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.
The massacre of 26 children and adults at a Connecticut elementary school Friday has left us searching for answers. Why did it happen? How could it have been stopped? Is there a way to avoid such tragedies in the future? Predictably, the first knee jerk reaction to such a heartbreaking … Read more…
There has been a lot of criticism leveled recently at journalists and the craft they practice–and in some cases, rightly so. However, a lot of that criticism is coming from academia and professors who tell students that they need to go “beyond reporting the news”–code for what they think news … Read more…
Something has happened to journalism in America. And it’s sad. Skillful, tough reporting has been replaced by reporters, editors and producers who are allowing their political biases and agendas to get in the way of what journalists once valued as a search for the truth. The So-Called Big Five Truth … Read more…
The Presidential election of 2012 was less of a contest between Republicans and Democrats than it was a battle between those who want the government to give them “stuff” and those who feel, as JFK once said in 1960: “ask not what your country can do for you, but what … Read more…
The last of the three presidential debates has come and gone and the spin meisters are going full speed trying to convince voters that their candidate won. Frankly, Scarlett, I don’t give a damn who won last night’s debate. Most pundits have called it a draw. I would give the … Read more…
I think the following Biblical quote sums up Joe Biden’s bizarre behavior in last night’s debate with Republican V.P. nominee Paul Ryan very well: “If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.” –Proverbs 29:9. Naturally, Democrats have … Read more…
I have just returned from a three week sojourn to Europe–specifically, Paris, Munich and Venice–and points in between aboard various trains. A couple of things I noticed. Many Europeans are terrified that Barack Obama will be defeated in the upcoming election. This in spite of the fact that Chicago’s political … Read more…
OK, Mitt Romney isn’t Ronald Reagan–at least not when it comes to speaking. But who is? Nevertheless, I thought Romney gave a good account of himself Thursday night in laying out his vision for America. So did his running mate Paul Ryan. And so did Sen. Marco Rubio, and Gov. … Read more…
Ann Romney Ann Romney. What a partner she is for Mitt. Her speech Tuesday night was absolutely on target. Did you notice, she didn’t mention Obama once? Didn’t need to. Her job was to talk about Mitt, her husband and father of her five boys. She did that perfectly. Did … Read more…
Forgive me if this sounds a bit simplistic, but with “Dirty” Harry Reid charging that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is a tax cheat couldn’t this be resolved if someone were to ask the IRS if it is preparing a tax evasion case against the former Massachusetts governor? I mean … Read more…