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Revisiting "America: What Went Wrong" | There's a class war, all right. Guess who's winning. COMMENTARY Noted journalist Phil Meyer calls on reporters to follow the example of Barlett and Steele and see the patterns, the underlying structures that created and are perpetuating so much inequality. 
Abysmal, inept coverage | Lessons on covering politics from the late David Foster Wallace COMMENTARY Rule One in covering the presidential campaign, writes Henry Banta, has been to not allow information – even important information – to trump the entertainment factor, especially not in economics reporting. Time to do away with Rule One, Banta says, and stop fearing boredom.
| The press needs to expose the siege of democracy, not abet it COMMENTARY John Hanrahan writes: ‘We have become overly fearful, willing to surrender many core freedoms for the illusion of absolute security…We as a nation are less free than we were 11 years ago. And the mainstream press needs to say so, needs to explore this in news articles, as well as editorially and on the op-ed pages and in the broadcast media.’
Hawkeye state head shaking | Do we really want Iowa to be first in 2016? COMMENTARY It’s not just the atrocious mistakes and the rule of the religious right that should make the GOP and the press rethink Iowa’s role in presidential campaigns, it’s also the events that go as planned, such as the quadrennial phony-baloney Ames Straw Poll.
Enough with the ‘he said, she said’ | Job destroying taxes? Ask pols, which ones are those? COMMENTARY Aren’t reporters tired of letting flannelmouthed politicians talk about ‘job destroying taxes’ without calling them on it? And on Obamacare – couldn’t the press, once in a while, point out that other values are at stake and get past dubious assertions about what the Constitution does or does not allow?
The GOP, ‘an insurgent outlier’ | Mann and Ornstein can’t take it anymore COMMENTARY Two mainstay Washington political scientists urge the press to cease its distorting ‘even-handed’ reporting and take note that the Republican party, now so extreme, is the core reason for dysfunctional government in the nation’s capital.
A book review | Did Mark Felt even know he was Deep Throat? COMMENTARY A new book makes the case that Felt, the No. 2 man in the FBI during Watergate, fed information to the press to make his boss look bad and get his job. No idealism there. Barry Sussman, who was the Washington Post’s Watergate editor, has a close-in view on all this.
Looking ahead | What’s lost if the Supreme Court kills the health care reform act? COMMENTARY Medicare advocate Judith Stein, dealing with the substance of the Affordable Care Act and not the politics, describes how millions of Americans of all ages already have benefited from health care reform. She urges the press to do a better job telling this part of the story – now and after the court decision. (Editor’s note: John Roberts and Anthony Kennedy, please read.)
Who’s the fact-challenged one? | The Wall St. Journal, Karl Rove, and true-but-false journalism COMMENTARY Karl Rove, no surprise, twisted a statement of Bill Clinton's so badly in a Wall Street Journal column that the paper issued ‘a clarification.’ But as Gil Cranberg points out, calling something a clarification doesn’t make it one.
From Nieman Reports | Global health: a story rarely told COMMENTARY ‘Today while billions of dollars [in aid] are lost to corruption and dysfunction — and billions more save many lives — both traditional and new media are too often missing this important story altogether.’ (From the Spring 2012 issue of Nieman Reports.)
From Nieman Reports | Lessons learned from a period of intense newspaper turmoil SHOWCASE Amanda Bennett, who was chief editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer for Knight Ridder, says that if she had it to do over again, one thing she would do is to have more trust in the news and the newspaper, and another would be to pay no attention to focus groups. (From the Spring 2012 edition of Nieman Reports, which asked editors what they would have done differently, knowing what they know now.)
‘A reminder of the watchdog role’ | L.A. Times wins Bingham Prize for 'Billions to Spend' SHOWCASE A six-part series after an 18-month investigation revealed 'poor planning, frivolous spending and shoddy work' -- an enormous boondoggle -- in the $5.7 billion rebuilding of nine community colleges.
A propagandist with a bent toward hate speech | Should Fluke sue Limbaugh for defamation? COMMENTARY Gil Cranberg, an expert on libel law and no fan of defamation suits, would give the go-ahead. He says Limbaugh, by attacking the Georgetown Law student three days in a row, “intended to damage her and her reputation" and that "his actions were aggravated and egregious.”
Go after the pols | Looking ahead: A handbook for Occupiers on winter days ASK THIS With cold weather coming, Henry Banta says Occupy Wall Street may want go indoors for town hall meetings to push on issues that politicians would rather ignore, such as income inequality, the financial crisis, financial reform, taxes, spending, and unions. Sort of like the Tea Party did, but getting beyond the hostility, and if possible, the expert obfuscation.
Proposals to follow | In DC, an 'Occupied Supercommittee' outdoor public hearing COMMENTARY Freedom Plaza occupiers, planning economic fixes, have scheduled open-air hearings with some noted experts. Subjects include job creation, taxes, concentration of wealth, poverty, military policy, Social Security, Medicare for all. The protesters, nothing if not modern, will live-stream the event.
A broken system | Where scrapes with the law are no impediment to being a cop SHOWCASE Reporter Gina Barton describes the impetus for the just-published Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s gutsy, dogged investigation into police officers who ran afoul of the the law but often didn’t get fired or prosecuted. The three-part series, just concluded, had a sharp impact even before it was published.
