Recent Journalism Commentaries

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What Biden, Congress and Journalists Should Do
“It’s good to be the King!”  – Mel Brooks, “History of the World Part I” It’s fifty days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. While the Covid-19 virus remains the top priority for both the incoming president and Congress, there are steps that both can take to begin to restore trust in government, protect the interests of Americans, and...
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November 30, 2020
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Information and Analysis We Can All Use
The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue. – Edward R. Murrow, 20th century journalist. No doubt Murrow would be outraged by Donald Trump’s daily false information and governance by tweet, but… he and his staff would be working overtime to get...
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October 19, 2020
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Truth, Context, Perspective
For more than two decades, Fox News anchor Shepard Smith reported the events of the day without fear, favor or attacks from President Trump and the network’s opinionistas. Nonetheless, Smith shocked his colleagues a year ago when he ended his broadcast to announce his departure. “Gathering and reporting the news has been my life’s work… FOX has allowed me to...
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October 9, 2020
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That Other Epidemic
Speaking with a good friend recently, the subject turned to the coronavirus that continues to spread, now infecting 6.5 million and closing in on 200,000 deaths. “Jim, you need to check out a website a friend of mine sent. It explains about some of the many fallacies about the virus. It also talks about how Dr. Fauci is making money...
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September 14, 2020
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New York Times: Right or Wrong? Conclusion
The history of this country has been written by how we have faced great crises. While many occurred on the world stage, many more have been internal struggles on behalf of equal justice and equality for all. However, these latest protests, largely peaceful, are unequaled. In four short years, we have gone from taking a knee to murder by knee...
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June 8, 2020
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New York Times: Right or Wrong? Part 1
The headline hits you between the eyes: “Tom Cotton: Send in the Troops” On Wednesday, the New York Times published a controversial editorial by Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton. Cotton is a full-throated supporter of President Trump and he used the opinion section of The Times to clear his throat in support of the actions President Trump suggested to quell...
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June 5, 2020
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Why I Continue to Write About Trump
He is an angry, arrogant, bigoted, unprincipled narcissist who was elected to the U.S. presidency by the slimmest of margins. He is the most illiterate, contradictory, and inarticulate individual who has ever held the highest office in the land. According to the watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), he has more than 3,000 conflicts of interest....
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May 22, 2020
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The Apostate
“a person who forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc.” — e.g. Neil Cavuto Neil Cavuto is the Fox News anchor/commentator who talks about all things business. However, following President Trump’s press conference on Monday, Cavuto abruptly switched gears to address a continuing controversy in the president’s remarks. “A lot of good things have come out about the Hydroxy, things have...
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May 19, 2020
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They don’t give awards for integrity…
The only time I watch Fox News is when Shepard Smith is the anchor for the mid-day news, the factual news, the honest news, not the distortions put forth by those so-called opinion guys on the network. It really isn’t surprising that the vast majority of Fox revenues are brought in by those other guys that pander to the president,...
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October 14, 2019
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An Offer He Did Refuse
For years a parade of celebrities, politicians, CEOs and others have attempted to end The National Enquirer’s sleazy and wildly inaccurate “news” reporting with little success. Now this mainstay of Yellow Journalism has crossed swords with the world’s richest man, and The Enquirer’s parent company, American Media Inc., along with its CEO David Pecker may be a little more troubled...
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February 11, 2019