Joseph Pulitzer was one of America’s great newspaper publishers, but few people today know much about him. When we first decided to make a documentary about the 19th century publisher and American media icon - Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People (which aired on PBS in April, 2019), we were faced with a daunting task. Filmmakers depend on images and there were only a handful of … [Read more...] about Pulitzer filmmakers offer behind-the-scenes look at how they brought publisher to life as a ‘wake up call’ for today’s democracy
Opinion
Trump’s War on Truth – Year 3 Comey did the right thing disclosing Trump’s obstruction
James Comey acted ethically, morally, legally and rightly when he disclosed to The New York Times in 2017 that President Trump had told him to “let...go” of the criminal investigation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. After all, by the time the former FBI director released the information, Trump already had taken two of multiple acts of obstruction. Trump had not … [Read more...] about Trump’s War on Truth – Year 3 Comey did the right thing disclosing Trump’s obstruction
Opinion: Dear MSM: Some tips for covering the Midwest during the 2020 elections (Hint: Flyover is an F-word)
We’re deep in the middle of the Iowa State Fair, the unofficial start of the next election cycle, and a time when all of us out here in the Midwest are preparing for our short time in the country’s limited attention span. Candidates descend and with them, reporters who are tasked with getting the heartbeat of the “heartland,” one of the many clichés that have been used over … [Read more...] about Opinion: Dear MSM: Some tips for covering the Midwest during the 2020 elections (Hint: Flyover is an F-word)
Trump is winning his war on truth
In the third year of President Donald J. Trump’s war on the truth, Trump is winning. When the truth loses, so does democracy and the First Amendment. Consider the past several weeks: During seven hours of congressional hearings in July, a by-the-book special counsel verified episodes showing “substantial” evidence of obstruction of justice by Trump and added the … [Read more...] about Trump is winning his war on truth
‘I learned how to drive this summer’
I was almost 19 during my first newspaper internship in the summer of 1990. I had a driver's license, but I was an extremely inexperienced, fearful driver. For good reason — I was bad at it. I had actually failed my driving test once, which takes some doing. When I was assigned my first story at what was then the Roanoke Times and World-News, I asked, "how will I get there?” … [Read more...] about ‘I learned how to drive this summer’