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Contributions Now on video: Editorial board interviews SHOWCASE | April 11, 2004 Some newspapers have been posting editorial board interviews with political candidates on their Web sites – an excellent multimedia enhancement for people who'd like to follow politics closely.  Web sites for journalists SHOWCASE | July 01, 2004 Here are some outstanding sites that help journalists do better work. Watching the watchdogs COMMENTARY | June 30, 2004 Watchdogs on the Internet: Postrel takes up DeLong's challenge; Rosen worries about the White House press corps. Reporting From the War Zone: At What Cost? SHOWCASE | May 01, 2004 Washington Post reporter Anthony Shadid won a Pulitzer in 2004 for his stunning coverage of life in Iraq in 2003... Tipsheet points to hot environmental stories SHOWCASE | July 26, 2004 A tipsheet from the Society of Environmental Journalists exposes government attempts to keep important environmental information secret – and calls attention to great watchdog reporting. Liberal think tank prepares tough questions for journalists to use SHOWCASE | August 26, 2004 The Center for American Progress has more questions than it knows what to do with. Wanted: Tough questions for the presidential debates ASK THIS | October 01, 2003 The Internet can make the presidential debates better. NiemanWatchdog.org will make it happen – with your help. Tougher political coverage needed – but does it mean an end to impartiality? COMMENTARY | November 08, 2004 What were the lessons — for reporters and editors — of the 2004 campaign? In particular, we want to know your answer to this question: Where do we go from here? Mr. President, will you answer the question? COMMENTARY | December 02, 2004 President Bush has a special talent for avoiding tough questions and reporters who ask them. Here's what the White House press corps should do to smoke him out. Important questions about Social Security ASK THIS | January 24, 2005 The press needs to dig beyond the political rhetoric and make sure people understand what's motivating the push for private accounts, and what's at stake. Where the pain is ASK THIS | March 29, 2005 For some people, stratospheric gas prices are the biggest news story of the year. Here are a few questions that ought to be answered. Who are the suicide bombers in Iraq? ASK THIS | June 08, 2005 Journalists are finally turning their attention to the genesis of the wave after wave of suicide bombings that are devastating Iraq, but the sometimes conflicting reports still leave many unanswered questions. Does the U.S. plan to be in Iraq forever? ASK THIS | August 16, 2005 The question of permanent U.S. military bases is an incredibly contentious one in Iraq. But for some reason, Dan Froomkin writes, the press isn’t pinning the Bush administration down on this one. Watchdogs, meet a gadfly ASK THIS | February 21, 2006 Chas Freeman is a Washington insider with a twist. A former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, he now runs a think tank dedicated to raising questions that otherwise might never get answered -- or even asked -- because they're too embarrassing, awkward, or difficult. He shares a few of those questions with NiemanWatchdog.org’s Dan Froomkin. Nieman fellows want a revolt against the 'he-said, she-said' DISCUSSIONS | June 13, 2006 Part 1 of a special survey of Nieman fellows on the second anniversary of this Web site. It includes a main story on comments and suggestions by 28 American Nieman fellows on 2006 election coverage, and links to the comments of each fellow. Dispatch from the food lines SHOWCASE | June 28, 2004 How long are the lines at the food pantries in your area? Do you know? Let's say they're really long. How do you cover that? The Columbus Dispatch's approach is a model. How not to cover the economy SHOWCASE | January 23, 2006 A fed-up Berkeley economics professor joins up with the J-school to teach journalists and would-be journalists how to cover – and even more emphatically, how not to cover – economic news. Questions you should ask House and Senate candidates ASK THIS | September 13, 2004 Here are some simple, tough questions that every congressional candidate should answer. Post 9/11 Europe: All Americans, then anti-American DISCUSSIONS | June 09, 2006 The last of four reports from international Nieman fellows on perceptions of America where they live, with links to excerpts of their comments. Countering terrorism – for real ASK THIS | January 18, 2006 A noted political psychologist outlines the elements of an effective counterterrorism program. But the U.S. isn’t pursuing any of them and journalists aren't writing — or even asking — about them either. Is the U.S. about to attack Iran? ASK THIS | April 06, 2006 An expert says administration posturing is very reminiscent of the coordinated campaign before the Iraq war. But proponents of attacking Iran haven’t come close to making their case – and there are many questions they need to answer. Even the high regard for the American people is taking a hit DISCUSSIONS | June 10, 2006 View from Africa and Oceania: in the third of four worldwide reports, Nieman fellows say displeasure with the American government is leaching