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‘Undeniably useful?’ | On identifying rape suspects by their color COMMENTARY Richard Prince, prompted by a Nieman Watchdog blog on a specific case in Des Moines, takes a longer look at a contentious issue. 
Test it yourself | Is racial discrimination a thing of the past? ASK THIS A Princeton sociologist does an experiment -- and finds that being black in America today is just about the same as having a felony conviction in terms of one’s chances of finding a job. (Journalists can test this out themselves, just like WCCO-TV in Minneapolis did.)
Reporting the prospects | Look for a move toward nuclear power plants in the U.S. ASK THIS Duke Power of North Carolina is in the process of applying for licenses to construct new nuclear power plants. Even before the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979, power companies had ceased applying for nuclear power plant licenses because of public opposition. What's different now, if anything?
Oversight lacking | Imperial presidency, invisible Congress ASK THIS The post-Watergate checks to presidential power have crumbled. Andrew Rudalevige, author of ‘The New Imperial Presidency,’ proposes that reporters ask members of Congress when and if they plan to reassert themselves.
No more secrets | Questions for the Times and Judith Miller ASK THIS The newspaper of record needs to set the record straight on its own involvement in the Plame investigation – and the run-up to war in Iraq.
The politicizing of government | Michael Brown as wake-up call to journalists ASK THIS You think FEMA is the only government department crippled by incompetent political appointees? Princeton University Professor David Lewis suggests some lines of inquiry reporters should pursue to determine the extent to which the federal government has been politicized – and what that means.
Covering the war | Is the administration serious about withdrawing troops from Iraq? ASK THIS The White House has consistently rejected calls for a timetable to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq. Yet the commander of American forces there said recently that "some fairly substantial reductions" are possible in the spring and summer of 2006. How credible are such statements? Is this talk just a gambit related to the 2006 elections? And should the matter of troop withdrawals solely be determined by debate within the administration?
Covering the war | What’s wrong with cutting and running? ASK THIS Everything that opponents of a pullout say would happen if the U.S. left Iraq is happening already, says retired Gen. William E. Odom, the head of the National Security Agency during the Reagan administration. So why stay?
'Identifying up' | Yes, there are lots of blue-collar Republicans. But why? ASK THIS Before moving on to the 2006 and 2008 elections, let's understand 2004 a little better. Sociologist Arlie Hochschild has some questions that need to be addressed.
Blind auditions? | Why aren’t there more blacks performing or leading in classical music? ASK THIS It’s nice that Marin Alsop, a woman, got to be conductor in Baltimore. But for John Britton it raises a different set of questions.
A growing, ominous class disparity | Economic inequality in the U.S. is reaching Third World levels. Where’s the press? COMMENTARY Things that happen in small increments go almost wholly unnoticed, to the country’s peril, writes Henry M. Banta. Thus, one of the largest redistributions of wealth in history – right here in the U.S. – has gone basically unreported, or, at the very least, underreported.
Face to face is best | It’s hard to bump into stories if you don’t leave the office SHOWCASE 'Greed, downsizing and computerization eventually may create an investigative void,' writes Michael Bugeja, director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University.
Questions about FOIA | Where does Bush stand on government secrecy? ASK THIS A leading proponent of government in the sunshine poses some questions about freedom of information that he wishes the president would answer.
View from the blogosphere | Questions a 'real' press would ask ASK THIS There are plenty of bloggers out there criticizing press coverage, but surprisingly few actually pro-actively suggesting questions the press should be asking. Kevin Hayden, who runs the progressive American Street blog, recently posted quite a few.
A proliferation of reports | Why should the WMD Commission be taken seriously? ASK THIS A group of people without much experience in intelligence work, meeting in absolute secrecy, is not what it takes to produce a breakthrough when it comes to proliferation forecasting – a notoriously thorny issue.
Accountability issues | The WMD Commission and intelligence reform ASK THIS A new commission report on the failures of U.S. intelligence should raise questions about government accountability and the feasibility of intelligence reform, writes Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists.
