Is HCN a news journal or a creative writing magazine or simply fake news? As a professional educator and writer, I was deeply disturbed by the Aug. 19 issue. I use HCN as a classroom resource, as I hope others do as well. I teach critical thinking and journalistic skepticism along with the regular course […]
Chris Wayne
Posted inApril 15, 2019: Scene of the Crime
Conciliation and compromise
For the last decade I’ve read almost every issue of HCN cover to cover, starting at the back cover with “Heard around the West,” but I usually just gloss through the “Editor’s Note.” Not this time: Paul Larmer’s essay on contradictions was spot-on (“Embracing contradiction,” HCN, 3/18/19). Last week, I finished teaching a 300-level environmental law […]
Posted inJuly 23, 2018: Pay for Prey
A double-edged sword
I always appreciate Jonathan Thompson’s excellent journalism, but I didn’t quite get the point of his recent essay on air travel (“Jet Lag,” HCN, 5/14/18). I just returned from a multi-week cross-country trip myself, which is why I only now got around to reading it. Certainly air travel is uncomfortable and at times dehumanizing, but far […]
Posted inOctober 30, 2017: The Changing Face of Woods Work
Geography needs cartography
I am a former archaeologist and currently a professional geographer, so I especially enjoyed the recent feature article “Following Ancient Footsteps” (HCN, 10/2/17). Among the many highlights was the small but effective map that put the whole story into a geographic perspective. Unfortunately, I have found that maps in feature stories are the exception. I […]