Some have drones, too | Local police forces are now little armies. Why? ASK THIS More and more, in dealing with nonviolent political protesters police across America show up in battlefield dress with intimidating military gear supplied by the Pentagon and Homeland Security. Writer John Hanrahan says reporters, instead of ignoring this ominous development, should ask local, regional and national leaders: Do we need this crap?
Time to get serious | How about getting some substance in those GOP presidential debates? ASK THIS Bob Giles says debate moderators until now have been letting the candidates get away with scripted answers. He urges Bloomberg and the Washington Post, partial sponsors of the next debate, to do better on issues, ideas, solutions, and follow-up, and he offers ten solid questions of his own for them to consider.
I.F. Stone Medal | Not depending on the authorities to tell the story SHOWCASE A.C. Thompson, winner of the 2011 I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence, talks about what's missing in a lot of crime reporting these days.
Tax ‘Reform’ traps | The future of our economy depends on how well the media cover the tax debate COMMENTARY Martin Lobel writes that special interests are defining the terms of a debate in which the economy is at stake. And he offers an extraordinary resource to reporters who want to understand taxation issues better.
A Nieman Watchdog primer | Anyone smell a big, regressive Value Added Tax coming our way? COMMENTARY Henry Banta points out that a VAT could be a perfect fit for Washington leaders: for Democrats because it’s a money machine for the government, and for Republicans, because it’s really regressive.
Kafka, anyone? | A writer’s ordeal in Dubai SHOWCASE In August 2009 journalist Mark Townsend got a phone call giving him two hours to get to the Dubai Criminal Investigation Department. The call immediately reminded him of a science fiction story in which an ordinary life unraveled, and indeed, it was the start of a long, deepening eddy for him, as he was charged with a crime – writing an offensive blog – that he didn't commit.
Banta's view | Where ‘regular economics’ comes up short, and cold COMMENTARY ABC, in a series on hunger, shows a lot more compassion and common sense than a professor wedded to the efficient market theory. Score one for the news media.
We all deserve better | The press nods as absurdity, lies prevail in the budget debate COMMENTARY Would more accurate news coverage prompt Tea Party and Republican leaders to pay more attention to facts in their assertions about the economy? Maybe yes, maybe no. But, suggests Henry Banta, if the coverage continues at its present dismal level, we’ll never find out.
Reporting the endgame | At least 1,400 arrests for antiwar dissent, but who’s counting? Not the press. COMMENTARY The national news media almost totally ignore homefront protests of the Afghanistan war, killer drones, torture, and more, regardless of their newsworthiness. By its lack of coverage, isn’t the press thus helping perpetuate an endless war?
Pssst...Remember global warming? | As Aussies move toward a carbon tax, what are the lessons for the U.S.? ASK THIS In Australia, despite strong industry and partisan opposition, the Labor prime minister is putting her coalition on the line on behalf of a clean energy initiative. Here writer William Claiborne examines the environmental isues, the politics (both Australian and American), and the steps toward remediation. His piece is a primer for reporters and editors who want to deal with global warming more seriously.
A decade of renege | Time to break up the communications trusts? COMMENTARY Telecom analyst Bruce Kushnick says Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast are dragging down the nation’s economy and bilking millions of Americans. The chief firms in the communications oligopoly got $340 billion to upgrade telephone and broadband systems but have almost totally reneged. Instead, they manipulate data and buy support from experts and citizens groups. In response, regulators on the federal and state levels…well, there is just about no response.
From Nieman Reports | A veteran reporter and editor, starting over and aiming to provide high-value local news SHOWCASE James O’Shea has been chief editor of the L.A. Times and an M.E. at the Chicago Tribune. Now he’s editor of the Chicago News Cooperative, a new venture trying to provide deeper, better local coverage. Will it work? O’Shea’s answer: ‘It’s too soon to say. But we would rather be out there trying to figure out how we can finance quality journalism than waiting for doomsday to arrive.’
Early in the process | Nearing the tipping point in the United States? COMMENTARY With Tahrir Square in mind, activist groups and individuals, some of them well known, are planning ongoing, nonviolent protests in Washington, D.C., starting in October. Their goal is to end the war in Afghanistan and work for sharp change in domestic policies. The mainstream media are not seen as friends, exactly.
Reporting the endgame | Bagram prison, bigger than Guantanamo, its prisoners in limbo, cries out for some news coverage COMMENTARY Some 1,700 detainees are being held with no charges, no trial, no way to prove their innocence despite a Marine Corps general's 2009 report saying many should be released. In addition, there has been almost no in-depth news coverage of practices that, if widely known, would no doubt add to the call for removal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and criticism of the government’s conduct of the war.
What’s behind the hype? | Shifting standards in the world of school reform ASK THIS Again, Obama singles out as a success story a school that had been failing. But have any reporters dug into the data? Previous success stories touted by the White House have turned out to be a reflection of school-reform hype, not actual educational attainment.
‘Learn nothing, forget nothing’ | Going to London, and missing the story COMMENTARY| May 25, 2011 President Obama has gotten a lot of coverage on his trip to the UK, but the big story, the lesson the President and the press should be bringing home, is hardly noticed, writes Henry Banta. It’s the unfortunate consequences of slashes in spending and taxes – an austerity program – in the midst of a recession.
Reporting the endgame | Why stay in Afghanistan if the reasons for being there no longer exist? COMMENTARY The core assumption for having U.S. troops in Afghanistan is that by keeping al Qaeda out, we block a national security threat to America. It's time the press challenged that assumption because it is very, very vulnerable -- and likely flat-out wrong, as John Hanrahan reports in an interview with Paul Pillar, a leading intelligence community expert. This is the first in a new Nieman Watchdog series, 'Reporting the endgame.'
