Reporters are trained to advance a story and report what is new. But that approach can end up shortchanging news consumers, who need greater context and persistent focus on an ongoing story.
Shad Thielman, California State University San Marcos
Unlike those who died during the Vietnam War, those who perish during the current pandemic are unlikely to receive a national memorial. Perhaps they should.
Labor’s Jim Cairns was a vital leader against the war, typified by the May 1970 demonstrations. No politician since has played such a strong campaigning role.
Buddhist monks have been chanting sutras to provide spiritual relief during the coronavirus crisis. A scholar of Buddhism translates some Buddhist teachings into ways we can deal with uncertain times.
An Iranian general’s killing sparked fears of war and a draft in the US. Those are old fears, says a scholar who contends it’s a myth that during the two world wars, men signed up in droves to fight.
President Trump solicited foreign help for his presidential campaign. So did presidential candidate Richard Nixon. The difference, writes scholar Ken Hughes, is that Nixon was more skilled at it.
Why do TV news shows book interviews with people who lie or obfuscate? Dogged interviewer Mike Wallace was an example of how to do it right. But on live TV, it’s almost impossible to do what he did.
More than 500 Australians died in the Vietnam war and 3,000 were wounded, but the damage from Agent Orange was much more far-reaching, as Tim Fischer’s death last week reminded us.
President Trump has said American Jews loyal to Israel should support the Republican Party. A scholar explains the historical tensions embedded in the anti-Semitic trope.
Fort Sill, a military base in Oklahoma, will soon house 1,400 Central American children, the Trump administration says. It’s not the first time the US has used army bases to house refugees.
A ceasefire and peace agreement in Afghanistan may mean that the Taliban would have to lose their “terrorist” classification and turn from despised outlaws to legitimate powerbrokers.
Labor Leader Arthur Calwell tried to leverage public opposition to conscription to gain support during the 1966 election, calling it a “sinister word” for Australians. The tactic failed.
Army ration biscuits known as ‘Anzac tiles’ were durable but bland - as Australian war archives show, they served as stationery, Christmas cards and as the basis of art.