May 14, 2013
- Oh to have been a fly on the fall during any editing discussions at The New York Times national desk during the time between the newspaper of record’s early report on the verdict in the Dr. Kermit Gosnell case and the final version that is currently online. Yes, there were a few changes. Now, I [...]
May 6, 2013
- Last week, a sad news story out of Pennsylvania made the rounds. Originally, it had a bad headline and lede: Fetus found in high school bathroom; Lancaster County student jailed on $1M bail A 19-year-old McCaskey East High School student was charged with concealing the death of a child after she reportedly gave birth to [...]
April 24, 2013
- There is nothing new about journalists arguing about the loaded language that surrounds our public debates about abortion. For starters, there is the whole “pro-choice” vs. “anti-abortion” thing and all of the years in which editors in so many mainstream newsrooms granted one side of the debate it’s positive, vague, self-chosen label while slapping a [...]
April 21, 2013
- Granted, 25 years is a rather long time, especially in the Internet age. Nevertheless, I was taken a bit off guard this week when Issues, Etc. host Todd Wilkin asked me for whatever “historical perspective” I had gained on religion and the news during my 25 years writing the weekly “On Religion” column for the [...]
April 16, 2013
- A few positive thoughts before we look at coverage of abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell’s trial. (1) I can not begin to thank you for all the kind words and support you’ve sent my way, publicly and privately, during this time. It is appreciated and it helps. Yes, I took some heat, which is to be [...]
April 14, 2013
- GetReligion’s critique of media coverage of abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell’s trial has received quite a bit of attention in recent days. I’m glad, since we’ve been aware of the problem with media coverage of this topic since early 2011. My post from January of that year, “8 Murders in Philadelphia,” shows the history of problems [...]
April 13, 2013
Three cheers for my Get Religion colleague Mollie Hemingway! She has done a fantastic job this week...
- Three cheers for my Get Religion colleague Mollie Hemingway! She has done a fantastic job this week pointing out the professional failures of the national press coverage of the Kermit Gosnell trial in Philadelphia. The self-censorship of the New York Times on this issue is of Walter Duranty-like proportions. But the Gosnell case is not an [...]
April 9, 2013
April 8, 2013
- The New York Times article “Power Struggle Is Gripping Iran Ahead of June Election” offers a detailed examination of the Iranian political scene as the country prepares to elect a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Well written and intelligently crafted, the article, as the lede notes, discusses the: power struggle ahead of the June election between [...]