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I don’t know if it was the heat or humidity covering much of the East Coast, but last week the media continued its pursuit of stories that have little or no meaningful substance. Last Tuesday, a Los Angeles judge sentenced Lindsay Lohan to 90 days in jail after the actress violated terms of her probation – certainly worthy of a...

Ernie Allen has spent much of his life in public service and is currently president and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In a conversation from 1999, Ernie shared this story with me about the importance of accountability. “I have found that it is not enough just to strive to do what is right, because oftentimes, right...

After losing all four limbs to a roadside bomb on Easter Sunday 2009, U.S. Army infantryman Brendan Marrocco doesn’t even come close to showing the kind of emotional cracks to his confidence many others would surely face, including me. To look at photos of Marrocco, 23 during his year-long rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center is to witness a strength of character and...

While people can disagree about religious, political and cultural values, most are not likely to disagree about universal, ethical values. I haven’t come across a levelheaded individual who does not wish to be treated honestly, fairly or with respect. However, those same people can disagree about what is right within a given circumstance. According to a recent report (June 30)...

How do you assess an individual for a position on the Supreme Court?  What criteria do you use? Do you focus solely on their political philosophy – conservative vs. liberal? Do you look for someone who will interpret the Constitution literally, or do you believe it to be, as some do, that it is a living document where definitions adjust...

Edith Shain, the nurse who became something of an icon along with the sailor who kissed her in a very crowded Times Square on V-J Day in 1945, died last week. Both the sailor and the nurse remained anonymous for years until Shain wrote a letter to Life Magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt. “Thirty-five years later,” The New York Times wrote, “Mrs. Shain,  » Read more about: Hope,...

“The primary purpose of journalism,” write Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel in their book, The Elements of Journalism, “is to provide citizens with information they need to be free and self-governing.” However, the notion of a “free press” has taken on additional consequences with the explosion of information in an electronic age. “Certainly, the notion of the press as a gatekeeper,”...

Winston Churchill famously said, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” I’m not sure exactly when he said that, but with the presence of the Internet, I’m positive the time frame has been reduced to a nanosecond. One of the best resources for questions concerning journalism’s purpose and responsibility is the Pew...

Picking up my newspapers last Thursday, I’m walking back to the front door when a front page story on the Wall Street Journal grabs me by the throat – Little Dog Caught in Big Estate Feud. Is this the Journal or an accidental delivery of The National Inquirer? What’s the deal with rich, old widows who die and leave millions to their pets?   » Read more about:...