I am a Clinical Psychologist; an analyst of visual journalism; an interpreter of political images; and publisher of the political blog BAGnewsNotes.  "The BAG" offers a daily semiotic analysis of news and political images from a political, cultural or psychological point of view, and is also a platform for original social photography and photojournalism.

My clinical training -- which is woven into my commentary -- involves the psychology of character and the presentation of everyday self.  My research has dealt primarily with symbolic expression, the process of visual narrative, and the psychological function of metaphor.

In addition to my private practice, I spent nine years as the consulting psychotherapist at The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), the highly-regarded architecture and design program and think-tank in Los Angeles. For five years before that, I served the same function at Otis College of Art and Design. Counting both experiences, I have spent thousands of hours collaborating with students and design professionals in their creative process, as well as participating in the formal and informal analysis and critique of visual images.

My experience with cyberspace began in the early eighties. Working for a publishing technology firm in New York, I was involved in developing some of the first on-line, interactive graphic content designed specifically for the public. It was from these early services (know at the time as "videotex") that the html standard emerged, and new communication companies, such as AOL and Yahoo, first took shape.

The BAGnewsNotes blog began in June 2003. Originally, it was the home for a civics tool/ visual experiment/political cartoon called BAGnews. Beginning in mid-2004, however, spurred by perceived peculiarities in the photo coverage of the Bush-Kerry presidential campaign, I turned my attention to this new "discipline" -- the visual analysis of political images.

I have been a regular contributor to the Huffington Post since September '05, writing a blog feature called "Reading The Pictures."  In September '07, I also became an on-line columnist for American Photo Magazine.

I'm alway interested in comments and feedback. To reach me, please write to: openbag AT bagnews (dot) com.

Blog Entries by Michael Shaw

Reading The Pictures: Rose Garden/Chi-Town Study In Contrast

Posted November 27, 2008 | 12:31 AM (EST)


Bush WH Turkey.jpg
Obama Thanksgiving 08.jpg


It's all about setting a tone.


Image 1: Bush gathers...

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Reading The Pictures: It's Nice To See A Brown Girl Get Some Attention

35 Comments | Posted November 24, 2008 | 02:23 PM (EST)


The Meaning Of Michelle.jpg

In a cover story by Allison Samuels that includes the following very meaningful passage...

As my brunch friends and I continued talking about Michelle, our conversation wandered into...

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Reading The Pictures: Bush Gets Bad Rap In CNN's Supposed G-20 Handshake Incident

61 Comments | Posted November 21, 2008 | 02:08 PM (EST)



If you know this column at all, I'm sure you appreciate how I never pass up an opportunity to bash Bush for crippling America's...

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Reading The Pictures: Obama's Art Of War

78 Comments | Posted November 19, 2008 | 04:38 AM (EST)



Lieberman.JPG

Now that the Obama era is underway, consider this the first illustration (and casualty) of the new art of war. (And, I'm not talking about the way...

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Reading The Pictures: Honeymoon Plus

3 Comments | Posted November 17, 2008 | 03:45 PM (EST)


Obama-60-Minutes.jpg

How big a figure did Obama cut on 60 Minutes Sunday night? Well, watching anybody else that close up would probably give you vertigo.

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Reading The Pictures: Rough Handling Between Sarah And the Govs?

77 Comments | Posted November 14, 2008 | 04:40 PM (EST)



Perry-Palin-GOP-Governors.jpgIs there resentment at hand between SP and the GOP?

Even though the media touted it as Sarah Palin's press conference, the press event yesterday at the Republican...
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Reading The Pictures: Cheneys And Bidens At The Doorstep

10 Comments | Posted November 13, 2008 | 11:51 PM (EST)


Cheneys-Bidens-1.jpg

Are these four people really in the same picture?

Reminds me of that line: Dems fall in love, Repubs fall in line.

(image: Molly Riley/Reuters. US Naval Observatory. Washington. November 13, 2008.)

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Reading The Pictures: "Last Veterans Day Accomplished," November 11, 2008. / "Mission Accomplished," May 1, 2003.

