Author

Novels Win Out Over Journalism

‘The biggest shift in going from journalism to books is not from scribe to artist, but employee to entrepreneur—suddenly self-employed, with no benefits, no expense account, and no security.’

Newsroom to Classroom: Books as a Thread of Connection

With a forthcoming book about undercover reporting—along with a reporter-friendly database of historic examples—a j-school professor keeps her focus on familiar topics.

Writing a Life, Living a Writer’s Life

‘At one point, my mother, a woman who is anything but acid, told me: “Get a job, and get a life.” She said this out of love and concern because…

Is the Financial Crisis Also a Crime Story?

What happens when reporters pursue the wrong narrative in covering financial news? It is a personal story with deeper implications.

Six Decades of Watching Mississippi—Starting in 1947

‘Late in 1977, we started to tackle the comeback of the [Ku Klux Klan] in Mississippi. In response, a cross wrapped in kerosene-soaked rags was set ablaze just past midnight…

Wangari Maathai—A Reporter’s Remembrance

Wangari Maathai holds her Nobel Peace Prize and certificate in 2004. Maathai, a Kenyan ecologist, was the first African woman and the first environmentalist to have won the coveted prize.…

War, Satire and the Way It Is—For Women Reporters

‘… being female can be an advantage in Afghanistan, in part because Western women are still curiosities there, especially outside Kabul.’

Common Ground—Nieman Reports, Our Conference

The articles in this issue spotlight the challenges independent and investigative reporters and editors confront as they hold those in power accountable.

What Often Goes Unsaid

The racial dynamic of what happens inside a newsroom is ‘an elusive if contentious subject that seldom rises to become a topic of media forums or workshops—except when minority journalists…
Mystical Kabul

Mystical Kabul

From Kabul words and images of war come our way. At a time of increasing violence, photojournalist Iason Athanasiadis explores part of the city’s underground rarely seen—the Sufi sect’s ecstatic…