Are we really helping police solve a crime when we publish a crude drawing of the face of a violent crime suspect as described by a distraught victim or momentary witness? Turns out, maybe so, but not for the reason you would think. For, it’s not that the rough drawing you often see in the Read More …
Tag: Journalism
Seeking human stories behind sensational headlines
One of a reporter’s most painful duties is to contact the grieving survivors of victims of crime or disaster. No matter how many times you have made that call, knocked on that door or approached a person at a disaster scene, starting the conversation is always difficult. You don’t want to intrude on someone’s most-private, Read More …
Zakaria, Williams add to rich blend of columnist voices
On the Daily Herald Opinion page, we aim to present a wide range of political and social thought. We believe our democracy and our communities are stronger when citizens see their own points of view reflected — and challenged — by articulate, knowledgeable writers of all stripes. Sometimes, too, routines just need to be shaken Read More …
Comparing protests is a misleading ‘litmus test’ for bias
For many people, the contrast of two Washington, D.C., demonstrations within a week of each other last month deserved intense scrutiny as a litmus test on press bias. I would not be one of them, but I would say that a discussion of the coverage afforded the national Women’s March on Saturday, Jan. 21, and Read More …
Objectivity, division and the challenge of trust in the media
Our Opinion page concluded 2016 with a series of editorials focusing on what we see as the state of the free press in America today and worrisome threats it faces. Criticism of the series has come from opposing camps, exemplifying some of the problems we wanted to describe and representing the polarized approaches to political Read More …
Making a direct connection with local election candidates
With their impact on your property taxes and leadership in your community, local elections can be the most direct opportunity for you to shape your schools and your quality of life. Yet, too often, we’re all distracted by the glare of state and national issues, so that when it comes time to select our town Read More …
Wishes of peace in a year of anger
In the midst of news reports that suggest the world is growing madder by the day, it feels a bit hollow as a news person to wish readers the peace of the season. But I do. Time magazine declared Donald Trump its Person of the Year, but the real story of 2016 was Anger. It Read More …
Review: The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall-and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill by Greg Mitchell
The deepest impression this book had on me was the reminder, perhaps the confrontation with the reality, of the soulless repression of Soviet-style communism in the mid-20th century. Mitchell’s narration and his description are not particularly enthralling, but his matter-of-fact manner of laying out the details of the tunnel missions of the early 1960s makes Read More …
Requiem for a gadfly, patriot
If you’re in the news business for any length of time, sooner or later, you get to know someone like Rob Sherman. They’re people who delight in working their way under the skin of officialdom and want to make sure you — the writer, the camera, the headline, the link to legitimate public attention — Read More …
Flint, water quality and the duty to identify danger before it becomes a crisis
We don’t mean for you to be alarmed by the results of our reporting on the safety of our water in the suburbs. But it seems pretty clear you ought to be concerned. Whenever disaster or tragedy strikes somewhere in the country, it is natural to ask, “Could it happen here?” Often, we at the Read More …