"The Truth is Out There" and "Trust No One" are two phrases that for years were most closely associated with the murky conspiracy-rich TV series, "The X-Files." Today both define life in the United States of America. How we got to this point in our history was not a random evolution of human nature and culture. … Continue reading Who do we trust?
Reporting and journalism
Throwback Thursday: Going medieval
This is a column I wrote more than 20 years ago when I used to let the chips fall in every direction. It about something a county elected official said in relation to polluted waters caused by hog farm mishaps or municipal waste. One incident in Onslow County, North Carolina led to a hog . … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: Going medieval
The reality of a world without newspapers
I had a depressing conversation with my mother on Sunday. It's not the first time. It won't be the last. The subject is a familiar one -- the slow demise of newspapers. My mom is 86 years old, a graduate of the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina and a healthy consumer … Continue reading The reality of a world without newspapers
‘The Post’ and lessons about freedom of the press
It's almost impossible to view "The Post," Steven Spielberg's much-anticipated film chronicling a First Amendment fight in 1971 pitting two newspapers vs. the U.S. government over reporting classified Defense Department information. without also considering what happens later. Indeed the re-election of President Richard M. Nixon in 1972, the ensuing Watergate scandal initiated by Washington Post … Continue reading ‘The Post’ and lessons about freedom of the press
Foreshadowing: Looking back, the end was obvious
A couple of years ago I wrote a column about some newspaper resolutions I had on one of those giddy -- not to mention halcyon -- reporting and editing days way, way back in 1990. In hindsight those were great days. Sure the Internet had emerged as something very real and was becoming a noticeable … Continue reading Foreshadowing: Looking back, the end was obvious
Grave Secrets: TV program revisits an Alamance County murder
We found the TV show almost by accident. Someone with the same last name as my spouse was informed that "Papandrea" appeared as the last name of a byline for a Burlington Times-News story from around 2008 or 2009. He tracked down her work email via online search and sent her a message. He wanted … Continue reading Grave Secrets: TV program revisits an Alamance County murder
One more view from the press box
I was asked a few weeks ago if I would be interested in writing a story for Elon University's alumni magazine about the magical season then unfolding for the Phoenix football team. As a former (or reformed) sports writer from my newspaper past and a sometime contributor to the Magazine of Elon I was a … Continue reading One more view from the press box
The Roy Moore story: Things are sadly still the same in Alabama
Up until around 2003 it was still legal for a 14-year-old girl to be married in the state of Alabama -- with parental consent. The law was finally changed -- with no small amount of debate and controversy -- to age 16 (which I would contend is still a child). They actually fought about this … Continue reading The Roy Moore story: Things are sadly still the same in Alabama
Knowing when the time is right for a change
I bumped into Paul Parsons last week on one of those rainy and raw fall days that make the last of the autumn foliage beg for mercy before tumbling helplessly to the ground. Each of us lost in thought and underneath our umbrellas, we almost collided on the crisscrossing sidewalks along the Elon University campus. … Continue reading Knowing when the time is right for a change
Another pitch for Bill Hunter’s addition to the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame
They buried Caulton Tudor the other day, an occasion for more than a few stories among sports writers who covered the ACC and other events in North Carolina the previous four decades. Lots of tall tales, lots of laughing, lots of memories shared of games covered and late nights afterward, when the deadline was history and … Continue reading Another pitch for Bill Hunter’s addition to the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame
Madison's Avenue 