Category: News and Opinion

Local media outlets should be on frontline of misinformation war to help readers

In the hours after Iran attacked two Iraqi military bases that housed U.S. troops in January, social media predictably was rampant with rumors. Old and doctored photos surfaced claiming to show the bases on fire, and users shared reports on Twitter and Facebook that the missile strikes had killed Americans. A news-savvy, educated friend of…

Press, candidates flub discussion of abortion, privacy and the courts

This month’s Democratic presidential debate descended into confusion when candidates discussed the Supreme Court and abortion. The candidates threw around jargon that probably confused many Americans and seemed to confuse each other. None of the candidates had a cogent answer and the press didn’t begin to untangle the mess. There was mention of the Ninth…

A whistleblower from Missouri looks back at the painful consequences

On the Senate floor as the impeachment trial rushed to an end, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.,handed a message to Chief Justice John Roberts asking him to expose the whistleblower who objected to President Trump’s phone call to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. Roberts refused to name the whistleblower. The next day, Paul read the name aloud…

Midwest reporters reflect on sale of Warren Buffett papers to Lee Enterprises

Like many of her colleagues at the Omaha World-Herald, Jessica Wade said she was blind-sided by news last week that Warren Buffett was selling his hometown newspaper to Lee Enterprises Inc.  “There seem to be two different reactions to the sale: anxiety over what this means for job security and our ability to provide holistic…