Mark Obbie's Blog, page 44

Day 2 story fills in some blanks

A followup to yesterday’s post: The Democrat & Chronicle gamely wades into a confusing, technical discussion of crime elements to ask how the juries in a fatal crash came to their decisions. This story goes into the substance that was … Continue reading →

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Why not publish the jury charge?

In a criminal case ready-made for hurt and outrage, journalists have a special responsibility to inform the public. That’s why I find myself so frustrated while reading coverage of a pair of verdicts in a Rochester, New York, case this … Continue reading →

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A story of outrage and redemption

In this compelling narrative by Eli Saslow in ESPN The Magazine, former Minnesota State football coach Todd Hoffner asks how he can get his reputation and life back after enduring outrageously bogus charges of producing child porn. The answer is … Continue reading →

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A latter-day Serpico

A followup to yesterday’s post, where I praised Jeffrey Toobin’s New Yorker piece on the stop-and-frisk trial. I stand by what I said about Toobin’s clear exploration of the policy stakes in that case and the role of the judge … Continue reading →

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Trio of noteworthy recent reads

Three magazine narratives from my recently read pile worth recommending: Jeffrey Toobin’s “Annals of Law” piece in the May 27 New Yorker (subscription required) paints a surprisingly nuanced portrait of Judge Shira Scheindlin and the stop-and-frisk litigation in which New York … Continue reading →

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Newtown’s victims and public information

If put to a popular vote, the choice that faces Connecticut legislators would be a slam-dunk in favor of protecting the parents of the Newtown victims. That choice, as explained by the Hartford Courant, is whether to create a broad … Continue reading →

In praise of obsessiveness

I ended yesterday and began today in a furious exchange of e-mails with “my” fact-checker on an upcoming magazine story. He’s on staff with the magazine that’s publishing my latest feature story. Because he’s on the West Coast, I was … Continue reading →

Signs of longform life

To the naysayers who complain that long-form nonfiction narrative is dead, at least as a viable commercial form; who say young writers don’t care about it and won’t make a living doing it; who say digital platforms and consumers of … Continue reading →

Holes in victim services

We are such hypocrites. For all our bluster about law and order and caring for victims, we turn our backs on fellow citizens when they most need us — when, through no fault of their own, their health and lives … Continue reading →

E-singles and social media

ThinReads, an ambitious site tracking the e-singles market (with a witty name), asked me to explain in a guest post how I used this blog to add material to my e-single God’s Nobodies. While writing about that, I tagged what … Continue reading →