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Thursday, January 30, 2025

Steven A Smith

Steven A. Smith is clinical associate professor emeritus in the School of Journalism and Mass Media at the University of Idaho having retired from full-time teaching at the end of May 2020. He writes a weekly opinion column. Smith is former editor of The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington. As editor, Smith supervised all news and editorial operations on all platforms until his resignation in October 2008. Prior to joining The Spokesman-Review, Smith was editor for two years at the Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon, and was for five years editor and vice president of The Gazette in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is a graduate of the Northwestern University Newspaper Management Center Advanced Executive Program and a mid-career development program at Duke University. He holds an M.A. in communication from The Ohio State University where he was a Kiplinger Fellow, and a B.S. in journalism from the University of Oregon.

In Midst of Bad Memories, Nostalgia Brings Me Back to a NY Automat

There is nostalgia. And there is memory. Sometimes the two intersect and the experience is transporting. For one evening, in the midst of mayhem and tragedy, I was transported to a better place and time – alone in New York, a seedy hotel and a sandwich with apple pie. That memory is a perfect seasonal gift.

After All these Years, I Have a Pet

I have a pet. For this week’s column, I was planning to write about Donald Trump and anti-Semitism, or Donald Trump and his tax returns, or Donald Trump and the various criminal investigations that have him in the cross hairs. But I have a pet. And it is hard to muster energy for yet another Trump rant when my new cat is asleep in my lap.

Journalists Are Responsible to Cover Tragedy, Ethically, and Serve the Public

How can a news organization possibly cover a horrific community tragedy, respecting those most affected — victims, their families and friends — while simultaneously serving the larger community? Short answer: It is not always possible.

When Violence Hits Home

And there it is. Liss and Caitlin are not safe, not in Colorado Springs, maybe not anywhere. Holding hands in public, exchanging a soft kiss, making the loving gestures I take for granted with Carla, carry risk for Caitlin and Liss. They are always watching, always aware of their surroundings, take nothing for granted. But to some extent, this last 10 days shows none of us is as safe as we might have believed.

Unpacking the Election

While the midterm election results seem to show a majority of Americans are tired of his madness and the extremism he both articulates and attracts, the fact is former President Donald Trump could well win the 2024 presidential election.

Irving, Ye and Growing Anti-Semitism

I have never seen anything like our current anti-Semitic climate. Jews understand this dynamic in the same way Black Americans understand racism in ways white Americans cannot. We know the dog whistles, the coded language that anti-Semites use to signal their hate.

Navigating Election Misinformation

Election Day is a week away. As is typical, we are drowning in election information – and misinformation – as the we near the finish line of campaigns that began the day after the 2020 national election.

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