Facts not fiction, please | Editors, artists chafe at the errors and hype in bin Laden death story graphics SHOWCASE Some of the graphics that ran alongside the bin Laden death story deserve an A for creativeness but a D or an F for accuracy, as pointed out by Juan Antonio Giner and Alberto Cairo. They call for higher standards for infographics and produce a six-point checklist to insure such standards are met. Signifying the importance of the issue, 58 experts from 22 countries have endorsed the statement and added their names to it.
Follow the money | If the Tea Party wins, who benefits? Not its members. COMMENTARY Martin Lobel holds that the Tea Party rank and file, knowingly or not, are led around by the rich and powerful. That in the name of reform, their plans would make things worse, not better for most Americans, including themselves. That right-wing think tanks are calling the shots, and the press is pretty much missing the story.
Stay in Washington, Mr. Ryan | How the press aids and abets the GOP attack on the middle class COMMENTARY Henry Banta writes that the media pay excessive attention and give excessive credibility to the constant drumbeat of propaganda on the budget and debt streaming from those who have the most to lose if the middle class tries to get back some of what has been taken from it.
On the web | New tool puts tax rates in historical context SHOWCASE The Remapping Debate website's device compares tax rates over the years, adjusting for inflation and translating the numbers into 2010 dollars.
Any mention of ALEC? | What is the GOP looking for in Bill Cronon’s emails? ASK THIS The University of Wisconsin complies in part with the state's Republican Party's chilling request for a history professor's emails – but withholds those 'that fall within the orbit of academic freedom'
Ex-spokesman speaks | P.J. Crowley tells BBC he has no regrets COMMENTARY 'I believe what I said,' the former State Department spokesman told BBC Hardtalk interviewer Stephen Sackur. 'I thought the treatment of Bradley Manning was undermining what I considered to be a very legitimate prosecution of an individual who has profoundly affected US national security.'
Modern-day slavery? | What would a penny-a-pound more do for tomato pickers? ASK THIS Florida farmworkers, long subject to harsh conditions, have organized and even gone on tour to gain better treatment. Part of what they want is attention from reporters and editors. Jimmy Tobias, a reporter and activist, points to ideas for stories.
From Nieman Reports | Dealing with massively corrupt reporting in Eastern Europe SHOWCASE ‘I was wondering why any sane person would invest trust and respect in most of the journalists who work (in Romania),' writes Stefan Candea. 'Their main product is propaganda and their primary talent is withholding the truth.’ (From the Spring 2011 edition of Nieman Reports, the theme of which is 'Shattering Barriers to Reveal Corruption.')
The GOP platform, even worse in verse | In Iowa, gimme that old-time religion COMMENTARY Herb Strentz puts the Iowa GOP platform to verse, which doesn't improve it any. And he comes up with a neat find: Hollywood anticipated the upcoming Iowa GOP caucuses 70 years ago in the movie Sergeant York, which has one of the all-time great rock-church scenes. If only Gingrich, Pawlenty, Romney et al could play the strong, silent type.
Nieman honors | Michael J. Berens wins Worth Bingham Prize for 'Seniors for Sale' SHOWCASE A reporter for the Seattle Times wins the 2010 Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism for his comprehensive six-part series 'Seniors for Sale: Exploiting the aged and frail in Washington’s adult family homes'
Here we go again | Is Middle East unrest causing oil price spikes? Maybe not. COMMENTARY Reporters and editors, based on past experience, should examine the extent to which stock market speculators and the oll companies are pushing gas prices to the $4 mark. For guidance, here are some questions and leads from experts who wrote about the subject for Nieman Watchdog in the period 2005 to 2009, when oil and gas prices last shot through the roof.
Repeat after me... | Lowered rates have meant a lot less tax revenue, not more. That's a plain fact. America, we have a revenue problem. COMMENTARY The mantra – lower taxes bring in greater revenue – has just gone through a decade of testing. The result, writes David Cay Johnston: a lot less revenue, no increase in jobs and no economic growth. It’s time for reporters, news anchors, talk show guests, and syndicated columnists to use the actual figures – but that's unlikely, isn't it?
| Will GOP candidates out-devout each other in Iowa? COMMENTARY Tim Pawlenty visits, holds Bible studies, cites scripture, says he’s a ‘devout, open Christian.’ Coming soon are Ron Paul and Michelle Bachmann. Can they match that? Candidates who want to succeed in Iowa may have to.
“A shameful copout” | The GOP, the financial crash, and the Washington Post editorial page COMMENTARY Republicans continue to hold to their radical ideology of free market infallibility, claiming now that the economic collapse was really the government’s fault. Henry Banta isn’t surprised that true believers would make such a claim -- but he is a little disappointed that the Washington Post seems to take it seriously.
Read all about it | Great books about reporters who fought hard and told the truth SHOWCASE Great reporting is the opposite of access journalism -- it’s about finding out things the people you cover don’t want you to know. Investigative reporter Michael Hudson shares his reading list of journalists who persevered and got the story.
This is a legitimate political event? | Turning the Iowa GOP caucuses into an extremism limbo COMMENTARY Iowa's results can be significant in a presidential race; Obama’s showing in 2008 is proof of that. But next year only the GOP caucuses will be relevant -- and the GOP in Iowa these days is controlled by right-wing religious extremists. How far will candidates bend to get their approval?
