A few weeks ago a former elementary school classmate of mine shared a viral post on Facebook about how Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was going to raise taxes for middle income families by 25 percent. I did a quick Google search and found that the post had been fact-checked already by reputable news outlets and was untrue. (For the record, my suspicion was not … [Read more...] about Community journalists should serve as fact-checkers on national stories
Opinion
‘If the coronavirus is a war, Americans have picked a team’
There is a weariness about life at that moment that I haven’t felt since I was in Iraq reporting on the war. War reporters are used to risk calculations, and it’s an odd thing to get used to, but we do it because otherwise everything would feel too dangerous or nothing would. When nothing feels dangerous, it’s time to go home. That’s when reporters take risks they shouldn’t … [Read more...] about ‘If the coronavirus is a war, Americans have picked a team’
The broken heart of America: A review and fact-check
In “The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States,” Harvard University professor Walter Johnson has written a history of St. Louis that could not come at a more sensitive moment. Between its author’s prestigious pedigree and its exquisite timing, the book is winning a large audience, including many well-intentioned St. Louisans eager to … [Read more...] about The broken heart of America: A review and fact-check
If you think kneeling during the national anthem is offensive to the military, you should read the Supreme Court’s decision in Snyder v. Phelps
The return of professional sports to our television screens late this summer has come with renewed attention to the Black Lives Matter social justice movement. “Black Lives Matter” is painted on the court for every NBA game and the players are allowed to sport social justice slogans on the back of their jerseys. In Cincinnati, where I live, star slugger Joey Votto … [Read more...] about If you think kneeling during the national anthem is offensive to the military, you should read the Supreme Court’s decision in Snyder v. Phelps
Media outlets covering racial unrest in America need to include an examination of their own newsrooms
We are in the midst of a racial reckoning in our country that is more visible in some places than others, but in all places it is long overdue, including in our newsrooms. The mostly peaceful protests that have swept the nation following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis by police feel like a turning point for equality and justice, and we have responsibility to … [Read more...] about Media outlets covering racial unrest in America need to include an examination of their own newsrooms