The media game | What do leading Republicans have to say about the executive branch's fake news videos? ASK THIS If Bush's allies are critical, then the propaganda charge can't be written off as mere partisan bickering.
The permanent campaign | It's time Bush explained why he only talks to supporters ASK THIS Political scientist Jeffrey Tulis writes that President Bush may be inventing a new political practice for a sitting president, by only speaking before screened audiences – and no one's asked him how he justifies it.
Legacy of Watergate | Would you use the adjective 'heroic' to describe the American news media? COMMENTARY Anthony Lewis on broadcasters who sound like a cheering section, a government that would charge $372,799 for an FOIA request, and a press that, overall, isn’t exactly heroic.
Personnel matters | What's the incentive? ASK THIS Here's another way of scrutinizing public policy: Explore what incentive structures are being established by the Bush administration for personnel in the U.S. – and in Iraq.
Next target? | A guide to reporting on relations between the U.S. and Iran ASK THIS News organizations were stung by their pre-Iraq invasion coverage; here are some questions they should be asking about Iran
Make it a beat | Important questions about Social Security ASK THIS The press needs to dig beyond the political rhetoric and make sure people understand what's motivating the push for private accounts, and what's at stake.
Bush’s National Guard service | The Boccardi-Thornburgh report leaves some questions unanswered COMMENTARY Phil Meyer writes that the CBS investigative panel focuses more on procedures and less on the story itself, and that it offers at least one promising lead for reporters to pick up on.
House of cards V | The falling dollar, Social Security and foreign debt ASK THIS The last of five questions reporters should be asking about who's lending us all this money, why, and for how long?
House of cards IV | Preventing a precipitous fall ASK THIS Here is the fourth of five questions reporters should be asking about who's lending us all this money, why, and for how long?
A more progressive system | Bush wants to privatize Social Security. Why not just lift the FICA cap? ASK THIS Author William Greider says eliminating the cap is an obvious, fair solution to any long-term problems Social Security may run into. Shouldn't reporters be doing the arithmetic and asking about that?
From The Atlantic | The Texas Clemency Memos SHOWCASE As the legal counsel to Texas Governor George W. Bush, Alberto R. Gonzales—now the White House counsel, and widely regarded as a likely future Supreme Court nominee—prepared fifty-seven confidential death-penalty memoranda for Bush's review. Never before discussed publicly, the memoranda suggest that Gonzales repeatedly failed to apprise Bush of some of the most salient issues in the cases at hand
Available online | Frontline and The Washington Post present 'Rumsfeld's War' SHOWCASE| October 28, 2004 An outstanding report that breaks through the wall of secrecy in the Bush administration.
The military | Ask our military leaders what our troops are doing to avoid killing civilians ASK THIS Kennedy School security expert Sarah Sewall thinks reporters should be asking the Pentagon and Congress what they are learning in Iraq about minimizing civilian casualties - and how well they are doing.
Labor Unions | What are "card checks," and why is the NLRB questioning their legality? ASK THIS| July 01, 2004 Donovan McClure, a union advocate, says membership in labor unions isn't shrinking fast enough for the majority of the National Labor Relations Board.
Arms Control | Aren't hair-trigger nuclear missiles a target for terrorists? ASK THIS Q. True or false: Since they are no longer enemies, and haven't been for years, the United States and Russia no longer have launch-ready nuclear missiles pointed at each other. Answer: way false, and isn't this worth reporting on every now and then?
Lecture | Reporting From the War Zone: At What Cost? SHOWCASE| May 01, 2004 Washington Post reporter Anthony Shadid won a Pulitzer in 2004 for his stunning coverage of life in Iraq in 2003...
Mobilization | Is it time to re-institute the military draft? ASK THIS| April 24, 2004 In Iraq, tours of duty are being extended for many. With no end in sight, is that enough or is conscription called for?
Health care | Dealing with health care disparities ASK THIS| April 05, 2004 Needed: more emphasis on diseases, treatment of minorities
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