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That's the way it was
Walter Cronkite’s signature signoff—“and that’s the way it is”—gives pause in today’s media world. Is it—the multimedia universe of the Internet, blogs, Twitter and YouTube—the way it is? Full feature

When you come to a fork in the road
Thank you for this opportunity to be with you for this celebration. I will be at our own commencement on campus in Columbia on Monday. For us, it is one of three days a year that I can count on seeing pretty much nothing but happy—and sometimes relieved – faces. Full feature

A not so great debate
Diamonds or pearls? Is that the question? I’m not exactly crushed that I missed this moment in television journalism. Amid the mountains of information and opinion heaped on us this political season, it is but a pebble. But I am dismayed with the back story of manipulation that has emerged since this past week’s debate in Las Vegas. It suggests it may be easier to draw to an inside straight in Las Vegas than to expect straight journalism. Full feature>>

Light and shadow
Michael Deaver: "The great illuminator"
The common thread of all the disciplines in our college is that we are story tellers. We tell good stories, funny stories, horror stories—and in every sense of those words. What sets our disciplines apart is that we tell those stories from different perspectives. Journalism and public relations come to mind. Each is an honorable profession—would we teach anything other?—though they do not always find common ground. Full feature

Trying not to get voted off
Thursday night viewing gets a change of pace from "CSI," "Grey's Anatomy" and "ER" this week with the Democratic candidates' debate from S.C. State University in Orangeburg. But like those shows, the debates — this is only the first — have an ensemble cast with a story arc that will play out over the next months. Full feature

Measuring the candidates
Lee Bandy’s retirement as The State’s venerable and irascible political correspondent gives Lee a well deserved respite from the political trails ahead. But with all respect, Lee, you’re leaving your readers in the lurch. Full feature

Where the White House meets the press
The White House pulled the rug out from under its press corps this week. The chairs and drapes, too. The drapes were faded; the chairs dilapidated. The rug, as I recall, was pretty disgusting. Full feature

Dispatches from May Travel Marathon
Media bias, television profits and Internet censorship are concerns on the minds of journalism students. Where? Here in Beijing. Full feature

Can We Believe Our Ears and Eyes?
Could we take a few minutes to talk about something that's troubling me ... and a lot of others in my profession. My profession is, of course, that of a journalist. Now a journalist and educator. Full feature

The Ghost of Christmas Greetings Past
On the third day before Christmas, as I walked into the bank, I crossed paths with a politically prominent acquaintance. Our encounter lasted but a few seconds—a handshake, a "how are you?" and an almost simultaneous exchange of good wishes. Full feature>>

Tell it to the judge
I’ve never talked with Scooter Libby. I haven’t seen Karl Rove since he visited USC a couple of years ago. I’ve known Dick Cheney a long time, but we’ve not discussed Valerie Plame, yellowcake or Saddam Hussein. Those are my disclaimers. Have I used anonymous sources? Sure.  Full feature

Getting literacy rolling in South Carolina
Learning to read is not quite as easy as ABC. But it's also not differential calculus. Our goal as a state is to ensure that every child in South Carolina has the opportunity to learn to read. Full feature

Worldly Wise: Reflections on Peter Jennings and the future of international reporting
Peter Jennings had two bad habits: he would bum cigarettes and he would steal ledes. One was his weakness and led to his death and journalism’s loss. The other reflected on his strength as a journalist. Full feature

Consumers push the envelope, Los Angeles Times pushes back
Fresh cement is an invitation to a handprint. A whitewashed wall begs for graffiti. A light in the dark beckons to self-destructive moths. Full feature

‘Newsweek’ dispute shows tensions of media, government
Shoot the messenger, if you must. But heed the message. The uproar in press, policy and political circles goes deeper than Newsweek’s use of an anonymous source to report on possible abuse and insensitivity by U.S. troops guarding Muslim prisoners in Cuba. Full feature

Election over - Supreme Court still counts
On December 12, 2000, CNN correspondent Charles Bierbauer reported the Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore that effectively ended the 2000 presidential election. Cameras recorded Bierbauer leading the pack as he sprinted from the court into the bitterly cold night to explain the last act of the bitterly contested election. Full feature

Politics and Journalism 202
For decades at CBS, Dan Rather has informed us with the news, amused us with his Texas aphorisms, exhorted us with his curious benediction of "courage" and, on occasion, puzzled us — "what is the frequency, Kenneth?" But now Rather has disappointed us. Full feature

Remembering Reagan
Covering a president and the White House may or may not be the pinnacle of a journalistic career. There is much that is tedious and mundane, much the like the army’s propensity for “hurry up and wait” orders. There are journalistic lessons to be learned most steps of the way. This is not about how to cover the White House, but about how I remember the years I spent keeping a watchful eye on the president who both before and after he took office had an enormous impact on the country and the world. Full feature

Harsh photos; Harsh truths
Army Pfc. Lynndie England has replaced Pfc. Jessica Lynch as the poster girl for the U.S. war in Iraq. Neither Lynch nor England may be all that first impressions portrayed each to be. Lynch was not so much the heroine in battle as the victim on a botched mission. England may prove to be more a pawn than a sadistic dominatrix. Full feature

Minding Our Business is a column by Charles Bierbauer, dean of USC's College of Mass Communications and Information Studies and a former CNN and ABC News correspondent.

This column addresses issues faced daily by students, faculty, editors, news directors, public relations experts, and media managers about our professions.

We welcome feedback.