Why many journalists hate politics
Got a letter on Wednesday from Joanne Pizzuto of Burlington. It’s going to be published for print and online Sunday. But she brought up a concern that’s worth talking about here. Once upon a time,...
View ArticleA sticky ad sitution
When I saw the Times-News edition delivered to my home on Wednesday morning the first thing I thought was, “I wonder if Eddie Boswell is happy about this?” In the Republican primary for the Alamance...
View ArticleThe slow trickle into a sea of confusion
I talk to a lot of people who communicate in what can only be called a “stream of consciousness.” It’s often confusing but sometimes enlightening, even entertaining. I envy them. That’s because my...
View ArticlePerception, reality and HB2: How we’re being seen
I traveled to Chicago last week for a meeting of newspaper editors under the umbrella of GateHouse Media. We talked about lots of stuff during the day-and-a-half of panel discussions and PowerPoint...
View ArticleDrawing a conclusion for the Open Forum
The ongoing flap about N.C. House Bill 2, generically called the “bathroom bill” by the national media, which has turned this into one of those issues that can doom a state to mediocrity for years, has...
View ArticleHardly a run-of-the-mill graduation speech by David Gergen at Elon
Politics isn’t usually a preferred topic for commencement addresses. Then again, these aren’t usual times. David Gergen, CNN political analyst and adviser to U.S. presidents including Nixon, Reagan and...
View ArticleOur election forums are nearly set . . . almost
Usually this is about the time of year I place a frantic telephone call to Dave Wright who runs the Paramount Theater for the city of Burlington. “Hey Dave, this is, um, Madison . . . you know, from...
View ArticleAn evening with Kathleen Parker
So there’s this, I got a, “Well bless your heart” from Kathleen Parker Tuesday night. And as anyone who regularly reads her column in the Washington Post knows, that’s a declaration with several...
View ArticleAngst at the polls
The expression “perfect storm” is a little overused these days. It means that a confluence of events is in play at just the correct moment to create a nightmare scenario in something that might...
View ArticleMy last political campaign and some parting toons
As I prepare to leave the newspaper business just before Thanksgiving, perhaps the biggest reason to give thanks this year will be the knowledge that I will never have to deal with covering an...
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