• JOURNALISM INSTRUCTOR
  

  I teach journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where my students produce a weekly radio news program that the Society of Professional Journalists has named the nation's best student newscast in three of the past four years. Their stories are heard on radio stations statewide.
  Listen to the students' stories
  

• NEW MEDIA SCHOLAR
  

  I write about new media for the Poynter Institute for Media Studies - America's largest and most prestigious school for professional journalists and media leaders. I examine how journalistic values are evolving in the era of new media, and I study the possible effects for news consumers.
  Read my columns 
  

• ELECTRONIC JOURNALIST
  

  For more than twenty years, I covered news around the nation for National Public Radio and other broadcasters.  I've traveled with Presidential campaigns, broadcast from the eye of hurricanes, and provided in-depth coverage of politics, the economy, and American culture.
  Listen to my stories

  RECENT WORK

A REVISED LOOK AT ETHICS FOR A NEW ERA IN JOURNALISM

For the first time in three decades, the Poynter Institute has revised its ethical principles for journalists. I was a contributing writer to The New Ethics of Journalism, published by CQ Press in Fall 2013, which discusses how ethics have changed in this era of new media, digital media, and social media -- where everyone can be a journalist. There's more about the book here, and Poynter's associated ethics blog is at ethics.poynter.org.

CAN "CROWDFUNDING" HELP SAVE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM?

As the mainstream media cut back on investigative reporting, some journalists have turned to the public to "crowdfund" individual investigations. Now, a New York entrepreneur hopes to build a more permanent crowdfunding model. A website called Uncoverage will seek patrons willing to make long-term financial commitments to in-depth journalism. Listen to me talk about it on San Francisco's KCBS radio.

'GLOVES COME OFF' AS JOURNALISTS DEBUNK EACH OTHERS' STORIES

In this era of "accountability journalism," it's common for journalists to fact check politicians and campaign ads. But some media fact-checkers have turned to a new target: competing journalists' stories. The results can be both enlightning and controversial, as news organizations accuse each other of sloppy reporting. Read it here.

AL JAZEERA AMERICA PROMISES IN-DEPTH NEWS, BUT FACES BIG CHALLENGES

Al Jazeera -- a Qatar-based international broadcaster -- is trying to compete for American news viewers. The company's "Al Jazeera America" has debuted on cable and satellite systems across the U.S. But while the network has hired hundreds of American journalists, including some well-known faces from other networks, it faces an uphill climb for viewers and credibility. Listen to me talk about it on San Francisco's KCBS radio.

TV STATION GAFFE SHOWS PITFALLS OF JOURNALISTS' RACE TO BE FIRST

In its haste to broadcast what it thought was exclusive new information about the Asiana airliner crash, San Francisco Bay area television station KTVU embarrassed itself, offended many of its viewers, and may have sparked a lawsuit by the airline. As I mention in this interview on San Francisco's KCBS radio, just a few minutes of fact-checking would have prevented the debacle.

CNN'S UNEDITED EPITHETS RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT MEDIA HATE SPEECH

CNN’s unusually explicit on-air description of an accused murderer's Facebook post renews a debate about how journalists report on hateful speech. The network opened itself up to criticism with its seemingly offhand use of an offensive slur and its subsequent vague apologies. The controversy reinforces the need for strong newsroom standards on offensive speech. Read it here.

HOW BREITBART USED AND INFLUENCED THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA HE DESPISED

Conservative activist Andrew Breitbart -- who died March 1 at the age of 43 -- considered himself to be "at war" with the mainstream media and referred to prominent journalists as liars and "creeps." But Breitbart was skillful at using the media to build his own fame and bring attention to his online sting operations. Listen to me talk about Breitbart's legacy on San Francisco's KCBS radio.

PUBLIC RADIO HOST'S ETHICS VIOLATION WAS BLATANT, PREVENTABLE

Lisa Simeone, a free-lance public radio opera host, said she didn't feel she was violating any ethical standards when she became a volunteer spokeswoman for an activist group. But Simeone -- whose show was distributed by NPR -- clearly violated the network's ethics policy, which applies to journalists and non-journalists alike. I talk about it with the Baltimore Sun here and here, and with WFAE Radio in Charlotte.

  FEATURED WORK

ANDY GRIFFITH: REMEMBERING A SOUTHERN PATRIARCH

Andy Griffith had many starring roles, but one defined him for generations of fans: the iconoic sheriff of an idyllic place -- Mayberry, N.C., which seemed far removed from the real-life turbulence of the 1960s. I looked back at Griffith's life and career on NPR's "All Things Considered." Listen to it here.

THE NEXT GENERATION OF RADIO JOURNALISTS

Along with four of my University of North Carolina radio journalism students, I talk with WUNC's Frank Stasio about the future of journalism, the importance of story-telling, and how the next generation will influence the news business. Listen to the discussion here on WUNC-FM's "The State of Things."

SPORTS FANS INVESTIGATE RIVAL PLAYER; MEDIA FOLLOW

Dozens of journalists have covered the ongoing NCAA investigation of improprieties in the University of North Carolina football program. But it took some "investigative reporting" by fans at a rival school's Internet message board to uncover some embarrassing evidence that the media missed. Read it here, and listen to me talk with WUNC Radio's Isaac-Davy Aronson about the role of citizens in investigative reporting