Opinion

Spring 2005: Words & Reflections Introduction

Arguments for journalistic quality typically assert the importance of First Amendment responsibilities. In his book, “The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism in the Information Age,” Philip Meyer, Knight Chair in Journalism…

When People’s Suffering is Portrayed as Art

Sebastião Salgado’s photographs ‘represent everything that is meaningful, controversial and difficult about “concerned photography.”’

Iraq War Documentaries Fill a Press Vacuum

‘… filmmakers have become a source of alternative explanations for the war in Iraq and the news coverage of it, as well as critics of the administration’s policies.’

Strong Narrative Writing Features Character

‘Like all the great narrative journalists, [Mark] Bowden must be a relentless asker of questions, a painstaking gatherer of minute detail.’

A Prayer for Quality Journalism as Public Media Corporations Focus on Margin and Financial Return

In crunching the numbers, an author argues that investment is necessary to secure a future for news—in newspapers or on the Internet.

Reversing the Trend Away From Journalism

Journalism will survive. It will appear in the form of Web sites designed for people checking on the news because they are trying to figure out the jokes on Jon…

The Tasks in Creating a New Journalism

Journalism is not going to disappear. As author Michael Schudson observed, if there were not journalists, we’d have to invent them. The real issue is what journalism will look like…

The Messy Transition Ahead

When the dust started settling on the 2004 presidential election, journalists were doing our usual postmortems about our coverage and influence (or lack thereof) on the election. For the first…

Winter 2004: Words & Reflections Introduction

Can journalism survive in this era of punditry and attitude? If so, how?Nieman Reports posed this question about journalism’s future to 15 journalists who work in radio and television, at…

Experiencing the Meaning of Journalism

Want a newspaper reprint with your barbecue sandwich? How’s that for a message near the capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky, at Scotty’s Pink Pig restaurant?I know the grim news about what…