Tweeting = broadcasting?

It’s no secret that laws governing what is and isn’t part of the public judicial process are woefully behind the times. Technology is advancing faster than the legal system can keep up.
But that can cause some problems. In fact it already has. A judge in Georgia has ruled that reporters are not allowed to use [...]

State of the newspaper biz

I know my mother usually has my best interests at heart. But by god she needs to trust me when I say that my career as a newspaper reporter won’t ultimately leave me living in a cardboard box.
Ok, she doesn’t really say that. But she implies it. And she has no reason to. I’ll tell [...]

Starstruck

One of the cool things about my job is that I get to talk to people most folks never would. I’ve talked a couple times with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. I’ve had former U.S. Senator turned Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the phone. I’ve spoken with any number of Illinois state senators and representatives [...]

What school can’t prepare you for

For the third time in my life, I told someone that someone they knew died. It happened last week. I was on nights and we’d gotten a report that morning that an official in Mercer County had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. I was assigned to call Mercer County officials and [...]

Journalistic fellatio

I love what I do for a living. I really do. I know I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it because I have one of the coolest jobs ever.
But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its downsides. One of my least favorite parts of my job is performing what I like to [...]

Always look on the bright side of death

I deal with a lot of death in my day-to-day life. Somebody kills someone else, I’m there asking about it. Somebody accidentally kills themself, I’m there asking about it. I’m asking all the details – how they did it, why they did it, who saw them do it, was it quick, was it slow, did [...]

To Twitter or not to Twitter

I love technology. I love e-mail. I’m rarely without my cell phone and I use it for both calls and text messages. I love instant messaging.
I love that technology allows me to connect with so many different people. I blog (obviously). I am on Facebook and MySpace. You can follow me as I go through [...]

Blaming the Media

If you ask me, I’m a reporter. I’m a member of the press or if I’m feeling pretentious, the Fourth Estate. I’m a source of information and a watchdog for the people. I’m a believer in the power of truth and the free press against tyranny.
But that’s just me. Others will call me a jackal, [...]

And in the end …

A saga ended yesterday. It was a saga that began April 16, when a man named Kelton Trice – wanted by police on an armed robbery charge – fired at a police officer named Tom Peterson, hitting him twice in the kevlar vest. Sgt. Peterson fired back, hitting Mr. Trice four times. Mr. Trice didn’t [...]

The frustration builds

I believe in what I do. I belive in the mission and power of the press. I believe a free press is a vital and necessary part of our society. And perhaps most importantly, I believe in the power of truth and the power of information and I am honored to be counted among those [...]