Issue Archive

2024

2023

2022

2021

  • Summer-Fall 2021

    Lessons From The Pandemic

    Hope that the coronavirus is finally being brought under control has prompted plans for a return to “normal.” But can, or should, journalism return to…

  • Spring 2021

    Covering The Police

    “What if the people storming the Capitol on January 6 had been Black?” It’s a question posed by many after the events of January 6,…

  • Winter 2021

    What's Next...

    As a new President and his administration prepare to take office, many previous norms around the relationship between the press and the White House will take…

2020

2019

  • Fall 2019

    Journalism Under Fire in Hong Kong

    As Hong Kong’s worst political crisis in decades continues, independent media outlets are stepping up to cover the turmoil. As the city’s strong tradition of…

  • Summer 2019

    Not a 'Crime of Passion'

    While the #MeToo movement has highlighted the need to take sexual assault seriously, there hasn’t been the same kind of cultural reckoning concerning domestic violence.…

  • Spring 2019

    Why Newsrooms are Unionizing Now

    When Gawker employees voted to unionize back in 2015, it was the first major news site to take that step. The now-defunct outlet’s move sparked…

  • Winter 2019

    Journalism Under Pressure

    It’s no secret that the media industry—in the U.S., in Central Europe, and around the world—finds itself in deep trouble these days, struggling to stay…

2018

2017

  • Fall 2017

    The News Industry Has a Sexual Harassment Problem. #NowWhat?

    In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein allegations, as women in all industries have come forward with their own stories of sexual harassment, a cascade…

  • Summer 2017

    Where Are the Mothers?

    In the conversation about how to create more diversity and gender balance in newsrooms, one group has been routinely ignored: mothers. So what are newsrooms…

  • Spring 2017

    A New Focus

    Newsroom diversity—racial, ethnic, gender and socioeconomic—has received a lot of attention since last year’s election, but a lack of equity and inclusivity among those who…

  • Winter 2017

    Covering Sexual Assault

    At a time when high-profile cases of rape and sexual assault continue to make the news with depressing regularity, the need for fair, ethical, and…

2016

  • Fall 2016

    What Journalists Must Do Next

    In the wake of the presidential election, as journalists continue to critique their coverage, the urgency for new approaches to political reporting has been underscored…

  • Summer 2016

    The Pulitzer Centennial

    The effects of power may be obvious—high office, laws, riches, regulations, even life and death—but power itself is only an idea, one that journalists have…

  • Spring 2016

    Covering the Campaign

    In a year in which there’s been a sprawling presidential race, a fractured media landscape, and unprecedented opportunities for candidates to appeal directly to voters,…

  • Winter 2016

    Beyond the “Coming Out” Story

    Transgender people—models, actors, musicians, authors, athletes, soldiers—have increasingly entered the public consciousness. With this increased visibility has come increased media coverage. But despite this progress,…

2015

  • Fall 2015

    Storytelling and Social Media

    Journalists have long viewed Facebook and Twitter as tools for reporting and promoting their work. Recently though, photographers and writers have been embracing the photo…

  • Summer 2015

    Automation in the Newsroom

    As automation makes significant gains in the newsroom, Celeste LeCompte explores how the Associated Press, ProPublica, The New York Times, and other news outlets are…

  • Spring 2015

    Race and Reporting

    The news industry has been talking about diversity for decades, but that talk has not always been followed by action. Though the percentage of minorities…

  • Winter 2015

    The Offending Art

    The Charlie Hebdo murders focused attention on the threat to Western satirists, but political cartoonists around the world are at risk. Some, such as cartoonists…

2014

  • Fall 2014

    The Future of Foreign News

    The veteran correspondents from the so-called legacy media who once flooded the crisis zones have faded away. In their place has come an army of…

  • Summer 2014

    Where Are the Women?

