Journalist’s Trade

1991: The Bill of Rights in Pictures

[This article originally appeared in the Winter 1991 issue of Nieman Reports.]This year the United States has been observing the 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. While these rights,…

1990: A Supreme Court Decision Fosters Litigation

A private citizen raises high the standard for justice—but pays a price.

Winter 1999 – Spring 2000: Sources Introduction

In the spring of 1999, Nieman Curator Bill Kovach opened the second Watchdog Journalism Conference by voicing concern about the possible consequences of shifting relationships among sources and journalists. He…

1999: The Role of Reporters’ Judgment

Here are excerpts from the Watchdog Journalism Conference, May 15, 1999, at Harvard University.

1999: When Reporters are Shut Out By Sources

[This article originally appeared in the Fall 1999 issue of Nieman Reports.]What happens when reporters are shut out by sources whom they believe are necessary to report a story? Several…

1999: Reporters’ Relationships With Sources

[This article originally appeared in the Fall 1999 issue of Nieman Reports.]No topic consumed as much of the conversation at the Watchdog Journalism Conference [May 15, 1999 at Harvard University]…

1981: Weighing Sources—Anonymous and Otherwise

The Fiction of Janet Cooke and the Pulitzer Prize Surprise

1984: Confidential Sources: Testing the Readers’ Confidence

[This article originally appeared in the Summer 1984 issue of Nieman Reports.]Researchers from The University of Iowa journalism school conducted a study in 1982 for the American Society of Newspaper…

1986: CIA Rarely Tells the Press What it Wants to Know

It only reluctantly tells Congress some of what it wants to know.

1958: Attribution of News

Memo to All Hands