Melissa Ludtke

About Melissa Ludtke

Melissa Ludtke was editor of Nieman Reports from 1998 to 2011.

Winter 2002: Introduction

By Journalist’s Trade December 15, 2002

Four decades ago reporting on the environment was what Paul Rogers, natural resources and environment writer at the San Jose Mercury News, calls “a fringe pursuit.” He writes that “the craft is now firmly entrenched as a key beat … Read more

Fall 2002: Words & Reflections Introduction

By Opinion September 15, 2002

“They are pictures from the heart, of devastated buildings and of devastated people. They are images of us—the living—trying to mourn our invisible dead.” These words—part of a reflection on the connections we’ve made with the vast array of images … Read more

Fall 2002: Introduction

By September 15, 2002

As conflict in the Middle East has intensified, scrutiny of the press coverage has likewise increased, with charges of biased reporting being made from all sides. Often such charges lead to internal reviews within news organizations; some examine not only … Read more

Winter 2002: Introduction

By Features September 15, 2002

Journalists who devote considerable time to coverage of immigration and investigation of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) write about why they report on a topic that rarely makes Page One. They also share experiences in how they’ve reported these stories, especially in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Arguably, this is one of the more difficult beats given the secrecy with which the INS guards much of what it does—a secrecy that some news organizations are now challenging on constitutional grounds. – Melissa Ludtke, Editor Read more

Summer 2002: Introduction

By Journalist’s Trade June 15, 2002

In October 2001, journalists, publishers, professors and media and stock analysts met for two days at Harvard University to discuss varying approaches to paying for the reporting and distribution of news in the years ahead. This conference—Paying for the Next … Read more

Summer 2002: Introduction

By Features June 15, 2002

Journalism is on a fast-paced, transformative journey, its destination still unknown. That the Web and other media technologies are affecting mightily the practice of journalism is beyond dispute. Less clear is any shared vision of what the future holds. In this issue, words about journalists' experiences in the digital era transport our vision forward, while our eye takes us on a visual voyage back to a time when newspapers wove communities together. – Melissa Ludtke, Editor Read more

Spring 2002: Introduction

By Journalist’s Trade March 15, 2002

On a late fall weekend in 2001, the Nieman Program on Narrative Journalism convened its first conference. More than 800 journalists traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts to take part in three days of interactive seminars, lectures and readings with many of the nation’s leading practitioners. By the end of the conference, there had been 26 seminars, four plenary sessions, and three group readings, and it is from words spoken at these sessions that Nieman Reports compiled the report that follows. — Melissa Ludtke Read more