Intuitive editor dies: Edward J. Doherty lauded as the Globe managing editor who understood readers.
“Journalism by permission won’t work,” he said, a concise observation that remains relevant today, writes Bryan Marquard.
Category Archives: newspapers
Sympathy For Daily Northwestern Apology
Sympathy for Daily Northwestern apology: Issac J. Bailey writes to the Daily’s editor-in-chief saying “what you did moved me.”
“You’re going to mess up again,” writes Bailey. “There’s no getting around that truth. It may sting even more the next time. That’s the nature of the beast and why in this industry, it’s imperative that you find a way to balance confidence with humility.”
Campus Journalists Under Fire
Campus journalists under fire: Entrenched viewpoints and growing criticism of media have converged on college campuses, write Lindsey McGinnis and Noah Robertson.
Reporting opposing views seen as threatening by student activists.
“If readers think certain groups don’t deserve a voice, does listening to that group make journalists complicit?” they ask.
NU’s Backlash To The Backlash
NU’s backlash to the backlash: The Daily Northwestern apologized to activists for its coverage and photos of a stormy news event, writes Robby Soave.
The activists worried that the student newspaper’s coverage of their disruptive actions undermined their safety and could get them in trouble. Journalism dean calls the paper’s apology “heartfelt though not well-considered.”
Freedom To Offend
Freedom to offend: Toronto Star public editor Kathy English defends the freedom of columnists to express views that are outrageous and even offensive. “I must defend their freedom to offend,” she explains to readers.
What Teens Want
What teens want: “Ultimately, young people want the same thing from news organizations that adults do: the truth,” writes Lauren Harris. Attempts to emulate teens make them wince.
New Model For Local News
New model for local news: Ken Doctor aims to launch Lookout next year.
“Overall, we believe the successful local news outlets of the 2020s will be the ones that authentically embed themselves into the life of the communities they serve,” he writes.
Janet Cooke’s World
Janet Cooke’s world: Every student journalist should know about Cooke, the only reporter ever forced to return a Pulitzer Prize because her story about an eight-year-old heroin addict was a hoax.
Bill Green, the Washington Post’s ombudsman, wrote a blistering report on the Post’s editorial lapses that is a model of journalism accountability. It set the standard for ombudsmen. From the Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists archives.
Vanishing Copy Editors
Vanishing copy editors: Copy editors were among the first to be axed in the internet mass communications revolution, writes Rosie DiManno.
“It is wacko, to me, that newspapers — where accuracy and clean content have always been of utmost importance — would view copy editors as expendable. The upshot has been disastrous.”
The Backgrounder Blight
The backgrounder blight: A Washington Post reporter offers an interview “on background.” The Post’s media critic calls that transparency. Are they nuts?
Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists 