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
Objectivity is a difficult ideal to uphold, as it requires reporters to get outside their subjectivity. That doesn’t mean it is worth junking. It just means training and self-discipline. Read more
Has the country learned little about Jonestown except for its mass-murdering cult leader? The public deserves — yes, deserves — stories in which the monster that was Jim Jones is put in the context of other lead players. Read more
Difficult though it may be, local- and regional papers need more team-oriented investigative journalists like the late Robert Greene, author of the book that inspired the 2013 film “American Hustle.” Read more
A mere two days after my post on factual errors appeared, in my day job I made an error of a different kind. I used a simple catchall phrase to describe a Washington-based interest group. In fact, the organization had a slightly more elevated function, which made my error akin to describing the Supreme Court as a body of federal judges. Read more
While editors advise reporters to double-check quotes and statistics, I recommend going one step beyond. Follow the techniques and rituals of a professional fact-checker. Read more
Interviewing high-level government officials is a skill that can be cultivated like shooting a basketball or grilling a hamburger. It doesn’t require being a suck-up, an insider, or a seducer. If a former paperboy like me can learn, most people can. Read more
For years, writers have pledged to avoid Twitter, the addictive micro-blogging service du jour. If only more of them had succeeded. Better if they learn a lesson the ancient Greeks and Romans taught and I have followed. To get rid of a habit, you should add a new one. Read more
