ISSUE

Fall 2001

The Documentary and Journalism: Where They Converge

At a time when so much of journalism is quicker, shorter and hyped to grab the public’s presumed short-attention span, the documentary—with its slower pace and meandering moments—is finding receptive audiences in many old places and some new ones as well. In this issue of Nieman Reports, we’ve asked those who document our world to explore how their work converges with ours. How is what they do related to journalism? And what does the documentary form allow its adherents to do in reporting news or exploring issues that other forms of journalism do not?

Articles

Being Receptive to the Unexpected

A photographer immerses himself in a community to tell its stories.

Using the Drama of Cinéma Vérité to Tell Real Stories

It often conveys news, but is it journalism?

Where Journalism and Television Documentary Meet

Connecting with viewers ‘through personal stories and subjective approaches.’

Exploring the Relationship Between Photographer and Subject

‘Documentary photography is purity and freedom….’

Remembering Documentary Moments

Looking back at television’s more than 50-year history, the “golden years” for documentaries on both the networks and the affiliates came during a 20-year period beginning in the mid-1960’s and…

Documentary Filmmakers Decide How to Present Compelling Evidence

Using film to tell a story changes nearly everything.
Indivisible: Eau Claire, South Carolina

Indivisible: Eau Claire, South Carolina

Scott Trent peers inside Monteith School, the oldest black school structure in South Carolina Eau Claire High School color guard practicing a routine Toliver’s Mane Event barber shop Parishioners at…

Fall 2001: Journalist’s Trade Introduction

Cutbacks. Lay-offs. Buyouts. Early retirement packages. Offered under different names and circumstances, the bottom-line objectives are similar: trim the staff to keep the enterprise afloat. Few journalistic homes have been…

Striking a Balance Between Filmmaking and Journalism

At ‘Frontline,’ the producers and their vision are front and center.

Documentary Journalism Vanishes From Network and Local Television

Withdrawal of advertising and emergence of news magazines were among the factors that killed it.

Prescient Words Delivered a Decade Ago

On December 10, 1990, Geneva Overholser spoke to a gathering of Gannett executives. At this dinner, she was presented with an award as Gannett’s Editor of the Year. At the…

Photojournalism at a Crossroads

Technology, culture and economics will determine its future.

Documenting Democracy in America

The Indivisible project portrays grassroots activitiy in 12 communities.

Revealing Afghanistan

Chris Steele-Perkins captures a people’s grace and culture.

A Neighbor Wonders About Her Role as a Media Source

‘Had my attempt to honor dear friends actually caused harm?’

Fall 2001: Introduction

At a time when so much of journalism is quicker, shorter and hyped to grab the public’s presumed short-attention span, the documentary—with its slower pace and meandering moments—is finding receptive…

Using Documentaries to Move People to Action

Films serve as powerful catalysts for the Television Race Initiative.

Long-Form Documentaries Serve a Vital Journalistic Role

Today’s complexities don’t fit into tidy news magazine packages.

Documenting Social Ills With an Eye Toward Advocacy

Women’s health, homophobia, domestic violence, and rape are topics mainstream media often ignore.

News is Strategic in the Newspaper Business

Newsroom cost cutting should not imperil its special strengths.

Radio Diarists Document Their Lives

These ‘reporters’ capture moments journalists never could.

Radio Documentaries Take Listeners Into Dark Corners

David Isay is the founder of Sound Portraits Productions. Its radio documentaries profile the lives of men, women and children living in communities often neglected or misunderstood. During the past…

Making Change Work Away From Public Pressures

At Cox newspapers, economic hard times bring fresh approaches to news coverage.

Nieman Fellows Take to the Road in Korea

‘For 10 days we changed from being reporters to being diplomats of our profession.’

A Tape Recorder Becomes a Connecting Thread

Joshua Cutler. Photo by Kate Burton.I went to a small high school where everyone had some vague notion that I had a disease called Tourette’s syndrome. But very few students…

When the Cheering Stops and Anger Sets In

At the St. Paul Pioneer Press, beats will disappear and photos won’t be taken.