    Despite making up half the population and receiving the majority of communication degrees, women currently lead only three of the nation’s top 25 newspapers. What’s…

  • Spring 2014

    Rewriting J-School

    Journalism education has come to the same ominous inflection point that journalism itself has reached—and the stakes are just as high. Universities are shutting down…

  • Winter 2014

    The State of Journalism in China

    The Communist Party has long striven to control freedom of speech in China. Websites from around the world are blocked. Major social media cannot be…

2013

  • Summer-Fall 2013

    75th Anniversary Issue

    As she lay dying, the widow of a Milwaukee newspaper editor made a gift that has now invigorated journalism for 75 years. Agnes Wahl Nieman,…

  • Spring 2013

    The Signal and the Noise

    One tweeter boasted of a “game-changing victory” for crowdsourcing in the early hours of the Boston area manhunt. But what began as a low-grade fever…

  • Winter 2013

    Critical Condition

    “If you are counting full-time critic jobs at newspapers, you may as well count tombstones.” That was the response of Johanna Keller, director of the…

2012

2011

  • Winter 2011

    Writing the Book

    How does a journalist make the journey to author? A variety of paths and potential pitfalls are here for you to learn from. Authors of…

  • Fall 2011

    Cold Case Reporting

    Cases unheard. Justice denied. These words fit many crimes committed with racial intent a half century ago. Now reporters burrow into forgotten files, locate witnesses,…

  • Summer 2011

    Links that Bind Us

    In digital space, journalists are proving to be a powerful force in creating, nurturing and engaging communities. No longer serving only geographic zones, they confront…

  • Spring 2011

    Shattering Barriers to Reveal Corruption

    Barriers to reporting on corruption are numerous. Pushing past them can be risky, especially in countries where powerful interests are entrenched in business, media organizations,…

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

  • Winter 2003

    Can Newspapers Reach the Young?

    Newspaper reading isn’t a daily habit for most young people. Instead they catch headlines on Web sites, share opinions on Weblogs, and see breaking news…

  • Fall 2003

    Journalism and Black America: Then and Now

    Black and white journalists, at times working as colleagues, at other times separately, have produced the first draft of our nation’s difficult history of race…

  • Summer 2003

    Medical Reporting

    “The chasm between medical journalists and physicians appears mostly to be one of ignorance rather than conflicting interests or malice,” writes Terry L. Schraeder, who…

  • Spring 2003

    Reporting on Health

    Few topics receive more media attention today than the topic of health. Yet, in the view of some journalists, many of the stories being told…

2002

  • Winter 2002

    Reporting on the INS

    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…

  • Fall 2002

    Science Journalism

    Those who report on science have never been better prepared to do so, according to Los Angeles Times science and technology writer Robert Lee Hotz,…

  • Summer 2002

    Reporting on Business: Enron and Beyond

    Enron’s extraordinary collapse leapt into public view with banner headlines befitting the precipitous fall of a once mighty power. This was a company that not…

  • Spring 2002

    Nieman Narrative Journalism Conference

    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…

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

  • Winter 1996

    Reviving Environmental Coverage

    “Needed: A Recommitment” by Chris Bowman
    “Suburban Sprawl” by Keith Schneider
    “Activist’s View: Media Lag” by Arlie Schardt
    “Needed: Long-Haul Commitment” by…

  • Fall 1996

    Violence

    “Violent Crime and the Media’s Role” by Michael J. Kirkhorn
    “TV Violence and What to Do About It” by George Gerbner
    “A Major…

  • Summer 1996

    Getting It Right Is Not Enough

    “Getting It Right Is Not Enough” by John Seigenthaler
    “No More ‘Black Holes'” by John Hohenberg
    “Problems and Possibilities” by Mickey Edwards

  • Spring 1996

    Job Cuts Squeeze Newspapers

    “Feasting on the Seed Corn” by Alex S. Jones
    “How Big Should Profits Be?” by John Morton
    “Remember Your Firepower: Local News” by…

1995

  • Winter 1995

    The 1996 Presidential Elections

    “If Campaign’s a Horserace, Why Not Report It That Way?” by Walter Mears
    “What About the Issues?” by John Herbers
    “And How About…