Subsidizing Chinese spying? | State and local corporate welfare are mind-boggling. Where's the reporting? ASK THIS Cuts in spending for the poor, the disabled and on education are common as revenues decline in states across America. But little noticed along with the hand-wringing, as David Cay Johnston points out, are enormous benefits being given to rich corporations.
'Campaign season' | Newsday's striking coverage of the NY governor's race SHOWCASE A one-hour documentary, done on the fly, gives a narrative arc to political coverage, exposes high-level betrayals and brings back into view some old New York pols like Alfonse D'Amato, Ed Koch, and (in cameos) Mario and Matilda Cuomo. It's a multimedia effort: newspaper and online coverage and TV specials. Here Thomas Maier tells how it was put together.
From Nieman Reports | A devastating commentary on basic American news reporting COMMENTARY David Cay Johnston writes that beat reporting in America is crumbling and he cites “cheap news”--that is, stories and beats covered on the cheap--as a main reason. Johnston’s comments appear in the Winter 2010 issue of Nieman Reports, most of which is devoted to beat reporting.
Talk about investment opportunities | Americans go to Vietnam (and love it), so why not Cuba? COMMENTARY Bill Claiborne and his wife recently spent some time in Vietnam; he even put together a travelogue. The trip evoked memories of Cuba -- and the sense that the American press should do a better job on why restrictions still exist, and what to expect when Castro is no longer on the scene.
| Turning prize money into better training for rural reporters SHOWCASE Daniel Gilbert, whose work won the Pulitzer public service award for a small Virginia newspaper this year, is using other prize money – $10,000 from Scripps Howard – to help fund a new computer-assisted training program run by Investigative Reporters and Editors.
Any lessons for today’s reporters? | The press and unintended consequences in Afghanistan COMMENTARY A veteran correspondent looks back on the Afghanistan-USSR war and glorified press coverage of the mujahedeen, the forerunners of the Taliban. Some were extremely anti-Western even then. Would history be different had there been more balanced reporting?
From Nieman Reports | Reporting a textile workers’ strike in Henan province SHOWCASE| September 08, 2010 Bill Schiller of the Toronto Star: ‘Our arrival sparked a sensation: Police swept in demanding our papers. The crowd swept in on them to make sure we stayed…Then something extraordinary happened: The people applauded us.’
Relevant reporting wanted | It’s time to do more than just say the economy is the No. 1 issue ASK THIS If voters are to go into the midterm elections with any understanding at all, the press needs to get away from he-said, she-said reporting and look into the positions that candidates and the two parties are taking. Martin Lobel offers some vital questions.
| U.S. reverses decision, grants visa to Colombian Nieman Fellow COMMENTARY Nieman curator Giles cites efforts of various groups in persuading the State Department to set aside attempts at discrediting Hollman Morris, an independent TV journalist.
From Nieman Reports | Joining digital forces to strengthen local investigative reporting SHOWCASE ‘Our goal is to build online tools that the people can easily use to enhance their ability as watchdogs—whether they are citizens or journalists.’ (From Nieman Reports)
'Regulatory capture' | The BP disaster underscores government as the problem, not the solution ASK THIS After decades of planned neglect, mismanagement and ideological attack, the American government, across the board, has gotten out of the way of corporate America – and the country is paying a heavy price. Obama promised to make government service “cool” again. Ask him to show where he's doing that.
The 3rd annual award | Craig McCoy of the Inquirer wins the 2010 I.F. Stone Medal SHOWCASE The reporter has exposed injustice and corruption in Philadelphia for almost three decades; he is said to be persistent, able to penetrate the ‘official fog,’ and imbued with a strong sense of civic right and wrong. And all in all, he is said 'to bring to mind I.F. Stone.'
From Abramoff to Siegelman | A few questions for Karl Rove on his book tour ASK THIS Bush’s brain shouldn’t mind answering a few questions as he goes around the South and Midwest selling his book. Just might enliven the events, and end up selling more copies. So here are a few, prepared by Andrew Kreig.
| The Nieman Foundation names its 2011 Fellows SHOWCASE Curator notes ‘extraordinarily diverse backgrounds and interests' as 25 American and international journalists are selected.
Blind devotion to a failed idea | Why is it so hard for the press to ask such an easy question? ASK THIS Republicans are clear and consistent in their economic policies. The problem is, they are the policies that led to the worst crisis in 70 years, and, to the comfort of the very rich, the largest shift of wealth in American history. So why won’t reporters ask what it is exactly that the Republicans want and expect if they are successful? (And yes, ask the same question to the many Democrats who have gone along for the ride.)
| A little context for the BP oil spill: It isn't the Apocalypse COMMENTARY The Gulf of Mexico spill is a calamity with enormous costs. Nevertheless, writes Ken Ringle, there are factors at work, observed in similar calamities years ago, that suggest the damage to the environment may be less than is widely feared, and reporters should be alert to them.
George Wilson’s column | A plea to deal with soldiers’ invisible wounds COMMENTARY House veterans affairs chairman Filner, citing suicides, says he will push for more psychological aid for veterans but that the VA and Pentagon bureaucracies are stuck in an old ‘never’ mindset.
