Thursday, May 23, 2013. Last Update: Thu 10:15 AM EST

Politics & Policy

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In Pittsburgh campaign, ad buy files prove mayor’s involvement

Post-Gazette reporter: online access to records was “huge”

DETROIT, MI -- About three weeks before the May 21 mayoral primary in Pittsburgh, an attack ad against a leading... More

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True the Coverage

Some of the organizations targeted for scrutiny by the IRS actually deserve scrutiny—a nuance that is getting lost

Just about everyone in Washington agrees that the IRS's blanket targeting of Tea Party groups by keying on words in... More

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Medicare Uncovered: Who should pay? Who can pay?

A shout-out to Marketwatch for a thorough report that challenges the “skin-in-the-game” theory

Elizabeth O'Brien's May 15 Marketwatch piece on proposed changes for Medicare is one of the best I have seen since... More

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A hat tip to The State in South Carolina

The paper offers a solid opening salvo in a new series, “SC State House for Sale”

COLUMBIA, SC -- The State newspaper, South Carolina's capital city daily in Columbia, gave uncharacteristically prominent play Sunday to the... More

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Scandal!

Walter Shapiro’s Rough Rules for Responsible Mongering

I have been commenting on Washington scandals for nearly four decades--ever since the dead-drunk Wilbur Mills, the unduly lionized chairman... More

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Covering facts versus the ‘narrative’

The challenge for journalists when scandal fever hits

The dilemma for journalists this week: How should you cover a series of proto-scandals with seemingly little in common? As... More

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The insanity of hospital pricing

The academics are wrong and the press is right: wildly varying healthcare billing is a very big deal

Last week's release of the wildly varying prices that hospitals charge Medicare may no longer be news du jour, but... More

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Q&A: Shaun McKinnon, veteran water reporter

An Arizona Republic reporter and self-described “water geek” on how to cover western water issues

PROVO, UT -- Water issues may not be the sexy beat to which young journalists first aspire, but here in... More

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Political ad windfall drives local TV consolidation

As a trend accelerates, industry and activists disagree about the consequences

As campaign ads saturated the airwaves during the 2012 campaign, and piles of campaign cash buoyed stations' balance sheets, media... More

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The other IRS scandal

Required context for a controversy

The burgeoning "scandal" over how the IRS chose for review 75 applicants for tax-exempt status puts on full display an... More

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‘How do you deport three-fifths of a family?’

One undocumented immigrant’s race against the clock, told in real time by the Miami Herald’s Marc Caputo

MIAMI, FL -- Miami Herald political reporter Marc Caputo didn't expect high drama when he ventured into a community immigration... More

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Untangling Obamacare: What’s behind the rate increases?

To report on rising premiums you need to understand them. A primer for reporters

Rate hikes just keep coming. The latest we've heard about come from Blue Cross Blue Shield in North Carolina, which... More

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Backsliding on the ‘death panels’ myth

The need for caution—and avoiding “he said,” “she said”—in reporting on IPAB

House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell released a letter on Thursday stating that they would not... More

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Just passing through

As major tax-cut plans zoom through Midwest statehouses, reporters scramble to stay ahead of the story

FAIRWAY, KS -- In late 2012 and early 2013, reporters in Kansas began to take note of an oddity in... More

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StateImpact makes its mark, but won’t expand

As NPR exits the ambitious project, director says, “we changed the way reporting is done”

Two years ago, with statehouse bureaus taking huge cuts in a contracting media landscape, National Public Radio designed the StateImpact... More

Fearless British mother who talked down Woolwich terrorists

“It is only you versus many people, you are going to lose”

The leaks scandal

7 questions for President Obama

Stop with the Jew-ranking already!

“There are some lists that have helped Jews in the past, including, most notably, Schindler’s, but…”

This is water

David Foster Wallace’s 2005 Kenyon commencement speech as a short film

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