Mr. Prinzi has already posted about this at The Hog’s Head, but I want to take the discussion in a different direction, namely, the function of satire and why reporters have never attacked Ms. Rowling.

First, the story: Harry Potter Bad for Newspapers?

The Spring 2008 (?) copy of the American Communication Journal featured a piece called Harry Potter and Children’s Perceptions of the News Media by Amanda Sturgill, Department of Journalism at Baylor University, Jessica Winney, University of Houston Clear Lake, and Tina Libhart, also of Baylor.

The abstract of the article reads: [Read more…]

Dr. Kat’s List: Five College Campuses If You Want the Hogwarts Experience

Cornell, Bryn Mahr, Yale, Kenyon, and, at #1, [Read more…]

It has been three weeks now since Penguin/Berkley published Harry Potter’s Bookshelf: The Great Books Behind the Hogwarts Adventures and the reviews have been wonderfully kind and generous. Here are three of the most interesting, from HogPro All Pro Dr. Amy H. Sturgis, from a librarian/teacher named ‘Befus’ at epinions, and from Steve Vander Ark, the Lexicon Guy: [Read more…]

The Health writer at the New York Times this morning decided that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sends the wrong message about alcohol use to teens. In an article titled Harry Potter and the Pint of Liquid Courage she details the dangerous example the terrible trio and friends give the youth of our planet.

As you might expect, said reporter has her head handed to her by a variety of readers in a flood of responses here. Refreshing and bracing, that.

Some of these are great — especially the one detailing the hundreds of scenes in Disney films of drunkenness that the reviewer conveniently forgot. But in all those responses, though, nowhere does a reader remark on two things that were my first thoughts: [Read more…]

I argued that point back in 2005, believe it or not, and I suppose it’s worth re-visiting during the great kerfuffle about the Warner Brother’s film. Here is the relevant portion of a very long essay, even by HogPro standards, (see the original, if you must confirm I haven’t changed anything): [Read more…]