Q&A | An interview with the winner of the Pulitzer grand prize SHOWCASE “You don’t have to be at the New York Times or the Washington Post or the Wall Street Journal to do important work,” says Daniel Gilbert, the young, newly celebrated reporter on a small paper in Southwest Virginia. Gilbert’s work uncovered callousness, red tape and corporate neglect (to put it mildly) that was keeping natural gas royalties, often sorely needed, from going to thousands of people in Appalachia.
Young women, children, immigrants, minorities, gays as targets | Cheap shots and scurrilous comments on the Internet, as seen from the heartland COMMENTARY Some old Des Moines newspaper hands wade into the argument over anonymous postings on websites. One is reminded of a country song, "I'm Ashamed To Be Here (But Not Ashamed Enough To Leave)."
Embedded with killers | (Un) Covering the Death Squads in El Salvador SHOWCASE On the 30th anniversary of the brutal assassination of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, a veteran reporter looks back at some extraordinary and daring close-in coverage that was spurred by personal anger at the murder of the priest.
Skeptical about Internet | A journalist talks about life after buy-outs COMMENTARY Eugene L. Meyer, a former Washington Post reporter and editor, took the first of four buyouts several years ago. Here’s his take on the news business, past, present and future.
Not just a ‘new media’ problem | Taking steps to deal with media parasitism COMMENTARY As non-profit journalism grows in importance, donors and practitioners should adopt and enforce standards that give credit to sources instead of pilfering their ideas and riding roughshod over them.
Finding flackery | An online group, the Center for Media and Democracy, stays on the lookout for spin SHOWCASE The public-interest, non-profit organization exposes fake news and PR twisting of events. It works directly with reporters who request help. Sounds like a good resource for journalists.
A problem in giving credit where credit is due | Free riding: a deeply embedded media tradition COMMENTARY Scholar J.H. Snider balks on hearing new media practitioners characterized as parasites or leeches and reaches deep down to expose longstanding, not very upfront behavior on the part of old media reporters and editors. (First of two parts)
From Nieman Reports | Now you see it, now you don’t: The disappearing act of foreign news coverage COMMENTARY McClatchy will have someone in Iran to cover the upcoming elections but it’s a financial balancing act – it means canceling a different overseas assignment. But that's preferable to the more extreme steps being taken by some news organizations.
6 trends emerge | The State of the News Media: Bleak COMMENTARY The sixth annual report by the Project for Excellence in Journalism sees 2008 as the bleakest year yet. “It’s not an audience problem or a credibility problem…it’s a revenue problem,” the report says.
| Underplayed, overlooked or just plain missing SHOWCASE Foreign Policy magazine puts out a list of “the 10 top stories you missed in 2008.”
Spinning scandal | Networks should replace Pentagon cheerleaders with independent military analysts COMMENTARY Even without special Pentagon briefings and corrupting financial relationships, former top military brass simply are too conflicted to be relied upon for tough-minded analysis, writes a former Air Force officer.
Q&A | Local papers find their inner watchdogs SHOWCASE Even as their newsrooms shrink, local and regional newspapers are falling in love with watchdog reporting all over again. Accountability journalism differentiates them, connects them with readers, and reminds people why journalism deserves some of their attention every day. Orange County Register Watchdog blogger Teri Sforza tells her story.
Panel transcript | 'Has the press become, less skeptical, less insurgent?' SHOWCASE A transcript of a panel discussion held Oct. 7 in conjunction with the presentation of the I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence.
Panel trancript | 'Has the press become, less skeptical, less insurgent?' (Part two) SHOWCASE A transcript of a panel discussion held Oct. 7 in conjunction with the presentation of the I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence. (Part two of two.)
A wake-up call for journalists | A court case of vital importance COMMENTARY The decision in Wyeth v. Levine could determine whether documents that expose massive, lethal misconduct are accessible to reporters and the public.
Skills in demand are Web-related | The shrinking newspaper COMMENTARY A Project for Excellence in Journalism report shows more of the same: more staff cuts, less newshole, less foreign coverage, less copy editing. But many editors surveyed see improvements in the product.
Toolbox | The History Commons -- an online tool for journalists SHOWCASE Individuals do research to create aggregated, searchable timelines for major events and stories, creating a resource for reporters and editors.
Rove as pundit? Par for the course | Yes, freedom of speech protects vicious liars COMMENTARY But there are standards, or at least there should be. Morton Mintz wants the owners and managers of news organizations to hold their talk show hosts and others accountable. And he wants journalism trade groups and J-schools to get in the act.
Free Press convention in Minneapolis | Rather, Moyers see deterioration in news coverage COMMENTARY Rather: Under today's corporate ownership the incentive to produce a good report isn’t there; Moyers says the press in many respects colludes with those in power.
Coverage of Day One | Media Reform conference opens in Minneapolis COMMENTARY Focus in part is on charges of failure of corporate-owned media to fulfill the press’s watchdog role and on concern over threats of telecom control of Internet content, speed and pricing. Includes speeches by Dan Rather and Bill Moyers.
| Media consolidation seen as ‘almost unAmerican’ COMMENTARY FCC commissioner Adelstein, others attack mergers and express optimism about change in Washington in 2009.
An international research project | The media as watchdogs, agenda-setters and gate-keepers SHOWCASE Harvard and the World Bank host academics seeking to determine the press’s role in governance and in strengthening democracies.
| The press and the presidency: Silencing the watchdog COMMENTARY Retired Washington Post diplomatic reporter Murrey Marder writes that George W. Bush is unparalleled among presidents for the way he has set out to discredit the press as a watchdog of government.
| A tribute to a journalism innovator, and a look at the Internet SHOWCASE On the occasion of the retirement of Phil Meyer, the University of North Carolina's journalism school holds a two-day symposium pondering what the Internet hath wrought.
