Journalist’s Trade

[This article originally appeared in the September 1971 issue of Nieman Reports.]Can white reporters accurately report events that involve blacks and other minority groups? This question—and the related topic of…

Portland (Maine) newspaper reframes the idea of objectivity to bring readers more forceful interpretive reporting.

What are the sound limits of ‘background’ reporting?

[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,…

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

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…

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

[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…

[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]…

The Fiction of Janet Cooke and the Pulitzer Prize Surprise