A Photographer’s Journey Begins With a Coffin

By documenting youngsters’ lives, he hopes to understand what is happening.

Ownership Guides a Newspaper’s Mission

Responding to Wall Street’s demands can erode long-term quality.

A Place for Words and Images to Call Home

At DoubleTake, photographers and writers document the human experience.

Photojournalism and Documentary Photography

They are identical mediums, sending different messages.

My Son Became a Voice the Media Relied on

For mother and son, ‘the tug-and-pull of the media was unnerving.’

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Cuts Jeopardize Quality

‘One of journalism’s top destinations has become a departure lounge.’

The Evolutionary Growth of Newspapers’ Look and Feel

‘Readers appreciate the design and feel of a publication before assessing its contents.’

Journalism and Myth

Do They Create a Cautionary Tale?

Silencing Voices for Racial Change During the 1950’s

National magazine editors published those urging moderation and the status quo.

The Chandra Levy Story

What does media coverage look and feel like from the other side?

Viewer Dissatisfaction Understates the Anger at Local TV News

A journalist reports on audience concerns, but is anyone else paying attention?

Journalists Ask Questions, Then Refuse to Answer Them

‘How can we have the guts to run a controversial story and then put a muzzle on staffers to comment?’

A Nieman Year Spent Pondering Storytelling

‘TV documentaries were dull because they misused the medium.’

With Child-Care Stories, It Still Comes Down to Mothers

Negative findings grab the headlines.

First-Person Narratives on Radio Document Historic Memory

While emotionally powerful, their production presents journalistic challenges.

‘What the Hell is a Radio Documentary?’

It’s a familiar question. Now here are some answers.

Narrative Journalism: A New Nieman Program

Mark Kramer brings his teaching and narrative journalism conference to Harvard.

A Journalist Allows This Story to Speak for Itself

This House Has Fallen: Midnight in NigeriaKarl MaierPublic Affairs. 327 Pages. $26.Eight years ago a presidential election was held in an African country that was remarkable, given the continent’s gloomy…

Essays by a Mexican Journalist Explore the Americas

Exposing the ‘nervous system of countries struggling with great change.’

Editorials: Pungent, Profound and Path Breaking

A book offers practical pointers about how the best in journalism transmit ideas and opinion.

Using the Web for an Interactive Documentary Project

At 360degrees.org, the U.S. criminal justice system is examined from many perspectives.

A Bullet, a Boy, a Story, and a Reporter’s Observations

A journalist with an injured family member witnesses the press in action.

A Feeling of Being Set Adrift

At the Akron Beacon Journal, more buyouts create more uncertainty.

He Displeased His Bosses, Not to Mention Those He Covered

Daniel Schorr writes about his tempestuous career as a reporter.

Fall 2001: Words & Reflections Introduction

Washington Post editor and columnist Meg Greenfield put it this way in her posthumous autobiography: “Few journalists have much appreciation of the enormous impact we have on the lives of…

Editors Need to Care About Words and Budgets

Journalists rarely talk about the business, except when it’s bad.

Working Together, Journalists Can Have a Say in Corporate Policy

It is important to redefine what constitutes a ‘journalism issue.’

Newspaper Economics 2001: The McClatchy Way

The company is weathering the financial storm with a different strategy.

Newspapers Confront a Barrage of Problems

Societal trends make business decisions more difficult.

Diversity Can Be Improved During This Economic Downturn

For that to happen, a diverse newsroom must become a focus of corporate leaders.

A Festival to Celebrate Radio Documentaries

Organized by Chicago Public Radio, it happens in October.

Listening to Radio Talk

At Transom.org, the conversation is about documentaries and public radio.

Radio Storytelling Builds Community On-Air and Off

‘The journalist must be facilitator, fact-checker, ethicist, but not puppet-master….’

‘It was just me and the recorder.’

Cristel and daughter Rayonna. Photo by Sue Johnson.I had been incarcerated at the Rhode Island Training School for three years when I met Joe [Richman]. He asked if I wanted…