Multimedia | An online version of 'Bush's War' SHOWCASE In addition to the current two-part, 4-1/2-hour documentary, Frontline has an extensive online component. Among other things, it presents 175 video clips and transcripts of more than 400 interviews.
Burying the news | Newspaper Web sites and White House disinformation COMMENTARY The Wall Street Journal print edition didn’t mention a recent report that cited more than 935 false statements by top Administration officials. The Journal’s Web site, however, not only mentioned the report—it attacked it. (Second of two parts.)
Burying the news | If 935 falsehoods fall from the White House, do the news media hear them? COMMENTARY Morton Mintz asks: If the president and top aides who made nearly 1,000 false statements to take us into war had been Democrats, would two national papers, the TV networks, the news magazines, and every newspaper in 33 states have ignored it? (First of two parts)
A country shut down | Filing reports from Burma between gunshots SHOWCASE For a while, reports from Rangoon flowed out via cell phones and email. Now it is pretty much blacked out, says the editor of Irrawaddy, a news magazine based in Thailand.
Where’s the vigilance? | Have business reporters lost their souls? COMMENTARY How did the business press miss the unraveling of the subprime mortgage market? Martin Lobel writes that news organizations cover business like a horse race these days -- and have forgotten that a vigilant concern for the lot of the little guy, for the greater good, and for economic justice is what leads to the most important financial journalism.
Questions about media behavior | Why is it OK for the coal industry to break the law? ASK THIS Often after accidents like the one at Crandall Canyon, Utah, mine operators claim their mines had relatively few violations. Even if that's true -- and often it isn't -- 'relatively few' just isn’t good enough in a risky venture like coal mining, says Charleston Gazette reporter Ken Ward, Jr.
No compromise with integrity | What Nelson Poynter can teach the Bancrofts COMMENTARY Shouldn’t the standards of news media ownership, as spelled out by Poynter in 1947, apply today? For starters, those standards include looking at a media property as a sacred trust and a great privilege.
An absence of inquiry | Giles urges TV reporters to ask tougher questions COMMENTARY TV has an edge over print in that it can take viewers along for the interview. But too often, writes the Nieman Foundation curator, American TV reporters accept evasive, reluctant answers without pressing for more. Why not follow the British model of tough interviewing?
Databases provided | Tracking the rise of the political consultants SHOWCASE In a helpful bit of journalism, the Center for Public Integrity reports that some 600 political consultants got paid $1.78 billion by candidates for election in 2004. A lot of it went to TV ads—but there was a lot left over, also.
A Nieman Watchdog survey | A 2nd look at covering the 2006 elections DISCUSSIONS A survey we did in June is timely right now as editors and reporters focus on the November election campaign. Here is what 28 past Nieman fellows had to say about what’s wrong with recent past coverage (too much he-said, she-said leads the list), and some suggestions for what should be done.
Extra! Extra! | American watchdog reporting roundup SHOWCASE Exposing the hidden history of racial expulsions, questionable policies at the Federal Air Marshal Service and organic food standards
Whose national security? | Hey, hey LBJ, got any secrets to give away? SHOWCASE Personal history: Veteran military affairs reporter George Wilson tells how Lyndon Johnson used classified information for PR purposes, and how, in a secret court session, Wilson thwarted attorneys for Nixon who were trying to block release of the Pentagon Papers.
The overseas press | The Economist, others say Bush just doesn't get it COMMENTARY The handling of suicides at Guantanamo, the killing of Zarqawi and Bush’s trip to Baghdad are linked by foreign news organizations and widely seen as gross PR efforts
Watchdog survey | Some Asian Nieman fellows are highly critical of the American press DISCUSSIONS This is the beginning of Part 2 – the international section – of a special Nieman Watchdog feature marking our second anniversary online. It focuses on views of the U.S. in Asia, as reported by ten past Nieman fellows.
Watchdog survey | Even the high regard for the American people is taking a hit DISCUSSIONS View from Africa and Oceania: in the third of four worldwide reports, Nieman fellows say displeasure with the American government is leaching over into a sense of dismay about the American people themselves.
Daniel Samper, Spain | A strong anti-Bush feeling DISCUSSIONS| June 09, 2006 1981 Nieman fellow from Colombia; now a free-lance writer in Spain
Kirsty Milne, Great Britain | 'Special arrangement' seen as a delusion DISCUSSIONS| June 09, 2006 2004 Nieman fellow, Great Britain; visiting scholar, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard
Pekka Mykkänen, Finland | Because of Iraq, 2 prime ministers had to go DISCUSSIONS| June 09, 2006 2003 Nieman fellow; Helsingin Sanomat
Agnes Bragadóttir, Iceland | Suffering badly in the propaganda wars DISCUSSIONS| June 09, 2006 1988 Nieman fellow; senior business writer, Morgunbladid, Reykjavik, Iceland
Ton Vosloo, Cape Town | The U.S. is winning no friends DISCUSSIONS| June 07, 2006 1971 Nieman fellow; chairman of Naspers, a South African Pay TV and Internet subscriber platform service
Alice Tatah, Cameroon | Doesn’t get much better – or worse – than this DISCUSSIONS| June 07, 2006 2006 Nieman fellow; journalist, Cameroon Radio and Television Corporation, Yaounde
Philippa Green, Johannesburg | Unity in South Africa…against the U.S. DISCUSSIONS| June 07, 2006 1999 Nieman fellow; head, SABC Radio News, South African Broadcasting Corp., Johannesburg
John Geddes, Ottawa | Wary of the government; at one with the people DISCUSSIONS| June 05, 2006 2003 Nieman fellow; Ottawa bureau chief, Maclean’s
Douglas Leiterman, Toronto | 'U.S. has borne the burdens of the free world' DISCUSSIONS| June 05, 2006 1954 Nieman fellow, semi-retired, formerly parliamentary reporter, documentary producer, broadcaster.
