Nieman Reports
Spring 2005
Water: A Life Force Harnessed as News

Water is the essence of life, and its cleanliness, availability, and our use and abuse of it are stories meriting reporters’ and editors’ attention. Yet as Stuart Leavenworth, who covered water issues for The Sacramento Bee and describes the wide array of issues he took on, reports: “To my chagrin, I had the beat largely to myself for four years. Across the country, papers have tackled problems of water pollution and degradation, but have overlooked fundamental issues of supply—and sustainability. This is curious.”
Download PDFReporting On Water: U.S. and International Coverage
Tsunami Coverage
Curator's Corner
Words & Reflections
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Spring 2005: Words & Reflections Introduction
By Melissa Ludtke
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A Prayer for Quality Journalism as Public Media Corporations Focus on Margin and Financial Return
By Lou Ureneck
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The Precarious State of Television News
By Rebecca MacKinnon
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Technology Might Return Journalism to Its Roots
By David DeJean
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An Indefatigable Investigative Reporter
By John Herbers
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‘Perilous Times’ for First Amendment Rights
By Maggie Mulvihill
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Documenting Government Secrecy
By Sarah Hagedorn
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Freedom and Liberty: Tough Stories to Tell
By William F. Woo
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The New York Times’s Travails in the Reign of Raines
By David Nyhan
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Strong Narrative Writing Features Character
By Russell Frank
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Iraq War Documentaries Fill a Press Vacuum
By Lorie Conway
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When People’s Suffering is Portrayed as Art
By Michele McDonald