A Rebuttal
Our subscriber Elizabeth Perillo in Woodstock, Ga. was offended by two photographs in the Sept. 7 edition of the Independent. Her letter to the editor last week said the pictures of scantily clad men...
View ArticleThe Indie at Four
Two weeks ago, in our Oct. 5 issue, we published our annual circulation statement, required of all newspapers delivered through the U.S. Postal Service. The numbers reflect the Independent’s continued...
View ArticleDelusion 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 flaws, of course, but it...
View ArticleA 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 an assault case I was investigating. “My...
View ArticleHeadlines 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 the story accurately. Because readers see it...
View ArticleUndesirable 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. The New...
View ArticleStanding 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 reports, much less look at the pictures....
View ArticleAlgorithm 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 of...
View ArticleThe 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 government is...
View ArticleLights 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 make it hard to think about...
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