Over the past few years, the author has received numerous letters, phone calls, and emails from friends, academic colleagues, and members of the community inquiring why, having been a scholar for more than forty years, he now spends so much time writing op-eds. The author explains his urge to write op-eds and how this urge to write essays for the…

At many HBCUs, students have invested time and energy into keeping their online and print publications afloat or reviving them from dormancy. However, at other schools the results are often less fruitful. "The Meter" at Tennessee State was an award-winning weekly just three years ago with a website that was updated frequently for…

For the past twenty years or so, the author has been fortunate to write for a fairly broad audience. While he was teaching, or running an educational program, or doing research, he was also composing opinion pieces or commentaries about the work he was doing. This process of writing with part of his attention on the classroom or research site and…

As the Internet continues to drain readers and advertising, newspapers are left with no choice but to cut back on coverage. Many papers have settled on higher education as an expendable beat. At the National Education Writers Association, which represents education reporters and editors around the country, the e-mail list for elementary- and…

Juliette Goldman and Christine Collier have recently proposed that the editor of "Sex Education" should adopt a policy of replacing the phrase "opposite sex" with "other sex" in all published articles, on the grounds that the word "opposite" has connotations of hostility or adversity. In this brief reply I…

Discusses the advantages for libraries of utilizing print media for public information and public relations. News releases, interest stories, and feature stories are described, and hints on writing style for each format and on getting items printed are offered. (MES)

Remarks on the "odd" headlines relating to sex in Connecticut, noted as being the only state having a law that bans the use of contraceptives. Cites many incidences of false headlines, in which the body of the article invalidates the headline. States that examples include "92% of young men have AIDS virus"--a gross distortion…

Journalists' knowledge of news is finally reducible to their commonsensical understanding of it, which is to say that common sense is not still another way of dealing with how journalists know news but instead the very foundation on which that knowledge rests. Common sense does not simply entail some shared cognitive facility that enables people…

Journalist discusses why he became interested in journalism and how the writing of Ernie Pyle and Ernest Hemingway may serve as models for beginning writers. (DF)

Argues for exposing journalism students to a standard stylebook like the "AP Stylebook." Notes that, besides covering aspects of style, the stylebook is a source of useful information and may stimulate worthwhile discussion as it addresses issues of "political correctness." (SR)

Interviews rookie reporter Rob Karwath, recent graduate of the University of Kansas journalism school, concerning his education, school newspaper experience, internships, and current job at the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. (SR)

Discusses topics for humorous feature stories dealing with significant questions that confront teenagers and can increase reader interest. (SRT)

America's founders granted to the press, alone among private institutions, the task of protecting the Constitution. Washington, DC correspondents are aware of this responsibility and proud of their independence. (SR)

Reveals inconsistencies in the news services' style books. Points out problems in teaching journalistic writing style. (RL)

Argues that the present form of news writing, the "pyramid style," has become obsolete, especially for school newspapers that are published less frequently than once a week. Indicates that readers are interested in the journalist's viewpoint and in a "journalistic conclusion" to stories. (TJ)