Photo by Diedra Laird, The Charlotte Observer. For years, parents and educators in poverty-ridden pockets of the South sensed the public schools were shortchanging their children. And they were right. Their schools face … Read more
After two years of traveling the country working with reporters and editors on computer-assisted reporting techniques, it was clear that no story invokes more fear than the dreaded annual school report. Editors know educators will “The newspaper’s or station’s … Read more
I knocked on the coach’s office door in the visitor’s clubhouse at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. “Come in,” said Stump Merrill, the gruff manager of the Columbus (Ohio) “While in the minds of many … Read more
Parents stand up to speak at school board meetings, clutching a copy of the newspaper. The dog-eared newsprint is the source of research that buttresses their comments. School officials pore over the newspaper, looking for academic trends in other districts … Read more
For two days in late September, Bebe sold the crack cocaine rocks known as “Cookies” in the pouring rain—cold and alone. While other kids were in school that morning, Bebe spent his day … Read more
Pages from Gene Graham’s Nieman year sketchbook. Confession: I actually went to journalism school. And now I teach in one. But I’ve also spent plenty of time in newsrooms, a dual perspective critical … Read more
Parents assist children in a fourth grade math class. Photo by Bill Batson, The Omaha World-Herald. For at least a decade before The Omaha World-Herald published its five-part series “The Learning Gap,” … Read more
I don’t particularly like thinking about what I might do after I earn my master’s degree in journalism. J-school, for all the work and worry, is more fun than any job I’ve ever had. It feels like a great indulgence. Read more
A journalist in Zimbabwe, researching a story with ties to Sweden, needed to contact an investigative reporter in that Scandinavian country, though he knew no one there. In Montreal, a French-speaking reporter, working on an article about corporate sleuths, was … Read more
A newsroom for journalism students. Photo courtesy Medill School of Journalism. Most of us know the frustration of desire outpacing ability. But what about coping with the reverse? What happens if you decide … Read more
