Christopher Harper

HARPER: Media overlook key player in Middle East crisis

As the U.S. media have focused on the Syrian civil war and Iran's elections, news organizations have failed to concentrate on what I consider a key player in the equation: Hezbollah, the Shiite militia.

June 19, 2013

HARPER: In attacking Fox News, author overstates the case

It's liberal columnist Jonathan Alter vs. Fox News President Roger Ailes.

June 12, 2013

HARPER: Monument honors journalists

The beaches at Normandy remain a place to contemplate, to remember and to cry — a place where 69 years ago Thursday the Allies launched the invasion that ultimately brought victory in World War II.

June 5, 2013

HARPER: Outlets slow to connect dots from IRS to ‘Obamacare’

The Internal Revenue Service, the federal agency almost everyone loves to hate, and the scandal surrounding it may have some significant traction, particularly because the IRS will be deeply involved in overseeing a major part of the Affordable Care Act, known unofficially as "Obamacare." A few news organizations have connected the dots, but not many.

May 29, 2013

HARPER: Both sides at fault in government-media standoff

President Obama, who vowed to have a transparent presidency in dealing with the media, seems to have gone to war with journalists and government officials who leak information to reporters.

May 24, 2013

HARPER: Network ‘Bigfoots’ stomp on local coverage

The tornado in Oklahoma provides a classic example of how national television network news operates, depending on local reporters and camera operators until the big guns arrive to take over.

May 22, 2013

HARPER: Swirl of scandals presents a test for press

Not since the days of the Nixon administration has this country seen such government malfeasance as under President Obama.

May 15, 2013

HARPER: Making the call on a graphic scoop

Two of my former students recently found themselves caught in a drive-by shooting in Kensington, a neighborhood in North Philadelphia.

May 8, 2013

HARPER: Drone of contention: Journalists weigh use of aerial devices

The Boston Police Department wants to deploy drones during next year's running of the city's marathon to have "eyes in the sky." But what about journalists using drones? I will admit I am skeptical about reporters using a drone — technically known as an unmanned aerial vehicle.

May 1, 2013

HARPER: Correspondents’ dinner comforts the comfortable

Despite persistent criticism, the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. The event underscores what's wrong with much of Washington journalism. The reporters cozy up to politicians, and both groups want to be part of the Hollywood set.

April 24, 2013

HARPER: Boston shows promise and pitfalls of social media

Within minutes of the bombing at the Boston Marathon, CNN put up a simple message on the front page of its website: "Are you there? Share images on CNN iReport."

April 17, 2013

HARPER: Incomplete reporting and fact-checking lets everyone down

Philadelphia, a city magazine once considered among the country's best, has become a disgrace.

April 10, 2013

HARPER: A shameful silence on abortion clinic scandal

You would think the trial of a physician charged with eight counts of murder, conspiracy and other crimes might get some attention in the national news.

March 27, 2013

HARPER: Study tracks news media’s challenges

Digital tablets and smartphones provide about the only good news for the media in the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism's "State of the Media: 2013," which was released this week. The growth in the news audience in 2012 came on digital platforms, and the proliferation of digital devices in people's lives seemed to be a significant reason.

March 20, 2013

HARPER: CNN’s coverage of Pope Francis I laden with egregious errors

If CNN's coverage of the election of Pope Francis I on Wednesday afternoon is any indication, Jeff Zucker and his minions are not ready for prime time — or any time for that matter.

March 13, 2013

HARPER: New York Times’ defense of leaks a misguided effort

It may not have been her intention, but the public editor of The New York Times transported me back to those heady days of my youth, when I attended anti-war rallies and protested against the Nixon administration. Margaret Sullivan was too young to experience those days, but she apparently wants to live them vicariously.

March 13, 2013

HARPER: As the voting starts, U.S. media have missed the story in Rome

Much of what you are reading and hearing this week about the conclave in Rome amounts to utter nonsense.

March 12, 2013

HARPER: Media embrace Obama spin in sequester fight

Joe Vornehm of Simpsonville, S.C., pulled out his ruler to count the number of column inches his local newspaper, the Gannett-owned Greenville News, had written about the budget impasse in Washington.

March 6, 2013

HARPER: Journalists’ ideals of objectivity unattainable

Objectivity. Fairness. Balance. Three words that should be stricken from the journalistic lexicon. Even though many of my colleagues maintain journalists can be objective, fair and balanced, I think it’s time to admit that these standards — which, by the way, are mainly American conventions — cannot be attained.

February 28, 2013

HARPER: No more wars for a real pro; rest in peace, Tom Aspell

Tom Aspell covered almost every war fought in the past 40 years. He was the type of journalist we need to see more of. Unfortunately, we are seeing fewer.

February 20, 2013