HARPER: Has the press turned on Obama?
Journalists who once wrote glowingly about President Obama have turned on him — at least for the moment. Published November 6, 2013
Christopher Harper
Articles by Christopher Harper
HARPER: Obamacare’s sticker shock
As many journalists focused on the technical problems of HealthCare.gov, the website for signing up for the Affordable Care Act, few looked at a much more serious problem — the actual cost of Obamacare for individuals and families. Published October 30, 2013
HARPER: New York Times doesn’t care what you say
I tried recently to comment about a column on the Times website, but I found I could not do so. It appears they allow comments on only 17 articles each day. Moderators reject posts for being "inflammatory," including material considered off topic, name-calling, profanity ... Published October 23, 2013
HARPER: Sharing the blame: Shallow Western press, Obama’s empty promises
As the U.S. government reportedly plans to cut back significantly on its aid to Egypt against the wishes of key Arab allies and Israel, a question looms over the American relationship with one of the most important countries in the region: Who lost Egypt? Published October 16, 2013
HARPER: Al-Jazeera due some criticism
Al-Jazeera America, the new network bankrolled by the Persian Gulf kingdom of Qatar, has criticized other U.S. news organizations for their coverage of the budget battle, despite providing little significant insight itself about the conflict. Published October 9, 2013
HARPER: U.N.’s latest climate report buries inconvenient facts
Some inconvenient truths have emerged recently for those who argue man is to blame for excessive global warming, but most of the media tended to shrug at these and other facts. Published October 2, 2013
HARPER: Not buying into idea of government subsidizing media
The leftist duo of a college professor and a journalist has begun crisscrossing the country again, arguing the media should get sizable subsidies from the government. Published September 25, 2013
HARPER: Mixed feelings as Congress weighs media shield law
It took the Senate Judiciary Committee 837 words to define a journalist. That's nearly 20 times as long as the First Amendment. The definition has become part of the Free Flow of Information Act of 2013, which passed the committee last week by a vote of 13-5. Published September 18, 2013
HARPER: In Syria war debate, media are missing in action
As the American public, Congress and the president grappled with the apparent use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government, the media failed to provide a coherent understanding of what the United States should do and why. Published September 11, 2013
HARPER: Is U.S. willing to pay the price in Syria?
It was Sunday — a day of rest for the American troops at the Marine compound in Beirut. Sgt. Steve Russell stood guard duty early that morning when he heard a yellow flatbed truck rev its engine and head for the entrance. The truck, carrying the equivalent of 21,000 pounds of TNT, exploded. Sgt. Russell survived, but the attack killed 241 America troops, mainly Marines, who had come to Lebanon on a peacekeeping mission. Fifty-eight French soldiers died in another attack across town. Published September 4, 2013
HARPER: Lethal toll on journalists clouds view from Syria
French journalist Yves Debay died in Aleppo. Yara Abbas, a reporter for Syrian television, was killed by a rebel sniper in Al-Qusayr. Hozan Abdel Halim Mahmoud, a citizen-journalist working for a rebel website, died covering a battle near Syria's border with Turkey. Published August 28, 2013
HARPER: A voice for democracy and secularism is silenced in Egypt
After more than a dozen death threats, longtime Egyptian journalist Mohamed Gohar decided he finally had to leave his Cairo home for Canada. Published August 21, 2013
HARPER: Journalism education
As I ponder retirement, I wonder who's going to educate the next generation, particularly as journalism professors and communications scholars, including me, arrived last week in Washington, D.C., for the annual get-together of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Published August 14, 2013
HARPER: Skepticism required in the face of Obama’s terror warnings
As new information surfaces about last year's attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and as the National Security Agency scandal continues to swirl throughout the media, the Obama administration has come out with a worldwide warning about the possibility of serious terrorist attacks. Published August 7, 2013
HARPER: James O’Keefe and guerrilla journalism
James O'Keefe III may not be a household name, but his work has made headlines in the past few years. He and his colleagues provide an example of what's right about journalism. Published July 31, 2013
HARPER: A tepid Trayvon protest, despite what you read
Despite the Rev. Al Sharpton's call for rallies and President Obama's insistence he could have been Trayvon Martin, last weekend's protests met with mostly indifference — except in the media. Published July 24, 2013
HARPER: Media reveal their prejudices in Zimmerman coverage
If you had any doubt about the prejudicial attitude of the media toward George Zimmerman, you only needed to read or listen to the vitriol directed toward him and the Florida jury that acquitted him of killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Published July 17, 2013
HARPER: As case collapses, media play race card against Zimmerman
Despite a prosecution case in tatters against George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer accused of killing Trayvon Martin, a black 17-year-old, the media have not been shy about playing the race card throughout the trial. Published July 10, 2013
HARPER: Sharpton crosses the line — again — in Zimmerman case
The Rev. Al Sharpton, host of MSNBC's "PoliticsNation," remains one of the most divisive forces in U.S. race relations, a reputation he is only enhancing with his current role in the murder trial of George Zimmerman. Published July 3, 2013
HARPER: Media misreporting rampant in Trayvon Martin case
A combination of pressure through social media and poor journalism led to the trial of George Zimmerman, who is accused of second-degree murder in last year's shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Published June 26, 2013
