Author

Legacy of Diana and the British Press

In July 1991, the editor of The Daily Telegraph hauled me into his office for a severe dressing down. My offense? I had written to an aide of the Duchess…

Summer 1998: Watchdog Journalism Introduction

Here is a report on the first Nieman conference on watchdog journalism, which was held on May 2, 1998, at Harvard University. The Spring 1998 edition of Nieman Reports laid…

Response: Check on Creative Accounting

Americans are the most generous people in the world, donating more to charity each year than the gross national products of many countries—some $120 billion, all told. As George Rodrigue…

For America’s Nonprofit Sector, The Watchdog Seldom Barks

Democratic candidate Bill Yellowtail presented his views as Republican Rick Hill, left, and Natural Law Party candidate Jim Brooks, right, waited their turn in a debate in Great Falls, Montana,…

Types of Nonprofits

A Dozen Tips for Stories About Nonprofits

A dozen story suggestions from editors, reporters and nonprofit leaders:Nonproflts that deliver. Gather information on all major nonprofits serving your area, and compare the amount of resources they devote to…

Response: Help Is Available

I start with a point from Richard Parker’s discussion of needed improvements in journalism education and apply it more broadly.Parker argues that "fundamental democratic political concerns" should provide the context…

Is Anything Really Wrong?

Some years ago The New York Times editorial page expressed the complacent notion that "great publications magnify the voice of any single writer." The statement is misleading. The instruments of…

Response: Demystify the Subject

Once upon a time I thought, along with Richard Parker, that "watchdog" journalism equaled "muckraking," which would lead to "making America better." Indeed, when Richard recruited me to help him…

Spring 1998: Nonprofits Introduction

Francis Warm shows copy of records the Nazis kept of their pillaging of art from his great-uncle’s estate in France. Many of the paintings are now in museums. Boston Globe…