Ten young teens draped themselves over chairs, forming a sloppy circle in the center of an empty middle-school classroom. I sat on the edge of the circle, an outsider looking in on an extraordinary preadolescent confessional. “OK, clean time. How … Read more
This image of Birkenau death camp taken in August 1944 shows prisoners lined up at gas chambers and other parts of the camp. Though photographed from an airplane, the image is roughly equivalent … Read more
Photo by Michelle Patterson, The Lexington Herald-Leader. Education writers often try to measure the success of their local schools by analyzing such things as test scores, class sizes and poverty rates. But … Read more
There are some important lessons we’ve learned about how the coverage of violence—especially juvenile violence—influences the way many of us think about teenagers and crime. RELATED ARTICLE “What Numbers Can Tell … Read more
This photo of Michael Carneal was taken during an early court appearance. Photo courtesy of The Paducah Sun.No one had a hint of—and to this day even he cannot describe— the demons haunting … Read more
Reporting on crime and violence has been a staple in the newspaper diet since before the pennycress. In that time, one by-product of this coverage has remained consistent: readers have been presented with distorted picture of the world. For example, … Read more
News Is A Verb Pete Hamill Library of Contemporary Thought. 102 Pages. $8.95.In the flood of literature lamenting the demise of good journalism, this 102-page book is a small gem. I do not say this because Pete … Read more
It’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. We should not kid ourselves by thinking that other people and institutions cannot gather and distribute crucial information. They can, they are, and they will. We are being backed into … Read more
The timing could not have been better. Several days after I was asked, as a Nieman Fellow, to write an article on the apparent lack of civility by British journalists, the Local Government Minister, Hilary Armstrong, reacted furiously while being … Read more