Monica Flores Correa, Argentina | ‘Mistrust of the U.S. has ballooned’ DISCUSSIONS| June 05, 2006 1990 Nieman fellow; former U.S. correspondent of Pagina 12, Argentina; now living in Brooklyn and teaching Spanish and literature
Claudia Antunes, Rio | A sharp decline in favorable views of the ‘big guy’ DISCUSSIONS| June 05, 2006 2006 Nieman fellow, Folha de Sao Paolo, deputy bureau chief, Rio
Arben Kallamata, Mississauga | In ‘Immigrantsville,’ U.S. media seen as propagandists DISCUSSIONS| June 05, 2006 1993 Nieman fellow from Albania, now a free-lance writer in the Toronto area
Dina Fernandez Garcia, Guatemala | U.S. is ‘a dream of hope and opportunity’ DISCUSSIONS| June 05, 2006 2003 Nieman fellow; columnist for Prensa Libre in Guatemala and La Hora in Ecuador
William French, Toronto | Something less than a love-hate relationship DISCUSSIONS| June 05, 2006 1955 Nieman fellow; retired from the Globe and Mail
Bill Schiller, Toronto | America under Bush is almost unrecognizable DISCUSSIONS| June 05, 2006 2006 Nieman fellow, was foreign editor at the Toronto Star and previously the Star’s correspondent in Johannesburg, Berlin and London before his Nieman year
Ramindar Singh, Mumbai, India | Let down by the ‘crumbling’ of the U.S news media DISCUSSIONS| May 31, 2006 Ramindar Singh, 1982 Nieman fellow; former resident editor, The Times of India, currently president, Hinduja Group, India
Charles Sherman | For political comedy, try a little humor DISCUSSIONS| May 27, 2006 1983 Nieman fellow; editor-in-chief, Joong-ang Daily News, Seoul
Katherine Harting | Let people know reporters’ rules of conduct DISCUSSIONS| May 27, 2006 1979 Nieman fellow; ABC Evening News producer, Washington, D.C., on leave and currently a Ph. D. student and media specialist at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore.
Bill McIlwain | Deal with distortions QUICKLY DISCUSSIONS| May 27, 2006 1958 Nieman fellow; retired, former editor of Newsday and New York Newsday, as well as several other big papers
Geneva Overholser | No pack reporting, please DISCUSSIONS| May 27, 2006 1986 Nieman fellow; Hurley Chair in Public Affairs Reporting, Missouri School of Journalism/Washington, D.C., bureau
Edwin Guthman | 'More investigative work is needed, full time' DISCUSSIONS| May 26, 2006 1951 Nieman fellow; senior lecturer, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California
Peter Almond | Where's the adversarial reporting? DISCUSSIONS| May 26, 2006 1981 Nieman Fellow; now a free-lance defense writer for the UK national press
Nancy Webb | Needed: An independent news media leader DISCUSSIONS| May 26, 2006 1984 Nieman fellow, now a writer and free-lance journalist
Henry Raymont | 'Too adversarial? That's a joke, yes?' DISCUSSIONS| May 26, 2006 1952 Nieman fellow; syndicated columnist, roving reporter based in Washington, D.C.
Bill Graves | A political and news media plutocracy DISCUSSIONS| May 26, 2006 1999 Nieman fellow, Nieman Class of 1999; education writer, the Oregonian
Peter A. Jay | Accuracy, honesty of reporting are now suspect DISCUSSIONS| May 25, 2006 1973 Nieman fellow; former Washington Post reporter, Baltimore Sun columnist and small-town newspaper publisher; now a farmer in Maryland
Jonathan Z. Larsen | 'There's no serious effort to clarify issues' DISCUSSIONS| May 25, 2006 1980 Nieman fellow; free-lance writer, editorial board chairman of OnEarth Magazine
Bob Lancaster | 'The press is as dead as a hammer' DISCUSSIONS| May 25, 2006 1972 Nieman fellow; columnist, Arkansas Times, Little Rock
Bill German | 'Don’t worry about seeming too adversarial' DISCUSSIONS| May 22, 2006 1950 Nieman fellow; Editor Emeritus, San Francisco Chronicle.
A series of reports | TRAC offers helpful data on immigration SHOWCASE Syracuse University research center is a powerful resource for journalists to define and deal with complicated issues.
Questioning the editors | Murtha and the Washington Post DISCUSSIONS| January 19, 2006 A reader wonders whether a mere allegation is newsworthy.
Oversight | Cobell v. Norton, ‘A window on the balance of power in Washington’ ASK THIS D.C. attorney Lee Helfrich writes: “Cobell …has included several instances of overt deception, intentional and negligent destruction of records, and efforts to mute truthful testimony. Any District of Columbia litigator would know better than to try this stuff with Lamberth on the bench.”
