It's All Journalism

The broccoli of media-focused podcasts.

  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • FAQ
  • How to Podcast
  • Newsletter
  • Take a Survey

#142 – Richard Wurman plays it dumb

April 15, 2015 by ItsAllJournalism
http://podone.noxsolutions.com/launchpod/ItsAllJournalism/mp3/IAJ-2015-04-15-163.mp3

Richard Saul Wurman is no dummy. But, that doesn’t mean he can’t see the value of being dumb sometimes.

Richard Saul Wurman and Kris Viesselman present at keynote conversation during the 2015 Society for News Design's annual workshop in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Michael O'Connell)

Richard Saul Wurman and Kris Viesselman present at keynote conversation during the 2015 Society for News Design’s annual workshop in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Michael O’Connell)

Richard Saul Wurman and Kris Viesselman present at keynote conversation during the 2015 Society for News Design’s annual workshop in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Michael O’Connell)[/caption]

“What I embrace, basically, or what I’ve tried to have as a path in my life is to be the dumbest person in the room,” Wurman told an audience on Friday, April 10, during a keynote address at the Society of News Design’s annual workshop in Washington, D.C.

“I really like to suck out information from everybody else, and I listen to every word everybody says,” he said. “And it’s unsettling, because sometimes the words are really stupid and they’re inaccurate and some speakers are stupid and inaccurate. Just because you’re on the stage doesn’t mean you have any way to the truth. And I’m really obsessed with how stupid I am.”

At 80, Wurman, who Fortune magazine called an “intellectual hedonist” with a “hummingbird mind”, has spent a lifetime surrounding himself with smart people. An information architect, he’s also the author of 83 books, including “Information Anxiety” and the ACCESS city guides.

What Wurman is known primarily for these days is being the co-founder of the TED conferences, which routinely bring together experts in Technology, Entertainment and Design to share their ideas β€” in other words, the culmination of Wurman’s goal to surround himself and others with smart people.

This is a special podcast is part of It’s All Journalism’s coverage of the 2015 Society for News Design’s workshop in Washington, D.C. It’s a recording of a conversation between TED conference founder Richard Saul Wurman and Kris Viesselman, a designer and founder of Electric Ivy. The conversation was presented as a keynote address on Friday, April 10.

β€” Michael O’Connell

Similar Podcasts:

#128 – Mobile journalism gets its MoJo

#117 – Amy O’Leary & Tyson Evans β€” Behind the scenes of the New York Times Innovation Report

Share Button
If you like this post, please share it along:

Previous Post

KPCC reporter Meghan McCarty canvasses the streets of Los Angeles with a sandwich board and a microphone. (KPCC photo)
#141- KPCC makes one voter care

Next Post

Comics journalist Dan Archer uses his artwork to tell immersive stories. (Photo by Michael O'Connell)
#143 – Comics create immersive experience

Leave a Reply Cancel reply




Related Posts

  • 423. Covering Black communities with nuance and purpose
  • Kate Gardiner#18 – Kate Gardiner: Time for journalists to take back their audience
  • #383 Public good vs private enterprise: sustainability in local news
  • Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold, right, talks to Politico media critic Jack Shafer before the start of their panel at the Association of Alternative Newsmedia's annual conference in Washington, D.C.#265 β€” Pulitzer Prize winner recounts investigation into Trump charity

Learn How To Podcast

Turn Up the Volume equips journalism students, professionals, and others interested in producing audio content with the know-how necessary to launch a podcast for the first time. It addresses the unique challenges beginner podcasters face in producing professional level audio for online distribution. Beginners can learn how to handle the technical and conceptual challenges of launching, editing, and posting a podcast.

Order this new book by It’s All Journalism Producer Michael O’Connell.

Take a Survey, Earn Some Swag

If you haven’t heard, we created a five-question online survey to help us assemble a toolbox for journalists that we’ll share on our podcast and website. Please take a few minutes to share the tools that help make your job easier.

We’ve also just launched a new survey on how to improve our podcast. Let us know how we could do better.

To those people who complete one of our the surveys, we’ll be sending out a limited number of It’s All Journalism coffee mugs while supplies last. Show your support for good journalism by taking the survey and get a reward in return.

Help Support Our Podcast

Promoting good journalism is essential in a democracy. By donating to the It’s All Journalism Patreon page, you will help ensure that we continue producing the weekly podcast that focuses on good journalism. You’ll also help to boost us to the next level with live events and exclusive content. Donate here.

Sign Up for Our Weekly Newsletter

Latest Posts

  • Better News: Nonprofit newsrooms turn rivalry into revenue stream
  • 456. What Is Life shares stories of prisoners facing life sentences
  • 455. Making Google, Facebook pay their fair share for news
  • 454. Solutions Journalism tackles community problems
  • 453. Making sure Wikipedia shows that Women Do News

Copyright © 2021 · Pintercast Child Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in