Open veins of journalism: How I came to terms with writing in the first-person singular
Short- or long-form, blog or book, writing has always been difficult for me. Which is odd, given my chosen profession of journalism. That journalists can, virtually on command, spew out reams… Read more »
How leaks look when they’re disciplined and strategic: Lasagna in Tegucigalpa
The leaks that have characterized Donald Trump’s White House operations are excellent examples of just how versatile those juicy little tidbits can be. Disgruntled with your boss? Leak! Pissed off at… Read more »
One Spicey meatball: Bye bye, Sean, and don’t let the door hit you
Let me begin with a confession: I have, more than once, felt sympathy for Sean Spicer. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not going to defend Spicer, propose his rehabilitation as a figure… Read more »
Sarah Huckabee Sanders was unwittingly live-streamed at a White House presser, probably turned to dust
In President Donald Trump’s Most Best Transparent Glorious Administration of the World, on-camera press briefings have become a thing of the past. In May, Trump even went so far as… Read more »
A Q&A with Lynda Schuster: “There’s a saying that journalism is the first draft of history…”
Today, we’re celebrating the release of Dirty Wars and Polished Silver, Lynda Schuster’s heart-racing memoir of her life as a foreign war correspondent, with astounding scenes in the nations of Latin… Read more »
White House operatives are preparing a major smear campaign aimed at discrediting journalists
In keeping with the administration’s, uh, tenuous relationship with the media, the Trump White House has indicated it will be embarking on a campaign to undermine journalists who have reported on… Read more »
Fifty years ago, Newark was in flames
Fifty years ago this week, one of the biggest, wildest urban convulsions in American history took hold of Newark, New Jersey. As usual, there were mounting tensions, and then there was… Read more »
Resourceful high school students score an interview with Defense Secretary James Mattis, and the kids make us proud
I love this story. After the Washington Post accidentally ran a photo that included the private cell number of Defense Secretary James Mattis, enterprising students at Mercer Island High School (near… Read more »
My news, your news, their news… But whose news can we trust?
We’ve written a lot about fake news in the wake of Donald Trump’s ascent to the presidency. But guess what — we’ve got more! A couple of weeks ago, the Reuters Institute released their Digital… Read more »
The horseradish on the hamburger: Of Trump, Putin, the press, and the urgent legacy of Anna Politkovskaya
Last week, as the G20 met in Hamburg (please use this space to imagine your own flavorful beef joke) amid raging protests, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin got to… Read more »