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,…

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,…

Freedom’s Voice: The Perilous Present and Uncertain Future of the First AmendmentRobert D. RichardsBrassey’s. 177 Pages. $23.95The New York Times knew what it was doing when it hired Yale Professor…

The Baltimore Afro-American, 1892-1950Howard FarrarGreenwood 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 the…

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,…

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…

In the following pages Nieman Reports continues its call for more watchdog reporting with an article by Murrey Marder cautioning that aggressive watchdog reporting does not require arrogance, an essay…

Watching events in Jakarta, I felt the straps of my journalistic straitjacket loosening. The Indonesian government has announced the end of the licensing system. But is press freedom really dawning?…

I think that I shall never see any Chicanos on TV*

I stood under Mao’s portrait as Clinton’s limousine pulled onto Tiananmen. I saw the 21-gun salute fired from the heart of Tiananmen. A brisk arrival ceremony was held directly to…