People

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Inferences can't be made

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It’s no secret that reporters struggle with statistics. But this story combines that problem with weak reporting on Mormonism and gay issues. And it is a doozy. This might be the most illogical and bizarre story I’ve read in some time. I passed it along to a few other reporters and they couldn’t believe it had been published. So with that, I present MyFoxPhoenix.com’s (KSAZ FOX 10 KUTP My45) “Suicide Rate Disturbingly High Among Arizona Mormons.”


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Ghosts in Korean conflict?

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Twitter has its faults but it’s an amazing way to follow major world events in real time. Take the situation in the Koreas. North Korea shelled South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island a few days ago, in a deadly artillery attack. The United States and South Korea took up position in the Yellow Sea today for joint military exercises. Journalists have been told they should leave the island. North Korea has threatened another “merciless” attack.


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Holy Heisman, the Newton saga

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If you’re a college football fan, you’re familiar with Cam Newton: He’s the star Auburn quarterback who — for now– leads most Heisman polls. This afternoon, his unbeaten, second-ranked Tigers face the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide in an Iron Bowl with national title ramifications.


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Mysterious faith, the WPost, the American dream

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Late last week, I was visiting the Washington Post newsroom with some of my students and the professionals there were — justifiably — buzzing about a news feature that dominated that day’s front page. It was one of those mood-of-the-nation pieces in which one person’s story is used as a metaphor for the lives of many.


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'Devout' Catholic thrill alert!

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If you live in the Washington, D.C., area and follow things Catholic, you probably know that the shepherd of the nation’s capital — Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl — just became a member of the College of Cardinals, thus becoming one of the “princes” of the church.


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The emerging church is back?

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Remember a few years ago when lots of reporters were talking about the emerging church as if it was the new trend was sweeping the nation? You know how people are still talking about it now? Yeah, me neither. It was such a nebulous “movement” to begin with, but apparently New York magazine just discovered it.


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First Amendment meets Fourth Amendment?

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Last week I mentioned that I’d been the unlucky recipient of an intimate encounter with a TSA agent. As many more Americans have undergone the “how’s your father” with the agents, stories have been getting out about Americans wondering how much of this is security versus security theater. Here’s one mom’s story. Here’s Penn Jillette’s account.


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Further adventures in labeling (bishops)

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For the past day or so, I have been reading the coverage of the somewhat surprising election of New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. At this point, I have to admit that I am confused about the various labels that I am reading.


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