6 Comments | Posted November 11, 2008 | 03:55 PM (EST)


Bush Intrepid Landing.jpg
20030501-15_lincoln3-515h.jpg


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Reading The Pictures: Let's Unroll

50 Comments | Posted November 10, 2008 | 02:45 AM (EST)


Cobb SWAT.jpg

"You always hope that you don't have to use it, but this is becoming a fact of life," SWAT commander...

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Reading The Pictures: First Visual Swipe At Obama Administration

40 Comments | Posted November 7, 2008 | 11:35 AM (EST)


Obama-Emanuel-1.jpg

Well, the NYT moved pretty fast Thursday in walking back their first visual swipe at the Obama administration.

The top screen shot, which led the on-line edition in the early afternoon, framed Obama's first political appointee, Rahm...

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Reading The Pictures: And Now We Want It Back

17 Comments | Posted November 6, 2008 | 03:52 AM (EST)



Vucci-WH-Victory.jpg

More than the photos from Grant Park or New York or Kenya or anywhere else Tuesday night,...
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Reading The Pictures: Is The New York Times Effing Kidding With This Grant Park Election Night Preview?

56 Comments | Posted November 2, 2008 | 12:46 PM (EST)


NYT Grant Park.jpg

If this was coming from Michelle Malkin or Steve Schmidt, even, I wouldn't be surprised, but ... the NYT had the gall to run this photo from Grant Park in '68...

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Reading The Pictures: God, Obama

180 Comments | Posted October 31, 2008 | 04:30 AM (EST)


Obama as God.jpg

My God that's some shot, right?

Given the likelihood of an Obama administration, it's not too early to target how BHO will be framed through spoken, written and visual language. In...

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Reading The Pictures: McCain To The Skinheads In Four Easy Steps

61 Comments | Posted October 28, 2008 | 02:28 PM (EST)


McCain-Haters.jpg

200810280132.jpg

Mccain Iowa-1

200810280132.jpg

...
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Reading The Pictures: Not Just Rogue Warrior But McCain Campaign's Mutation

31 Comments | Posted October 27, 2008 | 04:10 AM (EST)


Palin Wolverine.jpg


The hell with your robocalls, your special handling and your fancy wardrobe! (Insert terrifying growl.)

In this fantastical image from Sioux City on Saturday, a clever AP photographer captures what can best be described as the McCain...

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Reading The Pictures: Newsweek -- Swallowing GOP Attack -- Positions Obama As Leftist

21 Comments | Posted October 22, 2008 | 03:18 AM (EST)


Newsweek-Conservative-Us-1

First of all, I take issue with the idea America is a center-right country when Bush initially sold himself as a centrist, failed to earn a clear mandate when he was re-elected (basically through the exploitation...

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Reading The Pictures: Palin Misses Her Match

130 Comments | Posted October 19, 2008 | 11:33 PM (EST)


Palin-Fey-Snl-2
Palin-Fey-Snl

Did Palin and her minders somehow restrict the Governor's role on SNL last night, effectively reducing her to a prop? Did the show merely...

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Reading The Pictures: Plumbing The Truth

162 Comments | Posted October 16, 2008 | 03:57 PM (EST)


Joe The Plumber

I don't think I could add any better visual analysis to Jim Young's photo than the comments of Joe Wurzelbacher himself.

Joe the (unlicensed) plumber's two money quotes to the NYT include:


"You know,...

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Reading The Pictures: Has McCain Been Suffering From What The DSM-IV Classifies As Caffeine Intoxication?

26 Comments | Posted October 14, 2008 | 01:45 AM (EST)


Mccain Starbucks

"(F)or someone with a busy, stressful job, little stresses elicit big responses on caffeine, and big stresses elicit huge responses." Lane once did a study in which he compared caffeine's effects on type-A versus...
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Reading The Pictures: McCain's Mouth

69 Comments | Posted October 12, 2008 | 01:52 AM (EST)


Mccain Iowa-1

This particular guy caught the attention of several newswire photographers on Saturday. He was in the front row during McCain's Iowa appearance waving a hat that matched his shirt. The shot -- since replaced -- accompanied a

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