WTF Community

Summer Schedule?

Meta
#1

I wrote this in today’s newsletter, but not everybody here subscribes. So, it’s finally summer here in Seattle and our first taste of the sun has made it hard to concentrate on writing about the daily shock and awe.

I’m considering moving to a summer publishing schedule through August wherein I write a shortened version of WTF Just Happened Today two or three times a week that is delivered earlier in the day. Here’s what I’m thinking: just the day’s five main stories in two sentences or less; no Notables; plus a handful of links to stories I’m keeping an eye on.

What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? Should I do something entirely different? Or, what about a “headlines-only” version of WTF Just Happened Today that uses the top stories from Current Status (the political news aggregator I built that you should definitely be using)? Let me know!

4 Likes
#2

I like the current format. If wtf goes to two sentences on five topics, I will no longer contribute financially

#4

I prefer no change to the current schedule, though I understand the burnout issue. Could someone assist so you can get a break in the summer without reducing the (very helpful) content?

#5

I should clarify: It would be a regular, fully-fucked edition two or three times a week, and then a slimmed down wtf the other two or three days.

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#7

I’ll be happy to continue as a subscriber if you move to a summer schedule. It makes sense to me. We’ll all just keep moving forward.

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#9

I think your clarified intention sounds like a good plan. I can understand that you need a bit of a break, and the way you described it, we will still be getting information from you. I say go for it!

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#10

I’m good with the summer schedule! We all need some down time to recharge. It’s a marathon after all!

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#11

Does this mean Joe Amditis gets a break from the podcast, too, on those “short” days?

#12

Not sure yet.

#13

I think that we are all just getting numb by this crazy political climate. Maybe that is their intention. I think WTF Summer Lite would be ok. BTW I have been reading every day since the beginning and I contribute monthly through PayPal. Not much but I hope it helps. I oscillate between furious and numb. Thank you for what you do!

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#14

What about guest contributors to pick up some of the summer slack?

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#15

I’d like to do that and I’ve tried it in the past in a few ways. In my experience, it takes a lot of time and effort to get contributors to drop the rhetoric picked up on social media and to focus instead on news-values. I’m not opposed and very open minded about this, but I’m worried about wasting time on people who either insist on injecting their partisan politics into this or disappear after spending several hours getting them up to speed. This is on top of the operational and coordination overhead.

My preference would be to hire one or two people part-time. That would make the management and facilitation easier and more consistent.

I’ll explore this further and whether we can find some money to make it all work out. Perhaps we do a t-shirt sale or something to fund a few helpers?

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#16

:+1:t3: To the shortened summer WTFJHT. Two days a week of WTF lite should do us all good before the midterms. You deserve to enjoy the fucking sun as much as the rest of us do​:sunny:
Katherine
Austin

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#17

Same here, Jacqueline, on all of the above.
But I find the daily WTF makes it possible to stay on top of what’s going on without tipping too far into either numbness or overload.
(And I’ve already emailed Matt to say a lightened summer load with a still-daily WTF sounds smart.)

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#18

I like the current format, but respect your desire to enjoy summer. Is there a way others could step up in your absence like when you’re traveling?

#19

I fully support you taking some down time- we can find other ways to get the news if we find it to not be enough. I hope people will continue to contribute financially. Take care of yourself, we need your reporting for the long haul!

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#20

Has anyone read any of the analysis that say, in short, that Trump’s strategy is to overlord and burn out the opposition with “protest fatigue”? I’ve seen several articles saying the same thing.
Just thought I’d point that out…

That said, I recognize, Matt, that you’re doing a helluvalotta work and, like a marathon, you need to pace yourself. But before I chime in with my 2c, I wonder what sort of support system there is. Is it just you and your occasional plea for financial help? Do you have any sort of advisory group or board? After all, I think there’s a way to have our cake and eat it too, but first we gotta know who the bakers are. (And apologies for overuse of metaphors!)

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#21

Issues: Train few people to pick up slack. Subscriptions to every newspaper must be in Name of DBA, not MATT so the select few can cover for him while he is Summer Mental Healthing. Who else beside Matt has the big picture. How can others know what are the important stories. Think more thinking has to go into this change.

#22

Hi Matt, thanks for all you’re doing to keep us informed. Please keep it as simple as possible for you to disperse this important info to us. I love how it’s just the facts and not too sensationalized like KOS. Do what you need to do.

Chuck

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#23

I don’t have a problem with the proposed summer schedule. The only reason I would want you to keep up the grind is if impeachment proceeding were starting. That’s not likely until after the midterms. So, chill a little!

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