over into a sense of dismay about the American people themselves. Isn’t there some way to tell if we're winning or losing in Iraq? ASK THIS | May 25, 2005 The White House says that when there's less violence in Iraq, it means we're winning. And when there's more violence in Iraq, it also means we're winning -- because the opposition is getting desperate. Are there some objective benchmarks that would let us determine for real if we're winning or losing? Have local leaders abandoned the public schools? ASK THIS | June 20, 2005 Overhauling America's worst public schools is a hugely challenging task, but it must be done. Yet as long as our leaders are able to opt out of public schools - without anyone pressing them about their obligation to those left behind - that's less likely to happen. Bush’s signing statements: Constitutional crisis or empty rhetoric? ASK THIS | June 27, 2006 Lackluster reporting about this big story has left many critically important questions unanswered. Bush says someone should get to Syria; why shouldn’t that someone be him? ASK THIS | July 19, 2006 Thanks to an open microphone, we know what President Bush genuinely thinks would put an end to the sudden crisis in Israel and Lebanon. A Syria expert, professor Joshua Landis at Oklahoma University, thinks reporters should ask what he’s waiting for. Get policymakers to talk about their thought process on Iraq ASK THIS | September 28, 2006 Two Iraq experts suggest questions reporters should be asking leaders how they are making decisions about the U.S. commitment in Iraq – and whether they’re being realistic. A watchdog reporter gives up on newspapers – but sees a future on the Internet COMMENTARY | December 04, 2006 John McQuaid, formerly of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, is betting that open-sourced journalism will breathe new life into investigative and explanatory journalism. A 2nd look at covering the 2006 elections DISCUSSIONS | September 02, 2006 A survey we did in June is timely right now as editors and reporters focus on the November election campaign. Here is what 28 past Nieman fellows had to say about what’s wrong with recent past coverage (too much he-said, she-said leads the list), and some suggestions for what should be done. Shouldn't we drop the name 'War on Terror?' COMMENTARY | April 23, 2007 Bush's favorite phrase has created a culture of fear -- but beyond that has no useful function. And while we're at it, what's the right way to describe what the U.S. is doing in Iraq? How to assess an immigration proposal ASK THIS | May 23, 2007 Too much attention has been focused on the political accommodations involved in achieving a bipartisan agreement on an immigration overhaul – and too little on what would actually work. Here are some questions reporters – and the public – can use to assess how likely any immigration proposal is to achieve its stated goals. How the press can prevent another Iraq COMMENTARY | February 02, 2007 Journalists, and through us the public, have a grave responsibility to not be complicit in another march to war on false pretenses. So what lessons should we have learned from Iraq? Signing statements evidently mean something after all ASK THIS | June 27, 2007 A new GAO report makes it clear that some provisions Bush objected to were not carried out according to the law. That should get reporters asking lots of questions. I.F. Stone's lessons for Internet journalism COMMENTARY | July 09, 2007 Bloggers are taking up where the great rebel journalist left off, but if the news industry is to thrive on the Internet, reporters and editors shouldn't be far behind. Dan Froomkin writes that news organizations would do better online by replacing their bored monotone with a passionate adherence to traditional journalistic values. Let's hear from someone besides the neoconservatives about Iran COMMENTARY | August 20, 2007 Reporters should be seeking out experts who actually understand the Middle East -- because the vast majority of them think that attacking Iran would be a huge mistake. Here's an annotated list of some excellent possible sources. Real plots or false confessions? ASK THIS | October 23, 2007 President Bush has listed four terrorist attacks he says his administration prevented thanks to the CIA's harsh interrogations. But what do we really know about these alleged plots that he now says should be so central to the public debate over torture? Not much. Rating Bush, on a scale of 1 to 10 ASK THIS | December 13, 2007 The Republican presidential candidates avoid talking about their party's standard-bearer, for obvious reasons. But Dan Froomkin argues that journalists should press them to say what they think of Bush's legacy, which elements of his presidency they would emulate, and which they would reject. Looking for a display -- rather than just talk -- of leadership ASK THIS | January 11, 2008 With the three major Democratic presidential candidates so intent on establishing themselves as the most capable of bringing about change, reporters should be looking for them to make their case not with promises, but with action. A refresher on how the press failed the people COMMENTARY | May 29, 2008 The blistering critique of an overly credulous