Many journalists act as if access to the Great Man or Woman is everything. This is a mistake. Reporters can write great stuff by talking with ordinary people. Just ask Gay Talese, who wrote one of the most celebrated articles in American history. Read more
The nonfiction world has become stale and tired; decadent you might say. Here is a modest proposal to reinvigorate and renew it. Read more
Writing about a divisive political leader like former President Trump is possible. Witness David Brinkley’s under-recognized essay on the infamous labor leader Jimmy Hoffa. Read more
The TV show “Better Call Saul” uses a powerful literary technique: presenting objects as not only things in themselves but also as symbols. While rarely discussed, this novelistic device can make your writing stand out. Read more
Any fair-minded parsing of poll results and statistics shows support for overturning Roe v. Wade would be a lot more popular than media outlets would have us believe. Read more
The root of writer’s block is organizational rather than romantic. Some writers imagine themselves as uniquely tortured souls, like Prometheus chained to a rock while an eagle devoured his liver every day. The reality is, they are poor administrators. They lack a reliable technique to produce good first drafts. Read more
Mr. Farrow shone a light into a dark corner of a household American institution, NBC News, which, by all accounts, had a deplorable workplace culture where young women were targeted sexually. His fortitude is to his eternal credit. If only he had shown more fairness toward his former employer, the light might still be on it. Read more
Author John Carreyrou’s fairness toward Elizabeth Holmes is the defining feature of “Bad Blood.” It raises the stakes. The story is more than that of a corporate crook and fraudster. It’s also the story of a young woman who could have done good but did bad instead. Read more
To anyone curious which of Joan Didion’s books you should start reading, I recommend her first two collections of essays, not only for their style but also their insight into a cultural and civic problem Americans face today. Read more
Three decades ago, the Los Angeles Times published a landmark series on media coverage of abortion. Too bad some reporters at the nation’s top newspapers act like it never happened. Read more
