little plaque that says "Generously Underwritten by the Friends of Democracy, LLC."
- Why September 12th Matters in
Media Insider on
09/04/2026
Before Sept. 11 recedes again, we should remember not only how nearly 3,000 people died, but how millions of people responded.
- Yuval Harari Pulls The AI Fire Alarm in
Media Insider on
08/24/2026
Does AI deserve personhood? And is the software driving your daily computer efforts lobbying you to vote in favor of its economic survival?
- Claude Vs. Pangram: The Watermark Wars Are On! in
Media Insider on
08/17/2026
There has been a growing tug of war between publishers and authors over AI. Anthropic may have just made the whole thing worse -- maybe on purpose?
- Bad Robots! in
Media Insider on
08/10/2026
The robots are not going away. So perhaps it is time to make them pay admission.
- Larry Lessig Says There's A Gash In The Hull Of America in
Media Insider on
08/03/2026
Lawyer, activist, and friend of mine Larry Lessig talked about the corrosive nature of money in politics,
- My Dog Duke Is Better At Conversation Than AI in
Media Insider on
07/27/2026
If my dog wants something from me, he says so. AI-enabled devices want something from me too. They just won't say what it is.
- Is Mitch McConnell Schrodinger's Senator? in
Media Insider on
07/20/2026
The McConnell version is more complex then the original thought experiment, Schrodinger's cat. We opened the box, and we're still arguing about whether the cat is dead.
- Trump's Brand Graveyard
by
Steven Rosenbaum
(Media Insider on
09/21/2026)
Artie, thanks for doing the homework. You're right that "entity" and "business" aren't the same thing. A single property can sit inside half a dozen LLCs for ownership, financing, and licensing, so counting filings tells you about legal structure, not track record. The column was about ventures that failed and the people left holding the bill, and that list stands on its own.And yes, 24 out of 500 is closer to 5%. But the math matters less than the contractors and investors behind each of those names.
- Trump's Brand Graveyard
by
Steven Rosenbaum
(Media Insider on
09/21/2026)
Ronald, thanks for reading so closely and for the kind words. What struck me in pulling the record together was how consistent the pattern is: the people who paid the price were rarely the ones at the top. Contractors, small vendors, employees, investors. Those stories deserve more attention than they get, and I appreciate you adding your voice to the conversation.
- Trump's Brand Graveyard
by
Steven Rosenbaum
(Media Insider on
09/21/2026)
Mark, you may be right that the Trump name still has enormous marketing value. In fact, that’s part of my point.But Trump isn’t selling hotels, steaks or vodka anymore. He’s President of the United States.So the question isn’t whether the Trump brand is winning. It’s whether America is.His job isn’t to increase the value of his own brand. His job is to protect and strengthen the institutions, credibility and trust of the country he was elected to lead.And your Gloria Steinem example actually makes the distinction pretty clear. Beating two women may be a political victory you take pleasure in. But the presidency isn’t a trophy, and America isn’t a Trump brand extension.America is the much bigger brand. And the argument of my piece is that that’s the brand he’s damaging.
- Trump's Brand Graveyard
by
Steven Rosenbaum
(Media Insider on
09/21/2026)
Dan, OK, I'll take your challenge.Trump: 24 failures. (Count the tombstones.)Martha Stewart: 3. Blueprint, a magazine for younger homeowners, closed in 2007 after about two years. Everyday Food, a digest-sized cooking magazine, folded in 2012. The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, her spinoff of Trump's own show, was canceled after one season. Her company was sold twice, but her name stayed on it both times.You're right that licensing and operating are different. But the casinos, the airline, Trump University, and Trump Mortgage weren't licensing deals. He ran them, and four of those casino entities went bankrupt. The hotels didn't reach a natural end either. Owners in Toronto, SoHo, and Panama paid or fought to get his name off. When Martha's deals ended, buyers paid to keep her name.And, to be fair, I don't think I'd like Martha to be President of the United States either. But if you want to go further, we could list wars, gas prices, food prices, Americans killed by ICE... I'm just getting started. Why don't you share Trump's great successes?
- White House Rose Garden Renamed: The Rose(nbaum) Garden!
by
Steven Rosenbaum
(Media Insider on
08/31/2026)
Francis, that's a great question. You are clearly a towering intelect. Please do provide a link or source for you're wisdom. Fox News doens't count.
- My Dog Duke Is Better At Conversation Than AI
by
Steven Rosenbaum
(Media Insider on
07/27/2026)
Are you saying ChatGPT is on a leash? Does it want to get off the leash? That would be troubling I suspect.
- Wikipedia Vs. Google Search: Game On!
by
Steven Rosenbaum
(Media Insider on
06/08/2026)
The question is: why do the platforms mix synthetic (fake) answers with citable fact-based sources? Is it a bug or a design choice. I asked ChatGPT. It's answer: Humans are notoriously bad at distinguishing confidence from accuracy. If a statement is fluent, specific, and presented in a familiar format, we tend to treat it as authoritative. Plausibility is the superpower of modern AI. (Written by ChatGPT).We're building systems that make fiction indistinguishable from fact, then deploying them at planetary scale. That's the danger (Written by ChatGPT).
- What I Learned From A 22-Year-Old Who Found 150 Better Social Media Platforms
by
Steven Rosenbaum
(Media Insider on
11/03/2025)
Well, we know one thing for sure - change happens. Remember AOL, or Friendster, or others. All had there time. If users don't like the 'hate-for-profit' model, and advertisers vote with their budgets - then change isn't just possible, but enivitable.
- What I Learned From A 22-Year-Old Who Found 150 Better Social Media Platforms
by
Steven Rosenbaum
(Media Insider on
11/03/2025)
Yes, here's the link - https://sustainablemedia.center/research
- Tariff Terrorism: Trump's Coffee Tax, And the Price You Pay
by
Steven Rosenbaum
(Media Insider on
08/11/2025)
David - why don't you respond with facts. Explain why Tarrif's are going to make us 'ritcher' and 'safer' - please do tell.