The past year has brought a host of new challenges for journalism: the ongoing pandemic, a new presidency, increasing extremism following Jan. 6, to name a few. Nieman Reports’ columnists and writers have addressed these and other challenges, with nuanced … Read more
The word had so thoroughly infiltrated the language that I no longer noticed it. Then one afternoon, walking across a windy plaza, it brought me to a full stop. A coffee shop had printed it on a long, wide banner, … Read more
The world is broken. But then, it’s always been a little damaged, right? Sure, it’s only in recent history that humans, post the Industrial Revolution, had the power to destroy the earth. But even before, our tenure as the … Read more
The closures began at random, like kernels bursting out of hot oil onto the kitchen stove. A high school in Snohomish County, Washington, closed for cleaning after a student tested positive. Two districts in Westchester County, New York, would … Read more
One of the pandemic’s most significant sports moments took place before a nationally-televised basketball game on Aug. 4, 2020 on black t-shirts with bold white lettering. The all-caps message: “VOTE WARNOCK.” The t-shirt designers and wearers: WNBA players. At the … Read more
In a career that has spanned 40 years, Helen Branswell has covered some of the biggest health stories of the last several decades: the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, the West African Ebola outbreak and the Zika virus. In 2003, she … Read more
When I started to attend wakes as a girl, I told my father I didn’t know what to say or do. It was simple, he said. You extended your hand and say, “I’m sorry for your troubles.” He and my … Read more
I’ll just say it: There is no returning to a pre-pandemic normal for journalists because the game has changed, whether news organizations want to recognize it or not. Three major developments in 2020 — the coronavirus pandemic, racial justice protests, … Read more
In late March, the Navajo Nation reported no new daily Covid-19 cases for the first time in six months. For the largest reservation in the U.S. — whose borders expand across Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico — it was an … Read more
When I was 12, my buddy Robbie Davis and I went to see the movie “Titanic.” When my dad picked us up that evening, he asked us how we enjoyed the film. I told him about the special effects, action, … Read more