Much harshness revealed | Two Web sites help reporters overcome the language barrier SHOWCASE MEMRI translates Arabic, Farsi and Turkish media to English and other languages; 'Watching America' focuses on what the world thinks about the U.S.
Evaluating alarmism | Why not cool down the terrorism rhetoric a little? ASK THIS Excluding the year 2001, fewer people have died in America from terrorism than have drowned in bathtubs. John Mueller argues that risk and comparative probability should be guidelines in coverage of terrorism.
'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.
Sources worth protecting? | Let's get on with the Novak/Plame case ASK THIS The secrets in the Valerie Plame outing case may finally be coming to light. As they do, here are some questions that need answering.
‘News is what people want to keep hidden’ | Moyers on the squelching, punishing of journalists COMMENTARY Radical right-wingers ‘have been after me for years now and I suspect they will be stomping on my grave to make sure I don’t come back from the dead,’ says the veteran TV figure.
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.
Book reviews | 'The Vanishing Newspaper' and other takes on news and the news business SHOWCASE The current issue of Nieman Reports (Spring 2005) includes in-depth reviews of recent books by Phil Meyer, Bonnie M. Anderson, Robert McChesney and John Nichols, Dan Gillmor, Seymour Hersh, Geoffrey R. Stone, Seth Mnookin, Mark Bowden, and Sebastiao Salgado.
Color coding seen as a cliché | Blue states vs. red states? COMMENTARY Sociologist Leo Bogart says that labeling states as 'red' or 'blue' disguises the complexity of people's thinking about politics. There's a good bit of blue in the red states, and vice versa.
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.
Lowering their guard? | A look at the Times's reporting of the secret George W. Bush tapes COMMENTARY Writer Russ Baker has problems with a The New York Times story, citing a lack of transparency and a need for a high ‘vigilance level.’
'Welcome to Doomsday' | Understanding religious fervor is a key to reporting politics ASK THIS Bill Moyers writes in a New York Review essay on political religion: 'The delusional…has come in from the fringe to influence the seats of power.'
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.
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.
Meanwhile, in Mosul... | A breathless recounting of the invasion of Fallujah COMMENTARY Greg Mitchell, writing in Editor and Publisher, sees many newspapers once again failing to do hard, skeptical reporting in Iraq. "One step forward, two steps back," is how he describes it.
A failed system | Some good reporting now could bring integrity to voting and help make it more tamper-proof ASK THIS Follow the lead of Keith Olbermann and The New York Times editorial page. Go over this year's vote count, and consider making election systems a beat to help bring about reform for next time.
Understanding America | Fundamentalists 51, enlightenment 48 ASK THIS Maybe the election wasn't about terrorism, Iraq or the economy at all…at least not for many of those on the winning side.
One a month, maybe? | More presidential press conferences, please ASK THIS The White House correspondents missed their first chance to ask Bush to hold more sessions with them.
Why is this a non-story? | If the FBI works to shut down independent journalism Web sites that are critical of U.S. policy, isn't that news? COMMENTARY| October 14, 2004 Journalists' organizations outside the U.S. are up in arms, but there's been hardly a peep here.
Bad examples | Making a mess, as seen by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. COMMENTARY The liberal historian lays into the news media, calling them 'supine'. Does anybody think he's wrong?
Abdication to cable | Rosenstiel laments the decline of broadcast TV COMMENTARY Media analyst Tom Rosenstiel says network TV is tossing away its prestige and influence, and that its owners act as though they don't even care.
On the Web | Liberal think tank prepares tough questions for journalists to use SHOWCASE| August 26, 2004 The Center for American Progress has more questions than it knows what to do with.
My Lai, Tiger Force, etc. | If we have to cover the Swift-boat controversy, let's at least get it right ASK THIS You say there are other, more important campaign issues? Oh.
For the record | Homeland security questions for state and local candidates ASK THIS Americans are concerned about terrorism but many are skeptical about homeland security warnings. How do local office-seekers weigh in? Whom do they believe and what are they themselves doing? (Fourth in a series)
Election 2004 | A matter of stenography at The New York Times COMMENTARY After the election will The Times have to apologize for some of the reporting it's doing now?
Bandwagon | Ronald Reagan died June 5th. Anybody think the early coverage was a little distorted? A little overdone? COMMENTARY| June 11, 2004 First-day stories reflected more myth than reality, leaving out or burying anything unpleasant. It's not as though editors didn't have time to prepare.
Less secrecy, please | Reporters should be asking to see Reagan's presidential papers ASK THIS| June 09, 2004 Susan Tifft, on the validity of Bush's executive order blocking the release of presidential and vice presidential documents...
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...
Readers ask | What geniuses decided that celebrity bunk is news? DISCUSSIONS| May 01, 2004 Some people want more than a distraction from their news media...
Multimedia | Now on video: Editorial board interviews SHOWCASE| April 11, 2004 Some newspapers have been posting editorial board interviews with political candidates on their Web sites – an excellent multimedia enhancement for people who'd like to follow politics closely.
Anthony Lewis | Anthony Lewis on the Framers, the 1st Amendment and watchdog reporting COMMENTARY| April 08, 2004 James Madison, a big defender of watchdog reporting
Calling all readers | Wanted: Tough questions for the presidential debates ASK THIS The Internet can make the presidential debates better. NiemanWatchdog.org will make it happen – with your help.
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