press corps by former White House press secretary Scott McClellan in his new book has reignited a debate over the performance of mainstream journalism during the run-up to war in Iraq. But it's really not a debate at all. Here's a reading list to refresh your memory. Midnight rulemaking, last-minute hires and executive fiats ASK THIS | June 10, 2008 How are Bush officials using their executive branch powers to entrench their policies in the bureaucracy and make it harder for their successors to change course? Part two of a five-part series on questions for the twilight of the Bush era. The time for a national conversation on pardons is before, not after, they're granted ASK THIS | June 11, 2008 If President Bush pardons members of his own administration in a blatant attempt to avoid judicial review, what would the consequences be to his legacy -- and to the country? Also: Bush's longterm effect on the judiciary. Part three of a five-part series on questions for the twilight of the Bush era. What's the vice president up to these days? ASK THIS | June 12, 2008 Vice President Cheney is the least likely member of the Bush administration to give up power without a fight. He's also a master of the federal bureaucracy. So what are he and his loyalists up to in the waning days of the Bush presidency? Part four of a five-part series on questions for the twilight of the Bush era. How far will Bush loyalists go to help McCain win? ASK THIS | June 12, 2008 For administration officials trying to avoid a rollback, the best way, of course, would be to get a Republican elected president. Are they already aiming grants, announcements and visits at swing states? Last in a five-part series on questions for the twilight of the Bush era. 'I guess you can call it torture' SHOWCASE | June 16, 2008 McClatchy reporters traveled to 11 countries to interview 66 freed Guantanamo and Afghanistan prison detainees. The result is a stunning 5-part series and multi-media presentation titled 'Guantanamo: Beyond the Law.' What Helen Thomas would be asking if she could ASK THIS | August 13, 2008 The legendary newswoman is recovering from illness. But if she were in the White House briefing room, these are the questions she says she would be putting to spokeswoman Dana Perino. Is this the beginning of a major geopolitical conflict? ASK THIS | August 18, 2008 Richard Falk warns that the Russian invasion of Georgia could be the first significant collision between the U.S.’s new global conception of security and the more traditional sphere-of-influence view. And he suggests it's time to consider the adverse consequences of antagonizing Russia. Farewell to a general who saw everything so clearly COMMENTARY | September 09, 2008 Lt. Gen. William E. Odom, who was laid to rest Monday at Arlington National Cemetery, was the earliest, most prescient and most persistent senior military critic of the war in Iraq. Here's an annotated bibliography of his commentaries. Has the 'surge' brought us any closer to 'victory'? ASK THIS | September 15, 2008 Author Peter Galbraith marvels at the conventional wisdom in Washington that the 'surge' has worked. For a variety of reasons, violence is down. But if 'victory' is a secular, democratic and pro-Western Iraq, then the 'surge' hasn't gotten us any closer at all. Don't let Addington duck the big questions ASK THIS | June 24, 2008 The vice president's secretive enforcer is set to testify on Capitol Hill on Thursday about how the administration developed its interrogation policies – something he probably knows more about than anyone else. It's essential that members of Congress subject him to a concerted, well-planned examination, rather than let him play them for fools. So how about ganging up? The lessons of our failure SHOWCASE | October 17, 2008 A panel of top journalists tries to derive some lessons from the elite media's failure to challenge what turned out to be a specious argument for war in Iraq. Among its conclusions: Journalists should aggressively defy the spin machine; should build on each others' work; should write for Americans outside the Beltway; should embrace accountability reporting on every beat; and should avoid the he-said she-said stories and instead adopt the directness and transparency increasingly found on journalistic blogs. Local papers find their inner watchdogs SHOWCASE | November 21, 2008 Even as their newsrooms shrink, local and regional newspapers are falling in love with watchdog reporting all over again. Accountability journalism differentiates them, connects them with readers, and reminds people why journalism deserves some of their attention every day. Orange County Register Watchdog blogger Teri Sforza tells her story. It's time for a Wiki White House COMMENTARY | November 25, 2008 The next White House Web site should tell us a lot about whether Obama believes what he has said about bringing transparency and accountability to the government. Rethinking how we cover the White House COMMENTARY | January 22, 2009 Faced with an opaque presidency these past eight years, journalists grew too accustomed to trading in superficiality and trivia. But Obama's promise of transparency means we may now have more substantial things to talk about. Dan