It’s inevitable that the horrific events of the last week, after reaching a certain denouement on Friday night, would give way to follow-up musings that look for some broader message. […]
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Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Uncategorized
Bombing coverage: beware of urge to be first
A survey of any major domestic tragedy of the past 25 years will turn up numerous examples of stellar news reportage. But combine the 24/7 news cycle with an industry […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
The Boston Marathon bombing
WHAT WE KNOW A pair of bomb blasts near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killed three people Monday afternoon, and sent more than 140 to several nearby hospitals. […]
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Tips, questions, and unexpected surprises
PEOPLE ASK ME all the time where we get our story ideas. There’s no easy answer. Sometimes they come from a tip, sometimes they spring from a question that needs […]
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Spring 2013 correspondence and updates
DPH chief criticized It is unfortunate that Interim Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Lauren Smith made statements regarding patients with chronic Lyme disease that do not reflect evolving understanding […]
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DC lobbyists Maxed out
It’s become a well-worn phrase in coverage of Washington doings to refer to the “revolving door” that connects Congress and K Street — the new shorthand for DC lobbyists. The […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Charter numbers game
Some district public school leaders and union officials are seizing on the fact that charter school waiting lists are double counting some kids, thereby overstating the demand for seats at […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Uncategorized
Women lean every which way
Nearly a century after women got the right to vote and several generations after they became mainstays in the workforce, it seems society – at least the male half – […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
The true measure of gun violence
Gun owners staged a large rally outside the State House yesterday. The show of force came as state and national lawmakers move toward tightening restrictions on firearms, whether through background […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Uncategorized
Gateway Cities gain two new members
Gov. Deval Patrick last year vetoed legislation that would have expanded the number of Gateway Cities, but this year the economy is forcing his hand. The Patrick administration added Attleboro […]
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Weeding out the issues over medical pot
More than 63 percent of Massachusetts voters last November said okay to medical marijuana dispensaries. The ballot question passed easily in every county and the law took effect on Jan. […]
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The Phoenix’s Web goodbye
Last week the Boston Phoenix published its last print edition. This week brings the last online edition, featuring interesting stories by David Bernstein on Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s emerging profile in […]
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Dead presidents no laughing matter
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. President Nixon is roaming the halls of the White House in the midst of the Watergate scandal when he is visited by […]
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Warren: Gateway Cities liked my vision of future
The state’s Gateway Cities were the key to Elizabeth Warren’s election victory last fall, and Warren thinks she knows why.In an interview with editors and reporters from the Gateway Cities […]
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The failed Phoenix strategy
Coverage of The Boston Phoenix’s demise tended to focus on the glory days of the alternative weekly and the long list of reporters who got their start there before moving […]
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Lesson from Cahill case clear as mud
The criminal saga surrounding former state treasurer Tim Cahill came to a close this week. The state Lottery’s former chief of staff, Alfred Grazioso, has agreed to a $10,000 fine […]
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Galvin calls out Chief Justice
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. touched a nerve in Massachusetts on Thursday when he asserted that the Bay State has the worst record in the country on voting […]
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Scream all you want but don’t Yahoo! at home
There’s something ironic, perhaps disconcerting, about a tech company built on people’s ability to access it from anywhere forcing its employees to work in the office rather than at home. […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Uncategorized
Globe attracting interest
It’s still early, but the Boston Globe seems to be attracting a lot of interest from prospective buyers. Over the weekend, car czar Ernie Boch Jr. said he would be […]
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Globe heah! Getchya Globe heah!
With the announcement by The New York Times Company that it will put the Globe and the rest of its New England holdings out for bid, the guessing game is […]
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Scott Brown and his tweets of renown
Scott Brown’s sabbatical from electoral politics shows that he still has much to learn if he aspires to sit in the Corner Office. His meteoric rise to national prominence sent […]
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McLaughlin singing Ortiz’s tune?
Beacon Hill spent all of last year looking over one shoulder, waiting for federal probation indictments that never came. Former probation boss John O’Brien got hauled into the House of […]
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Brown’s quick jump over to Fox shows he’s no lazy dog
Former Sen. Scott Brown made his debut on Fox News last night and the interest may not be in what he said but more in what it means for his […]
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Mashpee get Washington backing
There are two ways of looking at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s long slog toward a tribal casino in Taunton. In the tribe’s view, they’re inching toward their federal approvals, renegotiating […]
