Civility: Manners, Morals, and the Etiquette of Democracy Stephen L. Carter Basic Books. 338 Pages. $25.America is suffering from a lapse in civility, and the trouble is, according to Stephen Carter, … Read more
I’m not very good at prognostication, although I have had my moments. I predicted in January of 1992 that Bill Clinton would become president. (I have witnesses, I swear.) I predicted that the Denver Broncos would win last year’s Super … Read more
From November 1936, when Life magazine’s first issue appeared, until it stopped publication as a weekly in 1972, 88 of the most innovative and revered photographers found, at one time or another, a home for their oftentimes groundbreaking photography. “Life … Read more
News Is A Verb Pete Hamill Library of Contemporary Thought. 102 Pages. $8.95.In the flood of literature lamenting the demise of good journalism, this 102-page book is a small gem. I do not say this because Pete … Read more
It’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. We should not kid ourselves by thinking that other people and institutions cannot gather and distribute crucial information. They can, they are, and they will. We are being backed into … Read more
The timing could not have been better. Several days after I was asked, as a Nieman Fellow, to write an article on the apparent lack of civility by British journalists, the Local Government Minister, Hilary Armstrong, reacted furiously while being … Read more
Freedom’s Voice: The Perilous Present and Uncertain Future of the First Amendment Robert D. Richards Brassey’s. 177 Pages. $23.95The New York Times knew what it was doing when it hired Yale … Read more
The Baltimore Afro-American, 1892-1950 Howard Farrar Greenwood Publishing Group 220 Pages. $59.95.Relatively little has been written about the struggle and rise to prominence of America’s most prodigious black newspapers. Now, with … Read more
In India, workers look like ants next to the giant ships being dismantled. Photo by Perry Thorsvik, The Baltimore Sun. Years ago I confronted the president of the Baltimore City Council, … Read more
Unlike other trades, crafts, or professions, the American press is constantly in your face in one form or another: in your eyes, your ears—and an increasing number of critics these days would add: “yes, goddamit, and also in your nose—they … Read more