  • Fall 1995

    Harvard à la Carte

    “Economic Challenge: Better Country Management” by Joseph L. Bower
    “Economic Trend: Less Pay for Time Off” by Juliet Schor
    “Economic Problem: Stagnant Income”…

  • Summer 1995

    Running Scared Into the On-line Era

    Public-Interest Journalism and New Technology: Nieman Foundation Conference
    Proceedings
    “Analysis” by Jack Fuller
    “First Case Study – ‘America: What Went Wrong'”

  • Spring 1995

    Keeping In Touch

    How the Media Can Connect With the Public
    “The Louisville Courier-Journal” by David Hawpe
    “The Chicago Tribune” by George Langford
    “The Portland…

1994

  • Winter 1994

    Judgmental Journalism

    “Judgmental Reporting” by John Herbers
    “Expert Reporting” by Lou Ureneck
    “Double Platooning Sports” by Dave Smith
    “A Voice for the Voiceless” by…

  • Fall 1994

    Reviving the Labor Beat

    “The Old and Future Labor Beat” by Murray Seeger
    “Can American Media Tell the New Labor Story?” by Peter Pestillo
    “The Growing Problem…

  • Summer 1994

    Can Journalists Shape the New Technologies?

    Toward a New Journalists’ Agenda: Responding to Emerging Technological and Economic Realities—A Nieman Conference
    EXCERPTS FROM PROCEEDINGS
    “Introductory Remarks”
    “Case Studies”

  • Spring 1994

    Ethics On Trial

    Major Issues
    “Surrender of the Gatekeepers” by David Shaw
    “Tab Rags Face Gags” by Christina Lamb
    “Who Cares About the Truth” by…

1993

  • Winter 1993

    Covering Health Issues

    “We’ve Come a Long Way Since Blue Cross” by Victor Cohn
    “Confessions of a First-Year Medical Writer” by Sheryl Stolberg
    “Tsunami, Wavelets and…

  • Fall 1993

    Harrison E. Salisbury

    “A Memorial” by Bill Kovach
    “Remembering Harrison” Tributes
    “A Pilgrim’s Unending Quest for Truth” by Harrison Salisbury
    “Japan’s Feisty New Press” by…

  • Summer 1993

    God In The Newsroom

    “Constraints of the Religion Reporter” by Peter Steinfels
    “We Don’t Get It Right” by William Freehoff
    “Why God Didn’t Die” by Harvey Cox

  • Spring 1993

    America's Children

    “A Voice for Children” by Melissa Ludtke
    “Television’s Opportunity” by Dan Amundson
    “The Local Beat” by Carol Kreck
    “Students Get Short Shrift”…

1992

1991

1990

1989

1988

1987

1986

  • Winter 1986

    The Temper of the British Press

    “Between the Lines” by Tenney B.K. Lehman
    “The Temper of the British Press” by Bernard Ingham
    “La Prensa: A Barometer of Freedom” by…

  • Fall 1986

    People's Education for People's Power

    “People’s Education for People’s Power” by Zwelakhe Sisulu
    “Telling it like it Is” by Donald Trelford
    “Address Before The American Society of Newspaper…

  • Summer 1986

    The Noted Few

    “Remember to Remember” by Tenney B. K. Lehman
    “The Noted Few” by Stephen Hess
    “Searching for a Proper Perspective” by Mike Pride

  • Spring 1986

    Books

    “Progeny by Pring” by Tenney B. K. Lehman
    “Common Ground by J. Anthony Lukas” by Martin Linsky
    “Racial Attitudes in America by Howard…

1985

1984

  • Winter 1984

    A Keyhole View: the Press and the Campaign

    “Conscience at the Crossroads” by Tenney B. K. lehman
    “A Keyhole View: the Press and the Campaign” by Murray Seeger
    “K-9 Justice, Philadelphia…

  • Fall 1984

    Out Of The Press

    “Out of the Press” by Tenney B. K. Lehman
    “The Power and the Press” by Eric Sevareid
    “Hazards on the Way to Glitter”…

  • Summer 1984

    Bangaladesh

    “Freed Without Freedom” by Tenney B. K. Lehman
    “Bangaladesh” by Derrick Zane Jackson and Michelle Diane Holmes
    “Ethics In Journalism”
    “Quality News…

  • Spring 1984

    Cold Warriors In The Classroom

    “Cry Havoc” by Tenney B. K. Lehman
    “Cold Warriors in the Classroom” by Jack Burby
    “The Critical Role of the Press: Issues of…

1983

1982

  • Winter 1982

    America In 1982: How Does It Look From Europe?

