journalism
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Tom Tiffany’s Assault On Reporters From Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Strikes At The Public’s Right To Know
While Republican candidates across the nation are figuring out ways to distance themselves from Donald Trump, Wisconsin gubernatorial hopeful Tom Tiffany is angling to emulate him. Last week the newswires rang with headlines about the Tiffany campaign barring two Journal Sentinel reporters from entering a campaign event in Milwaukee, thereby escalating tensions between a public… Continue reading
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Donald Trump Embarrassed Our Nation On The World Stage, Free Press Reported It
Donald Trump’s bizarre and absurd behavior at the UN on Tuesday wasn’t just a gaffe, not just another mentally unstable moment, but rather a full‑blown showcase of how profoundly he misunderstands the basic mechanics of a free press. Confronted with a routine question from Kaitlan Collins, the kind presidents have fielded for decades without combusting,… Continue reading
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From Nixon’s Press Blacklist to Trump’s Media Bans, The Old Lessons Still Apply
On Friday, when I read that Donald Trump had banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from accessing the White House, I instantly thought of how President Richard Nixon ordered reporters from The Washington Post to be kept out of daily press briefings. I need not write that The Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl… Continue reading
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A President’s Exit Should Never Leave the Press Behind; Trump Chose Wrong In Turkey
Donald Trump’s acknowledgment that he was secretly moved off Air Force One in a catering truck at a NATO summit in Turkey last month revealed far more about presidential responsibility than many at first blush might understand. There was a deeper problem that should trouble anyone who cares about journalism, presidential history, or the basic… Continue reading
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Presidential Dignity Takes A Hit As Correspondents’ Dinner Speech Sinks Into Crude Grievances From Donald Trump
Long-term readers know I am a fan of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner for the work journalists do to cover how our government works and then report to the citizens. I also consider this annual event a time when some fun and hilarity can balance all the forces in Washington who are often in a… Continue reading
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Mysogyny Against Female White House Reporters Must End
We have come to the point where we must stop pretending that the degradation of our institutions is just another day at the office. That point arrived the moment Donald Trump again unleashed yet another tirade at a female reporter doing her job. This time, it was ABC News’ Rachel Scott, a strong, confident Black… Continue reading
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Madison TV News Story About Grocery Prices Was Seriously Tone Deaf
If one were looking to report on the impact of high grocery prices on the wallets of Madisonians, it might be assumed a reporter would head to Hy-Vee, Metcalfe Market, or a Woodman’s store. But when the WKOW news team chose the story, they went to Whole Foods. Or, as it is comically referred to,… Continue reading
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Wisconsin Journalist Shelly Kittleson: Truth Tellers Must Not Be Silenced
The news of Wisconsin journalist Shelly Kittleson being kidnapped in Iraq is unacceptable. News reports place her hometown as Monticello, Wisconsin. Her work as a journalist specialising in the Middle East and Afghanistan is published in international, US, and Italian outlets. Iraq’s Ministry of Interior said that security forces have launched an operation to track… Continue reading
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Trump Supporters Are Even More Stupid After Watching FOX News
If you only watch Fox News, you simply are not an informed citizen. For many years, I have stated that Fox News frequently distorts information in ways that leave conservative viewers with an incomplete and highly misleading understanding of current events. Over time, I have commented on the patterns in which their commentary is presented… Continue reading
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“Most Blatant Press Freedom Violation Of This Century.”
A society that claims to value freedom cannot selectively punish those who exercise it. A rather simple Civics 101 understanding. Yet that is precisely what the case of Rumeysa Ozturk illustrates—a young woman facing deportation because she wrote an op‑ed in a student newspaper. An immigration judge this week terminated removal proceedings against Tufts University doctoral… Continue reading
