I began a recent session of my “Trump, Race, and U.S. Media” course at Davidson College with video clips of news reports about protests in the aftermath of the Breonna Taylor grand jury decision. In one clip, Donald Trump says … Read more
As Patrick Marley moved down the queue of voters lined up near a high school in Madison, some of his interviewees had to shout. Six feet apart is not ideal for a personal conversation about politics, especially on the … Read more
I can’t say with any certainty whether Joe Biden, the current front-runner for the Democratic nomination for president, is in “cognitive decline,” as many journalists and critics have begun to ponder aloud. I can say with certainty that what you … Read more
The day in August 2005 when I idled into Gillette, Wyoming, began a years-long education in public trust in journalism. That day, a curious neighbor stepped out of his townhome to the edge of the cul-de-sac adjacent our new home, … Read more
The chance to oust President Trump or support him in the 2020 general election will bring voters to the polls. But what happens once they get past that first contest on the ballot? Next year’s election will be different from … Read more
There’s nothing short of a crisis in our state capitals. Statehouse reporting corps have decreased dramatically in the past decade, and, too often, the journalists who remain must answer the call for daily copy to churn … Read more
The office building four blocks from Florida’s state Capitol carries the same name in bold letters that it boasted when it opened in 1988: Florida Press Center. For the last 30 years, the modest three-story structure with its bland façade … Read more
As editor and publisher of the Todd County Standard, a weekly in Elkton, Kentucky, I once ran a story that asked farmers to attend a very important meeting on agricultural zoning. The future of farming in the small county in … Read more
One of the biggest goals for the U.S. journalism industry in covering the 2020 election is to not repeat its mistakes from the 2016 election. So what steps are journalists taking to fulfill that? The industry of 2019 is different … Read more
The U.S. presidential election may be a year and a half away, but polls are already ranking—and rankling—the still-developing field of 2020 candidates, prompting familiar, biennial pleadings for journalists to resist the siren call of horse-race journalism and keep their … Read more