    “Between the Lines: The Politics of Type Size” by Tenney Barbara K. Lehman
    “America In 1982: How Does It Look From Europe” by Flora…

  • Fall 1982

    Literary Journalism

    “Weathering The Environment” by Tenney Barbara K. Lehman
    “In Defence of Literary Journalism” by Avis Meyer
    “Praying Their Work” by John Long and…

  • Summer 1982

    Dealing With The Media

    “Dealing With The Media” by Griffin B. Bell with Ronald J. Ostrow
    “The Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award 1981” by A. M. Rosenthal
    “Teaching…

  • Spring 1982

    Graphic Examples

    “The Duality of Perception and Sight” by Tenney B. K. Lehman
    “Giving a Graphic Example: The Increasing Use of Charts and Maps” by Howard…

1981

1980

1979

  • Winter 1979

    Dedication of Walter Lippmann House

    “Lippman, Conant, Nieman: A Lasting Alliance” by Louis M. Lyons
    “Dedication of Walter Lippmann House: A Celebration of Good Fortune”
    “A CBS News…

  • Fall 1979

    Games Presidents Play

    “IPI: A Weather Report” by Tenney K. Lehman
    “Games Presidents Play: Covering The White House” by Frank Van Riper
    “The Public Counsel” by…

  • Summer 1979

    Special Issue on Women and Journalism

    “The Nieman Fellowship: Reflections From the First Two Women” by Mary Ellen Leary and Charlotte FitzHenry
    “Yes Virginia, There is an Agnes” by Jerome…

  • Spring 1979

    Of Ants and Men

    “The Hong Kong Formula” by James C. Thomson Jr.
    “Of Ants and Men” by E. O. Wilson
    “Nonwhite America: The Unseen Environment” by…

1978

1977

1976

1975

  • Fall - Winter 1975

    Focus on South Africa

    “Editorial: Why South Africa?”
    “News: Type and/or Tube” by William Leonard and Richard Wald
    Section I—Focus on South Africa
    “The Practice of…

  • Summer 1975

    Reporting the Revolution

    “Reporting the Revolution” by Alex Keyssar
    “Reflections on Robert Frost” by Kathleen J. Morrison and Theodore Morrison
    “Adding to Misunderstanding Between the Media…

  • Spring 1975

    Type and Tube

    “Guest Editorial: How fares the US press? Very well indeed!” by Mary McGrory
    “Type and Tube” by David Ives, Richard Salant and Richard Wald

1974

1973

1972

1971

  • Winter 1971

    Of Time and the Critics

    “When Music Sings the Praises of Freedom” by Walter Monfried
    “Of Time and the Critics” by Herbert Kupferberg
    “The First Amendment Includes Television”…

  • Fall 1971

    White Newsmen and Black Critics

    “The Xerox and the Pentagon” by Herbert Kupferherg
    “White Newsmen and Black Critics” by Lawrence Schneider
    “Invisible Maps” by Roger Tatarian
    “A…

  • Summer 1971

    Jefferson and The Press

    “Liberty will have died a little” by Archibald Cox
    “Jefferson and the Press” by George Chaplin
    “The Big Ones of Australian Journalism” by…

  • Spring 1971

    After Keith Davey - What?

