Articles

To Be a ‘Negro’ Newsman—Reporting on the Emmett Till Murder Trial

In 1956, Nieman Reports published Simeon Booker’s account of his Jet magazine coverage of the Emmett Till trial: Millions of words were written about the recent Till murder trial, but the most…

The Bonds of Our Reporting: The Civil Rights Cold Case Project

Cold case reporting is one of those endeavors that require friendly, trustworthy support and collaboration. This can be hard to find on back roads while chasing stories that some people…

It Takes a Hard-Driving Team to Uncover the Truth of a Cold Case

‘… Thomas Moore and I became an indivisible army of two on the [Henry H.] Dee and [Charles E.] Moore case. We created a critical mass of trust that carried…
Who Killed Frank Morris?

Who Killed Frank Morris?

Hearing of a racial murder that happened 43 years earlier, a reporter starts digging. Four years and more than 150 stories later, a grand jury was convened.

The Enduring Ambition of the Civil Rights Cold Case Project

‘What I didn’t know going in was how inspired I’d feel by hearing these journalists share fragments from their work that spoke to why telling these stories mattered to them—and…

The Inner Fire of Muckraking Journalists

Steve Weinberg writes about the inner fire that made Jack Anderson love to kick Nixon around, Dan Kennedy looks at a new take on the complicated life of Marshall McLuhan,…

Revealing the Underbelly of Turbulent Times

The plot of James O’Shea’s book reads like a fast-paced novel: greedy owners, corporate intrigue, a boorish manager, and a staff revolt. Yet it’s a true story.In “The Deal From…

Engaging Communities: Content and Conversation

‘Editors ought to require that story pitches and budget lines include an engagement component, reflecting community conversation, collaboration and outreach.’

Online Comments: Dialogue or Diatribe?

Among the minority who dominate the online conversation is ‘the digital equivalent of the loudest drunk in the bar.’

Community: A New Business Model for News

‘… the most powerful emerging business driver in the new economy is community.’