Mark Obbie's Blog, page 36

In defense of Newtown reporting

It would be mighty difficult today to find anyone willing to advocate for putting reporters on the ground in Newtown, Connecticut. I certainly don’t quarrel with the town’s plea for journalists to stay away on the anniversary of the Sandy … Continue reading →

All the invisible children

This week The New York Times has been publishing Invisible Child, a searing portrait of a homeless child in Brooklyn whose brains and spirit provide hope that someday she will have a decent life, but whose surroundings and upbringing pull … Continue reading →

“Successful suffering” for Newtown

In a thoughtful and illuminating interview on NPR’s Here & Now show, Newtown, Connecticut, psychiatrist John Woodall shares insights into why the town opted out of a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the school massacre. Without using the … Continue reading →

Why false confessions happen

In a classic use of the journalist’s show-don’t-tell rule, Douglas Starr starts his feature in the December 9 New Yorker on false confessions by describing the training session he took in the Reid Technique. A lazier reporter would provide a second-hand … Continue reading →

Cutting-room floor regrets

My new story in the December issue of The American Lawyer (sub. req.), on the Baby Veronica adoption case, reminded me of what I love most about my work as a journalist, and what I find most frustrating. I knew little about … Continue reading →

Storytelling with murder data

A USA Today report on mass killings would have interested me regardless how it was told, but the same couldn’t be said for most readers. That’s why the way in which the paper told this story makes all the difference. … Continue reading →

Just another jihadist warrior

As the father of two former teenagers, and as a former teenager myself, I read this new article on The New Yorker‘s website with a mix of horror and rage. In classic New Yorker prose — lean to the point … Continue reading →

Readers and priorities (2m to read)

An innovation at Slate that I just noticed tells me how long any given article will take to read. It appears alongside the titles of stories listed in the “Full Slate” table of contents. I love this not just for … Continue reading →

Biker stories, full of ambiguity

Today’s New York Times features a remarkable piece of reporting and storytelling by reporter Serge Kovaleski, whose extensive reporting in the underground culture of outlaw motorcycle gangs (as law enforcement would characterize them) or motorcycle clubs (as the bikers prefer) … Continue reading →

Lanza report’s bleakest message

Does the official report on the Newtown school massacre released yesterday by the Connecticut state’s attorney lead to the conclusion that there is no systemic solution to prevent mass shootings of the sort that Adam Lanza committed? That’s the key … Continue reading →