Froomkin writes that we should embrace the opportunity to publicly explore the important issues and decisions facing our nation and our world. So much we still need to know COMMENTARY | April 20, 2009 NiemanWatchdog.org is publishing a series of articles calling attention to the things we still need to know about torture and other abuses committed by the Bush administration after 9/11. Why the focus on what we don't know? Because when you think about how much remains hidden, how many issues are still unresolved, how many injustices have never been redressed, and how little accountability there has been, it's hard to make the argument that we're ready to move on. How many detainees were wronged? COMMENTARY | April 20, 2009 McClatchy Foreign Editor Roy Gutman writes that we won't genuinely understand the scope of Bush's detainee program until we fully document each detainee's experience and make amends to those who were wrongly held and mistreated. Is there a price for departing from our values? COMMENTARY | April 21, 2009 Fritz Schwarz, who helped lead the Church Committee's investigation into intelligence abuses more than 30 years ago, writes that we need to further explore whether our conduct helped al Qaeda's recruitment efforts, and how much excessive secrecy and a complaisant Congress were to blame. To look forward, you have to look back COMMENTARY | April 22, 2009 Eric Stover, a professor who investigates human rights abuses, wants to focus on what our national security response should be to terrorism going forward -- but in doing so, he poses some disturbing questions about what we did. Following the paper trail to the top COMMENTARY | May 06, 2009 We're learning more about the decisions that were made by the last administration, but we still don't know nearly enough about how they were made and who exactly made them, says Caroline Fredrickson of the ACLU. If you really believe in the rule of law – and that no one is above the law -- then you've got to bring accountability to the top of the chain of command. An astonishing lack of awareness of the costs of the war in Iraq COMMENTARY | June 11, 2009 Michael Massing thinks the American public needs to know a lot more about what the war meant to Iraqi civilians – and particularly how many Iraqis were killed or injured by our troops during the occupation. That's because Americans needs to better understand that when we do go to war, there is a great toll not only our own people but on the population that we're supposedly going to help. Ninth in a series of articles calling attention to the things we still need to know about torture and other abuses committed by the Bush administration after 9/11. Do we really expect the Bushies to go quietly? ASK THIS | June 09, 2008 Reporters should be keeping a sharp eye out for things Bush officials are doing to make their policies stay in effect after they leave office. In the first of a five-part series: Putting Iraq on autopilot, risking war with Iran, and purging the military. Are we bombing our way to disaster in Afghanistan? ASK THIS | August 12, 2008 A new report suggests that the massive increase in the amount of munitions being fired or dropped in Afghanistan has fueled popular anger -- and the Taliban resurgence. Its co-authors wonder what our goals are, and whether our tactics are likely to achieve them. Don't forget the cover-ups COMMENTARY | May 11, 2009 As a lot of public officials in Washington have learned over the years, sometimes it's not the crime, it's the cover-up. Investigative reporter Murray Waas thinks any investigation of the Bush years should examine the efforts by top officials to shield their behavior from scrutiny. Establishing the connection between the Bush White House and Abu Ghraib COMMENTARY | May 22, 2009 Denying that White House policy was directly responsible for the vile abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib has been the central goal of a five-year disinformation campaign by Bush officials. 'Torture Team' author Philippe Sands argues that newly-disclosed records show how blatantly Bush officials were willing to lie in order to lead reporters away from the truth. Eighth in a series of articles calling attention to the things we still need to know about torture and other abuses committed by the Bush administration after 9/11. Basic questions Treasury still hasn’t answered ASK THIS | March 06, 2009 The oversight panel appointed by Congress to watch over the government's $700 billion financial bailout still can't get straight answers to simple questions. No wonder public confidence isn't high. How about trying some unconventional wisdom for a change? COMMENTARY | October 20, 2009 Renegade economist Thomas Palley supports long-term deficit spending, warns that the stimulus won't work, says it's time to rethink globalization – and argues that journalists aren't asking the really tough questions. The government performance problem ASK THIS | August 04, 2009 A Harvard professor calls a major government-wide investment in the workforce necessary both to improve critical services and to prepare for an imminent tidal wave of retirement. Here's how reporters can advance the story. |
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