Do you remember which media outlet was the first to break the news of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001? More importantly, do you realize the relative insignificance of the answer? Story-telling is a marathon, not a sprint. Between being first and being best, there’s no question that the latter is preferable—although achieving both […]
Category Archives: Journalism
“30” is the journalistic symbol for the end of a story. Today, though, it represents the beginning: it was June 27, 1984, 30 years ago today, when the first story I ever wrote for pay (a whopping $15) appeared in a newspaper. My hometown weekly, the Marshfield (Mass.) Mariner, published a feature story that I […]
Thirteen years ago, while interviewing legendary entertainer Mickey Rooney for a feature in the Daily Herald, I asked him to reflect on some of his fondest memories in show business. “I never look back on anything,” he said, almost perturbed by the inquiry. “I look ahead.” That kind of determined focus on the future, not resting […]
Last week, after an exhaustive analytical review, an essay that I wrote for the American Mustache Institute, about NFL star Aaron Rodgers’ November mustache, appeared on the esteemed website’s blog. Or, maybe I just made stuff up during a slow day at the office. Either way, you can read about Rodgers’ “Mustache Extraordinary Rating,” and how […]
Freelance writers and reporters are an often-overlooked segment of the media who represent great potential for publicists who are paying attention. That was the case during my tenure as a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune (1999-2005), among other publications, and it’s even more the truth today. For one thing, this is a highly motivated […]
Telling stories is a never-ending series of judgment calls. What do we put in? What do we leave out? When do we stop? Where on earth do we begin? Is my deadline really three minutes away? From that long list of self-inquiry, let us focus on one of the most important—and imposing—questions of all: To […]
Who said nice guys finish last? Being nice—cordial, respectful, patient—pays dividends, whether in public relations, marketing or, yes, even journalism. Say, for instance, you are a newspaper reporter getting stonewalled in your efforts to reach someone getting paid $1,000 a month to serve on a town commission that has never met. (In fairness, this commission doesn’t […]
The story-telling process often unfolds in isolation, but shouldn’t be an entirely solo act. Before the story reaches the masses, or even just gets in front of a select group of interested individuals, we ought to arrange for at least one additional set of eyes to review our work. That’s a lesson I learned in […]
By Matt Baron ULI Staff Writer This is a summary of the February 7, 2013 Roundtable of the Metropolitan Planning Council and the ULI Chicago District Council, held at Drinker Biddle in Chicago. The session’s discussion focused on the challenges and potential rewards that are anticipated with the emergence of the Cook County Land Bank. […]
Just so there’s no mistaking things, the words that are italicized below are satirical. There really is no such thing as a “National Liars Association,” at least not to my knowledge. I issue this warning because it seems that so many people–even journalists who are entrusted to be the watchdogs of accuracy and truth–will take so much […]