    “Editors Fisher and Royster ‘Retire'” by Roy M. Fisher and Vermont Royster
    “After Keith Davey — What?” by T. Joseph Scanlon
    “The World…

1970

1969

1968

  • Winter 1968

    Pressures on the Press

    “Pressures on the Press” by Dr. Frank Stanton
    “How to Cooperate” by Howard C. Cleavinger
    “How to Fight Back” by William B. Dickinson

  • Fall 1968

    The Editorial Page

    “The Editorial Page” by John B. Oakes
    “Truth Is in the ·Eye of the Beholder” by Wes Gallagher
    “A Passing Witness at Harvard…

  • Summer 1968

    A Newspaper's Role Between the Riots

    “A Newspaper’s Role Between the Riots” by Philip E. Meyer
    “Ralph McGill: More Like a Teacher” by Cal M. Logue
    “Journalism Teaching in…

  • Spring 1968

    To Speak One's Mind

    “To Speak One’s Mind” by John S. Knight
    “Society’s Lonesome End” by Wes Gallagher
    “The Isle is Full of Noises” by Sir William…

1967

1966

1965

1964

1963

  • Winter 1963

    The Newsmen's War in Vietnam

    “Censors and Their Tactics” by Jack Nelson
    “The Newsmen’s War in Vietnam” by Stanley Karnow
    “Advertising in Russia—Now a Necessity” by Faith I.…

  • Fall 1963

    The Publishers and the Teamsters

    “No Effective Forum” by Fred Zimmerman
    “The Publishers and the Teamsters” by Murray Seeger
    “Musings of an Ex-Education Writer” by Ford W. Cleere

  • Summer 1963

    Vietnam: American Dilemma

    “Prune Journalism Schools” by Norval Neil Luxon
    “Vietnam: New American Dilemma” by Francois Sully
    “Finding Reporters in New York State” by Kay Lockridge

  • Spring 1963

    The News Management Issue

    “The Feel Of The Facts” by Richard Hauer Costa
    “The News Management Issue: As Washington News Men See It” by Bruce Galphin
    The…

1962

  • Winter 1962

    Managing the News

    “Press and President” by Louis M. Lyons
    “Managing the News” by Clark R. Mollenhoff
    “President Vs. Press”
    “In The Public Interest” by…

  • Summer 1962

    How Australia Broadcasts the News

    “News for a Nation: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation” by Robert B. Rhode
    “More Esteem for the Omaha Milkman” by Alfred Friendly
    “What’s Happened…

  • Spring 1962

    Reporter in the Deep South

    “The Security Dilemma” by Clark R. Mollenhoff
    “The Reporter in the Deep South” by John Herbers
    “The Trouble with Sunday Papers” by William…

1961

  • Winter 1961

    Special Issue on Africa

    “The New Africans …” by Lewis Nkosi
    “Congo: Reporter’s Nightmare” by Henry Tanner
    “The English Press Under Apartheid” by Aubry Sussens
    “The…

  • Fall 1961

    The Press Lives by Disclosures

    “Trial by Newspaper: The Supreme Court Rebukes the Press”
    “The Press in the Cuban Fiasco” by Dom Bonafede
    “The Press Lives by Disclosures”…

  • Summer 1961

    Strike News

    “Test of Educators” by John M. Harrison
    “Strike New – Why the Panic Button?” by Joseph A. Loftus
    “The Disappearing Cuban Daily” by…

  • Spring 1961

    Values of an Editor

    “The Campaign on TV” by Robert C. Smith
    “The Values of An Editor” by Ralph McGill
    “The Change-Over in Washington: A Correspondent Estimates…

1960

  • Winter 1960

    The Booming Regional Papers

    “True Role of Today’s Newspapers” by Malcolm Bauer
    “Reporting from Hong Kong: Snaring the Dragon from Afar” by Stanley Karnow
    “The Booming Regional…

  • Fall 1960

    The Public Trial and the Free press

    “The Public Trial and the Free Press” by Justice William O. Douglas
    “The First Thomas L. Stokes Award” by Louis M. Lyons
    “Newspapermen…

  • Summer 1960

    Straw Polls

    “Watching the Watchmen” by John Cogley
    “Straw Polls: Reporting in Breadth” by Ralph Otwell
    “A Labor Editor on the Labor Press” by John…

  • Spring 1960

    What's News

    “Editors Plan Study of New England Papers”
    “The Guys on the Opposition” by Desmond Stone
    “What’s News” by Herbert Brucker
    “The Quiet…

