I first read Jeffrey Fleishman’s 2007 article about poor roof dwellers in Cairo nearly 10 years after he wrote it, while I was teaching a course at the American University of Beirut on narrative reporting and the legacy of Anthony … Read more
Nieman 80 More Nieman Fellows on exemplary journalism that influenced them By any measure, we are living through a golden age of journalism and the impact is palpable. But as we enter the third … Read more
Literature was my first love, but journalism fulfilled a purpose—the chance to right wrongs. I became aware of the visual power of television and the spoken word. I was influenced by the long-form pieces I saw on “60 … Read more
Nieman 80 More Nieman Fellows on exemplary journalism that influenced them The work that made a difference to me as a new journalist is “Der Aufmacher: Der Mann, der bei Bild Hans Esser war” (“Lead Story: The … Read more
Nieman 80 More Nieman Fellows on exemplary journalism that influenced them “1920 Diary” by Isaac Babel has resonated with me for many years. Babel was a Russian-born journalist and writer of Jewish descent. At age 26 he … Read more
Nieman 80 More Nieman Fellows on exemplary journalism that influenced them I have often been inspired by beautifully reported and written narrative histories that bring the “deeper news” to life. The one that made the greatest impact … Read more
I discovered Dorothy Thompson when I needed something from the 1930s to fill out a class I was teaching on narrative reporting. Her reports on the rise of Hitler were on a list of the best works of 20th-century journalism. Read more
I read “Next of Kin” in 2002 and it changed my sense of what is possible in journalism. After reading it, I became a fanatic follower and student of David Finkel’s writing, past and … Read more
The New York Times critic A.O. Scott once observed that great novels often “blend private destinies with public events.” So too with great nonfiction; it was the private sufferings of six Japanese survivors that enabled John Hersey to … Read more
It was all a dream. I used to read Word Up! Magazine. And The Source, Vibe, and XXL. Nieman 80 More Nieman Fellows on exemplary journalism that influenced them I hung pictures on my wall, tearing … Read more
