Except for one deliciously pithy communication from Richard Spada, we had a dearth of letters to the editor this week. I don’t understand this, because last week’s issue of the […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Listening to Vorse
This is the third winter that the Independent has hosted young journalists in a fellowship named for Mary Heaton Vorse, who lived from 1907 until her death in 1966 in […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Doing the Research
The British scientific journal Nature published a remarkable study last month that goes a long way toward explaining why so many people believe things that aren’t true. The implications are […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Our Version of Trumpism
The final days of 2023 produced a blizzard of fundraising letters and emails. Quite a few of them came from news organizations making the case that journalism is essential to […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Here’s Looking at You
“Yesterday,” sang the young Paul McCartney, “all my troubles seemed so far away.” According to most sources, the Beatles’ song is the most covered in history, with more than 2,000 […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Here’s Looking at You
“Yesterday,” sang the young Paul McCartney, “all my troubles seemed so far away.” According to most sources, the Beatles’ song is the most covered in history, with more than 2,000 […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Plum Visions for 2024
The people making predictions about what’s going to happen in 2024 have not exactly been spreading visions of peace, love, and prosperity. Depending on which expert you ask, you’re likely […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Lights in the Darkness
We’re heading into the shortest days of the year — but the darkness has been feeling especially heavy lately. The suffering and ill will in the world press in and […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
The Cost of Paranoia
Journalists like to say they serve as watchdogs, ready to bark when they uncover abuses by the powerful — especially by government officials. A healthy skepticism about the performance of […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Algorithm Blues
Northwestern University’s Penelope Abernathy has come out with another study on the demise of local newspapers — her specialty. More bad news, she says. Papers are disappearing at the rate […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Standing Together
The news from the Middle East has been unbearable, and I have avoided writing about it here. There are days when I cannot bring myself even to read the latest […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Undesirable Attitudes
The acute labor shortage on the Outer Cape would likely become massively worse under a second Donald Trump presidency — which appears increasingly probable if you believe public opinion polls. […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Headlines Are Hard
Writing headlines is one of the hardest jobs at a newspaper. The available space is small, so the head can have only a few words, but it has to reflect […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
A Crime in Provincetown
The first time I met Provincetown Police Chief Jim Golden, back when I was an editor at the Banner, he told me his reason for refusing to answer questions about […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Delusion Dies in Daylight
Those of us who believe that New England’s peculiar town meeting form of government has unique value sometimes refer to it as the purest version of democracy. It’s not without […]