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Christopher Harper

Christopher Harper is a professor of journalism at Temple University. He worked for The Associated Press, Newsweek, ABC News and "20/20" for more than 20 years. He can be contacted at charper@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Christopher Harper

HARPER: Film will tell the Gosnell abortion doctor murder story that media didn’t

He has been called the most successful serial killer in U.S. history. But few people recognize the name Kermit Gosnell — not the way they know Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy.

April 2, 2014

HARPER: A little late, media step up on Obamacare’s woes

As the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, lumbers toward its rather flexible deadline Monday when individuals are supposed to sign up for the federal exchange, the public has become increasingly critical of the media's coverage of the program.

March 26, 2014

HARPER: Flight 370 disappearance stymies reporters

The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has posed some significant hurdles for Western reporters for of a variety of reasons. Few Western reporters have sources in Malaysia. Speculation has run amok since the beginning of the story. The aircraft has not been found, creating huge logistical problems for the governments looking for the plane and for journalists trying to cover the search.

March 19, 2014

HARPER: Fresh thinking as readers rearrange the front page

If newspaper editors want to save their print editions, a new study may show how to do it.

March 12, 2014

HARPER: U.S. media is another loser in the Ukraine crisis

Along with U.S. intelligence and the Obama administration, the U.S. media seemed ill-prepared for and ill-informed about the events in Ukraine.

March 5, 2014

HARPER: Misguided study highlights ‘fourth branch’ overreach

The Federal Communications Commission — part of what some consider the "fourth branch" of government — reared its head recently with an ill-conceived and ill-advised plan to question journalists about how they report the news.

February 26, 2014

HARPER: Journalists would rather cry ‘racism’ than solve inequality

If President Obama wants to roll up his sleeves and solve "income equality," he needs to look at least two easily available sources: the U.S. Census Bureau and a new book by two Yale law professors.

February 19, 2014

HARPER: Putin is the real story of these Winter Games

Russian President Vladimir Putin is the one who's on center stage at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

February 12, 2014

HARPER: Little media interest in questionable D’Souza case

Author and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza has been trying to defend himself against charges he made illegal campaign contributions, but few in the mainstream media seem interested in listening to him.

February 5, 2014

$This fracking site in Washington, Pa., is one of many in the country shaking up world energy markets as the U.S. moves toward no longer needing to import natural gas. The stakes are particularly large in Russia. “This is where everything is being turned on its head,” said Fiona Hill, an expert on Russia at the Brookings Institution. (Associated Press)$

HARPER: A fracking good story missed by the media

The United States has become the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the world, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

January 29, 2014

HARPER: A coordinated media assault on a pro-military film

"Lone Survivor," a movie about a failed Navy SEAL mission in Afghanistan, has reopened the debate between the supporters of a strong U.S. military and its detractors, specifically those in the media.

January 22, 2014

HARPER: A 1971 heist sheds light on Snowden dilemma for media

As President Obama prepares to change the way the U.S. gathers intelligence, he faces another difficult issue: What exactly should he do with Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who revealed the extent of the spying in the first place?

January 15, 2014

HARPER: CNN just as stale after a year after Jeff Zucker

Jeff Zucker, who was brought in last January to shake up CNN, hasn't accomplished much since his arrival, but he promises 2014 will be different.

January 8, 2014

HARPER: A&E puts money over principle with ‘Duck Dynasty’

Cable network A&E may not like what "Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson said about gays, but the network still plans to make money from his reality show.

December 25, 2013

HARPER: Picking a fight between Rush Limbaugh and the Pope: What a joke!

After five years reporting about the Vatican, I remain amazed how little the Western media know about the Roman Catholic Church. Simply put, the pope and Mr. Limbaugh agree on just about everything, but the average reader wouldn't know that from the reporting.

December 18, 2013