ISSUE

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 doing to retain women who have or plan to have children, to make sure more women stay in the talent pipeline? Not enough, considering the family leave and flexible schedule policies of many news organizations leave much to be desired. If news organizations want to attract and retain millennial journalists, it’s essential that they work to better meet the needs of parents and create better work-life balance for all employees. If they don’t, they risk losing talented, diverse groups of journalists—including young mothers—that are vital to the industry.

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Articles

Tim O'Reilly on ways to put the brakes on "fake news" and rebuild trust on the internet
Books

Tim O’Reilly on ways to put the brakes on “fake news” and rebuild trust on the internet

In “WTF: What’s the Future and Why It’s Up To Us,” web guru O’Reilly suggests it is time to reinvent social institutions for our online era
Tim O'Reilly
October 10, 2017
One of a Kind: In creating a one night-only live magazine, Florence Martin-Kessler, NF ’11, finds a storytelling innovation that sparks excitement  
Niemans @ Work

One of a Kind: In creating a one night-only live magazine, Florence Martin-Kessler, NF ’11, finds a storytelling innovation that sparks excitement  

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in October 2013, I entered a conference hall at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge to attend a roundtable that was part of the Nieman Foundation’s…
Florence Martin-Kessler
August 16, 2017
What Anthony Shadid Teaches Us Still: Rami G. Khouri, NF ’02, is studying the craftsmanship of the late Pulitzer-winning foreign correspondent to share it with a new generation
Niemans @ Work

What Anthony Shadid Teaches Us Still: Rami G. Khouri, NF ’02, is studying the craftsmanship of the late Pulitzer-winning foreign correspondent to share it with a new generation

In life and death alike, Anthony Shadid was repeatedly recognized by his peers as among the finest foreign correspondents of his generation. To examine his legacy and share it with…
Rami G. Khouri
August 4, 2017
Violence at Home and Abroad
From the Curator

Violence at Home and Abroad

On a sunny Friday in May, a sweetly solemn ceremony unfolded on the grounds of Harvard’s Lippmann House as Nieman Fellows gathered for a class reunion. Missing was Anja Niedringhaus,…
Ann Marie Lipinski
July 27, 2017
What It’s Like To Be a Breastfeeding Journalist
Journalist’s Trade

What It’s Like To Be a Breastfeeding Journalist

So what happens when mothers who are fresh off their maternity leaves and want to keep breastfeeding their babies come head-to-head with the realities of working in journalism? Results may…
Katherine Goldstein
July 27, 2017
Where Are the Mothers?
Diversity

Where Are the Mothers?

If news organizations want to attract and retain millennial journalists, newsrooms must better meet the needs of parents with young children—and create better work-life balance for everyone
Katherine Goldstein
July 26, 2017
Journalist’s Trade

Want Better Family Leave and Flexibility at Your Company?

Follow These 5 Steps
Katherine Goldstein
July 26, 2017
The Ethics of Leaks
Features

The Ethics of Leaks

The increasing use of anonymous sources and leaks has intensified the debate over how to vet information and sources
Jon Marcus
July 6, 2017
An Investigative Toolkit for the Post-Snowden Era
Journalist’s Trade

An Investigative Toolkit for the Post-Snowden Era

How the EIC.network’s decentralized platform enables reporters to securely collaborate across borders
Michael Bird
July 6, 2017
Sounding

Djinns in the Newsroom

My grandmother was well known for telling extraordinary tales. One in particular has stuck with me since the summer I was dispatched alone to her in Delhi. At the time…
Jassim Ahmad
June 16, 2017
Covering Controversial Issues on Campus
Features

Covering Controversial Issues on Campus

With an extended reach online, newly energized college journalists are facing off against university administrators
Jon Marcus
June 13, 2017
Niemans @ Work

“A Roller Coaster of Emotions”: James E. Causey, NF ’08, tells a tale of Milwaukee’s decline through the lives of his third-grade classmates

When I set out to find out what happened to everyone in my third-grade class at Milwaukee’s Samuel Clemens Elementary School in 1978, I had no idea how mentally draining…
James E. Causey
June 8, 2017
Telling Indigenous Stories
Watchdog

Telling Indigenous Stories

Neglecting to cover indigenous communities not only represents a missed opportunity, but a significant failure for an industry hoping to find voice and relevance in the 21st century
Tristan Ahtone
June 7, 2017
How Venezuela’s Independent Digital News Outlets Are Covering the Turmoil in Their Country
Features

How Venezuela’s Independent Digital News Outlets Are Covering the Turmoil in Their Country

Journalist Luz Mely Reyes: “We want to spark information, like the firefly does, to illuminate an entire country”
Diego Marcano
June 1, 2017
Charlie Sykes: “Everything that’s happening that is bad is about to get worse”
Live @ Lippmann

Charlie Sykes: “Everything that’s happening that is bad is about to get worse”

A longtime political commentator, Charlie Sykes has become a leading conservative voice, locally and nationally. Best known as the host of the “Midday with Charlie Sykes” talk show, broadcast on WTMJ…
May 25, 2017