Few have ever accused the media of slanting conservative. Fewer still have ever suspected Sesame Street as a breeding ground for tiny neocons, though some family-values watchdogs have accused Bert and Ernie of threatening the American way of life. But consider the brief reign of Kenneth Tomlinson. Tomlinson served a controversial two-year term as chairman for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, during which time the Bush political appointee embarked on an aggressive quest to hire employees with a "conservative viewpoint," an investigator said, and "balance" the pubcaster's programming.

It's no secret that HBO has been in the vanguard of storytelling for the past decade - but not only in its programming. The pay-TV giant has been revolutionizing its category, marketing itself not just as a network but as an entertainment property.

When ValueClick announced its second-quarter earnings and lowered revenue estimates for the balance of the year, it blamed the weak economy and speculated that other online media companies will soon do the same. With performance-oriented media (search marketing, and cost per action) suffering less than brand-oriented media (branded publisher-based display), they are probably right, and that is a shame.

Eulogizing old media is a favorite pastime for pundits nowadays. Not so fast. Sure, things may look bleak. Newspaper advertising seems to have hit its long-anticipated tipping point and is in record declines. The network upfronts held their own this year, but only because advertisers bought more spots to offset declining audiences, so networks sold more inventory. Magazine advertising is taking an extra hit this year because of the slow economy.

I grew up in an era known for its sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, yet I am still amazed how sensitive some people of my generation are about discussing some fundamental aspects of our society, especially sex, religion and politics. It's okay to allude to these subjects, but to openly share your point of view on them is, well, often taboo. It's something I've learned as a writer and editor over the years. Print something direct about one of those subjects and you're asking for trouble, because it's bound to offend someone, somewhere, sometime, and seemingly for the most …

In 2006, the federal government declared that the Internet was 99 percent porn-free, based on a study by Professor Philip Stark of University of California, Berkeley. Yet, other studies have put pornographic Web visits as high as 40 percent of all online activity.

If you think you are rational and objective, don't read this column. Instead, I'd like you to please turn to your computer and search for "IAT" - Implicit Association Test. If you do this your search results should include a link for a demo test from Harvard. Do it. Take one.

Tonight, as we await election results from across the country, let's take a look back at the watershed media moments of the 2016 presidential race. This was the year that technical innovation and marketing creativity forever reshaped the contest for the White House.

I spent the early part of my career in PR agencies. I found that many PR people believe in press for press' sake. Any coverage is good coverage. But if a tree falls in the woods, and it's turned into paper, and on the paper is printed a story that isn't relevant to the reader, did the tree or the story make a sound? It's likely that they hardly rattled a leaf.

A brand can identify a movement. A brand can spark a movement. It can curate and crystallize a movement. It can even speed up a movement's rise toward dominance.