One of the first books I read when I was getting to know Chicago was Alex Kotlowitz’s “There Are No Children Here,” a vivid portrayal of the desperate lives of…

Why Words We Use Matter So Much

“I went to Vermont and showed Ernie this story, as it appeared in the magazine. I started from the back and showed him the last picture with his mom. She’s…

Melissa Ludtke: You’ve spent nearly two decades of your life documenting domestic violence and focusing to a great extent on the impact it has on children. Why do you think this…

The funeral of a Boston youth. Photo by Stan Grossfeld.There is little doubt that television coverage contributes to the public hysteria about youth crime. In particular, local television news plays…

After spending nearly 30 years encased in the self-absorption of Washington and international reporting as a diplomatic reporter for the Associated Press and foreign correspondent for The Los Angles Times,…

Picture these scenes from two local TV news stories:A young pilot accepts the cheers of well-wishers as she completes a solo cross-country flight, becoming the youngest person ever to do…

Mourners at the memorial fence. Photo courtesy of The Register-Guard.May 21, 1998: It became The Day That Changed Everything. It changed everything we took for granted about what it means…

In this edition, we examine ways in which we report on children and violence. We travel to the sites of the five recent and highly publicized school shootings, then journey…

Students show their grief as the procession of slain teacher John Gillette leaves the McComb Field House on the campus of Edinboro University where an open memorial service was held.…