1959

1958

  • Winter 1958

    The Paper Curtain of Washington

    “Colorado’s ‘Little Nieman’ Plan” by Houstoun Waring
    “The Paper Curtain of Washington” by John B. Oakes
    “It Is The Editors Who Need Educating…

  • Fall 1958

    Secrecy, Security and Freedom

    “Secrecy, Security and Freedom” by J. R. Wiggins
    “The Surrender of Privacy” by Anthony Harrigan
    “The Triumph of Trivia” by William L. Rivers

  • Summer 1958

    The Little Rock Story

    “The Newspaper Job” by Simmons Fentress
    “The Story Behind Little Rock” Was Its Meaning Lost in Reporting Its Drama?” by Harry S. Ashmore

  • Spring 1958

    Bernard Devoto

    “‘Basic Issues in the News:’ Columbia Opens a New Journalism Course”
    “DeVoto — A Memoir” by A. B. Guthrie
    “Twenty Years of Nieman…

1957

1956

1955

  • Winter 1955

    Why Do They Leave?

    “Why Do They Leave?: The Personnel Problem on Newspapers” by Norman E. Isaacs
    “‘Make it Indespensable:’ The San Diego Union Answers the Question: How…

  • Fall 1955

    The "Monopoly" Newspaper

    “Facing up to the ‘Monopoly’ Charge” by Paul Block, Jr.
    “The American Press: A Canadian View” by R. A. Farquharson
    “Science and Journalism”…

  • Summer 1955

    See It Then: Tomorrow's TV Journalism

    “See It Then: Notes on Television Journalism” by Robert Drew
    “Rewrite Man: An Office Memo on Robert B. Peck of the New York Herald…

  • Spring 1955

    Press of the NATO Countries

    “Ten Commandments of Journalism” by Doris Fleeson
    “Latin American News in the U.S. Press” by George Chaplin
    “Cervi’s Weekly” by Houstoun Waring

1954

1953

1952

1951

1950

1949

  • Winter 1949

    Should Newspapers Crusade?

    “Not Only Evil But—” by Ernest H. Linford
    “Turnover Among Newsmen: A Small Sample” by William M. Pinkerton
    “‘Should Newspapers Campaign?’ Answer: Yes”…

  • Fall 1949

    Two Great Editors

    “Get Writing” by Samuel E. Morison
    “Reporting On Foreign Affairs” by James B. Reston
    “Are Weeklies Uneconomic?” by Charles T. Duncan
    “The…

  • Summer 1949

    Freedom from Contempt

    “Strong Points For Freedom” by James B. Conant
    “News At The Legislature” by Richard L. Neuberger
    “The Anatomy of the Crusading Reporter” by…

  • Spring 1949

    The Full Dimensions of the News

    “A Newspaper ‘Court'” by Arthur H. Sulzberger
    “The Full Dimensions of the News” by James S. Pope
    “The Country Weekly Dream Is Real”…

1948

  • Winter 1948

    The Country Weekly Dream

    “To Insure Independence” by Eugene Meyer
    “The Nieman Fellows” by Louis M. Lyons
    “The Country Weekly Dream” by Fitzhugh Turner
    “How An…

  • Fall 1948

    Reporter in the Bear's Den

    “The Hallmark of a Profession” by Vannevar Bush
    “Reporter in the Bear’s Den” by Harry Martin
    “Newspaperman’s Journalism School” by T. E. Kruglak

  • Summer 1948

    A Publisher Speaks His Mind

    “An Unpurchasable Soul” by Josephus Daniels
    “The MacArthur Censorship” by Robert P. (Pepper) Martin
    “A Publisher Speaks His Mind” by W. R. Ronald

  • Spring 1948

    Why Worry About Monopolies?

    “Lucius W. Nieman: A Biographical Sketch” by Irving Dilliard
    “Why Worry About Newspaper Monopolies?” by Forrest W. Seymour
    “Enzymes And Headlines: Some Problems…

1947