Don’t change libel laws for public figures
Making it easier for public figures to sue news media outlets for libel might sound like a good idea, especially if the public figure is someone we like and we think criticism is unfair, but it would be unconstitutional and undermine our democracy. Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, an undeclared candidate for president in 2024,…
Secret documents popping up all over
Who doesn’t have a stash of classified documents in their home or offsite office? It might be THE question in Washington these days in light of the mishandling of secret papers by President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and ex-Vice President Mike Pence. One shocking discovery after the other. What does it mean? The…
Artificial intelligence: Friend or foe?
Advances in artificial intelligence has everyone freaking out. With the touch of a button, you can get a program called ChatGPT to write a term paper, an op-ed piece in the New York Times, a speech or fill out a job application. Some of the job applications are supposedly better than the ones filled out…
Pause before banning books
I love books. The ones I have, the ones I’ve read, even the ones I haven’t read yet, because if they are worthwhile, there’s a gem of truth, a bit of humor, or a moment of clarity within the pages, maybe all in the same paragraph. Some are trashy, of course, offensive, disgusting, maybe even…
True Things
“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know,” Ernest Hemingway wrote. He was right, of course. It’s the mark of every good writer. Take John D. MacDonald, the great fiction writer whose detective hero, Travis McGee, lived on a houseboat in Fort Lauderdale. “There are no…
Write or bust
My cousin just emailed me a photo that she described in the subject line as “sad.” Devastating would be a better word. My grandparents’ beautiful old house, which had survived generations of winter storms roaring across the Illinois plains, kids running up and down stairs, and farmers shaking off dust and slamming screen…
When fantasy becomes reality
Quoth the Halloween retailer, “Ever more.” That’s what the experts are predicting for 2021, at least, with record sales expected to hit $10.14 billion, up from last year’s $8.05 billion when people were spooked by the pandemic. This, according to a USA Today story, quoting the National Retail Federation, which is counting on sales…
Villages appearences
VILLAGES BOOK LOVERS I have been blessed recently to speak to two groups in The Villages. I spoke to the Writers League of The Villages on Aug. 11. This is a large group, and they are busy cranking out books. They also host a fabulous book fair every year. On Sept. 9, I spoke to…
good old days
Journalism. Maybe it was always complicated. Maybe readers were always confused about where you’re coming from, were skeptical, or just outright hostile. But today? Reporters and editors are hanging on by their fingertips over a widening chasm. I find myself longing for the “good old days” of Walter Cronkite, who signed off every CBS…
Welcome to The Write Stuff
My blog about writing, journalism, crime, faith, life as we know it, and politics (if I can’t resist the temptation to stop myself, and if I think I might have something useful to say). As you can tell from the title of my second book, after 40 years as a reporter, I like to think…