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Four stories to follow in Virginia
What the Commonwealth’s political reporters should focus on now
By Tharon Giddens Nov 13, 2012 at 02:50 PM
VIRGINIA — Election Day has come and gone, leaving many vital story threads for Virginia’s political reporters to continue to... More
Was it Obama’s policies—or the pie?
Romney ad blames president for Virginia BBQ chain’s closure; locals point to the food, competition
By Tharon Giddens Nov 5, 2012 at 02:00 PM
VIRGINIA — As part of his closing pitch to voters here in Virginia, Mitt Romney went hog wild. It was... More
In Virginia, skirmishes in the voting wars
O’Keefe sting, trashed voter forms lead to some solid coverage
By Tharon Giddens Nov 1, 2012 at 11:00 AM
VIRGINIA — With Election Day fast approaching and this swing state looming large in the contests for both the White... More
Awash in ads in Roanoke
At WDBJ, welcome transparency and a commitment to coverage—but room for improvement, too
By Tharon Giddens Oct 19, 2012 at 07:00 AM
VIRGINIA — Much is always expected of those graced with favor. And when you consider that Virginia television stations this... More
Hey, big spender
Virginia’s Senate race is drawing major outside spending—Bob Perry’s million bucks included. Reporters here have more to do
By Tharon Giddens Oct 17, 2012 at 12:10 PM
VIRGINIA — A millionaire homebuilder and frequent conservative political donor from Texas has contributed $1 million to the Virginia Senate... More
Covering the role of coal in Virginia
Coal is central to the campaign message war and money story here—but reporting has not kept up
By Tharon Giddens Oct 8, 2012 at 03:00 PM
VIRGINIA — Mitt Romney likes coal. A lot. And the coal industry in Virginia likes Romney back. Unfortunately, there’s not... More
After VA Senate debate, how to cover Kaine’s gaffe?
While most outlets include some policy coverage, WashPost sticks with a strategy story
By Tharon Giddens Sep 21, 2012 at 04:08 PM
VIRGINIA — If you’ve heard one thing about Thursday’s hour-long debate in McLean between Senate candidates George Allen and Tim... More
As Senate ad war heats up, time for press to step up
Readers need closer scrutiny of campaign messages in Kaine-Allen contest
By Tharon Giddens Sep 20, 2012 at 03:00 PM
VIRGINIA — Presidential race advertising dominates swing state airwaves, but viewers in Virginia are also being bombarded with an influx... More
To follow the political money: a wonderful tool
And Virginia’s newsrooms are under-using it
By Tharon Giddens Sep 6, 2012 at 03:29 PM
VIRGINIA—It might have been overwhelming for any newsroom to try to track the political advertising cash flowing into the Commonwealth... More
Checking the foundation of ‘We Built It’
In many Virginia papers, coverage of McDonnell’s convention speech is a let-down
By Tharon Giddens Aug 30, 2012 at 03:00 PM
VIRGINIA — The Republican National Convention may be happening in Tampa, but the theme for the gathering’s opening Tuesday night—“We... More
Last week’s GOP local TV blitz
What did candidates—and viewers—get from it?
By Tharon Giddens Aug 22, 2012 at 11:00 AM
VIRGINIA — The word “exclusive” is routinely devalued in broadcast political reporting and last week was no exception. Republicans Mitt... More
A super resource on super PACs in Virginia
Early coverage puts VPAP database to good use, but there are opportunities to do more
By Tharon Giddens Aug 16, 2012 at 03:00 PM
VIRGINIA — Super PACs have been pouring money into Virginia for months, now, seeking to sway the presidential contest and... More
Covering Paul Ryan’s big day in Virginia
The Times-Dispatch casts a wide net to deliver a strong package for its readers
By Tharon Giddens Aug 13, 2012 at 07:00 AM
VIRGINIA — You expect nuance and quantity from The Washington Post and The New York Times when it comes to... More
In sports or politics, you can’t tell the players without a scorecard
Times-Dispatch coverage of voter registration controversy skimps on partisan angle
By Tharon Giddens Aug 2, 2012 at 11:00 AM
VIRGINIA — No matter the game, you’ve got to know who’s on whose team to keep up with the action.... More
In VA, allegations of racism ignite a controversy
After national conservative media seize on a state senator’s words, local reporters pick up the story
By Tharon Giddens Jul 27, 2012 at 11:00 AM
VIRGINIA — The butterfly effect has been in effect here this week, as a Democratic state senator’s comments about racism... More
‘See you on the other side’ - Meet Jessica Lum, a terminally ill 25-year-old who chose to spend what little time she had practicing journalism
#Realtalk: This is the best moment to be in journalism - The old stuff isn’t coming back, but that’s okay
Streams of consciousness - Millennials expect a steady diet of quick-hit, social-media-mediated bits and bytes. What does that mean for journalism?
Sticking with the truth - How ‘balanced’ coverage helped sustain the bogus claim that childhood vaccines can cause autism
An ink-stained stretch - Can Aaron Kushner save the Orange County Register—and the newspaper industry?
This is the best moment to be in journalism (25)
The WSJ editorial page hits rock bottom (19)
Ben Mathis-Lilley’s defense of new media
Take off the nostalgia-tinted lenses
21 questions with David Remnick
What grammar mistake do you find most annoying?
Are you sure that question is grammatical?
After 20 years, the world has finally caught up with Daft Punk, so the helmet-clad retro-futurists are embarking on a new mission: to make music breathe again
What is the single most illuminating interview question to ask someone?
The NYT’s Jodi Kantor answers
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
Uptown Messenger – Hyperlocal news for a neighborhood in New Orleans
Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.
