This is a blog for journalists, authors, and those who enjoy reading and learning. Here you will find a variety of posts about all forms of writing–from fiction and non-fiction to the news media and journalism. It is produced by a former foreign correspondent and journalism school dean.
We hear a lot today about fake news in America. But what about “fake journalists?” Watch television, cable, or surf the Internet and we see a profusion of talking heads, political pundits, academics, bloggers, and news aggregators out there masquerading as journalists. Unfortunately, too many people can’t tell the difference between … Read more…
As angry parents coast to coast continue to rebel against leftist indoctrination of their children at school, the nation’s largest teachers’ unions have let it be known that they will support Marxist and socialist teachers who are teaching Critical Race Theory anyway. In other words, “damn you, parents, we have … Read more…
Well, what do you know? America is dead last among 46 nations in public trust of news media. Why am I not surprised by this? For most of my 28 years as a reporter, editor, and foreign correspondent with the Chicago Tribune, America’s news media were generally respected and trusted. … Read more…
Today, I am running a column that I posted a while back about the sorry state of American journalism. Historian Victor Davis Hanson wrote it in 2019, but much of its content is still quite current. You will find Hanson’s complete bio at the end of the post. For the … Read more…
A “Lexophile” is a lover of words–one who derives pleasure from the various use of words, who appreciates the nuances surrounding different words, and who is alert to synonyms, antonyms, homophones, anagrams, palindromes, and homonyms, often using them for effect, sometimes in humor. The New York Times even holds an annual … Read more…
For writers and those who are struggling to be writers, there is no shortage of rules, guidelines, tenets, and imperatives all calculated to turn you into a bestselling author. They are often daunting and overwhelming and in some cases a bit terrifying. But mostly, they are unnecessary. Yes, I said … Read more…
Occasionally I reprint stories I wrote while working as a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. Here is one I wrote from Bangkok, Thailand in 1985. It examines the attitudes some Asian countries have toward Western (read “American”) culture—specifically, its music, its films, and what some consider its promiscuous lifestyle. … Read more…
Robert Frost once said, “If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.” He was right. All of us need a little humor now and then in a world where levity often seems in short supply. The other day, I received an email that contained the following “Signs of the … Read more…
A decade ago, when I was a professor and college dean at the University of Illinois, I picked up a book in the campus bookstore entitled: “Are We Rome?” Its message was compelling. In 262 pages, it suggested, with the persuasive and rational use of historical facts, that the United … Read more…
With “cancel culture” running amok in the United States and statues still under attack by those who insist on ascribing 21st-century values and standards to 18th and 19th-century historical figures, it was gratifying to see that Oxford’s Oriel College in the U.K., has resisted the mob’s demand to erase history … Read more…