Category Archives: Journalism

The Four Hot Spots For Tall Tales: Military, Academics, Athletics & Business

In my Inside Edge PR post on Monday, I touched on the perils of fibbing or embellishing–OK, let’s call it like it is, lying–in the stories that we tell. In this case, an ex-baseball player is trying to stretch a single (a few low-level minor-league baseball seasons) into a home run (Major Leagues) in his […]

Media Manna: My Q & A With Joe Theismann

My kids’ bedtime stories are of the Biblical variety. Just last night, I enjoyed reading to them again about the manna–the sweet-tasting food from the heavens–that God provided to Moses and his beleaguered crew of nomads. It’s the perfect metaphor for some of the assignments that I’ve been fortunate to receive over the years. In […]

My Drew Peterson Doughnut Dilemma

Remember Drew Peterson? He’s still in the news, still a free man, and his fourth wife Stacy’s whereabouts remain a mystery. In contrast to his national media exposure (NBC’s “Today” show, People magazine cover, among others) of last November, the intensity of interest has waned since he first became a dubious household name in America. […]

October + Baseball=By the Numbers

It’s October and Chicago playoff baseball is under way, so that means my statistical hat is fit snugly atop my head. Allowing my numerical passions to run wild again is Daily Herald sports editor Tom Quinlan, who began publishing my “By The Numbers” baseball blurbs on the Cubs and White Sox in today’s newspaper. My […]

Hangin’ Out With Helen Karakoudas

Yesterday, during a lull in Helen Karakoudas’ deadline-packed day as managing editor of Wednesday Journal, Inc., I spent a few hours interviewing her for a story in Medill magazine.   Hers is a remarkable journalism journey. A highly coveted editor coming out of college 25 years ago, Helen worked for two years at the Charlotte […]

If You Read Only One 7,300-Word Story…

If you read only one 7,300-word story this month, make it this one: a superbly crafted piece that Gene Weingarten (pictured) wrote for the Washington Post in April 2007. The story’s centerpiece was a 43-minute solo performance by Joshua Bell, the world’s preeminent violinist who gamely agreed to play in a most unorthodox setting. In […]