Author

Tom Warhover

@warhovert

Tom Warhover is an associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, teaching reporting, fact-checking and journalism semantics. He was an editor and reporter for 32 years at the Virginian-Pilot and the Columbia Missourian.

Reporting past the black-and-white politics of school book bans

Reporting past the black-and-white politics of school book bans

Education reporter Hannah Natanson profiled a teacher facing a divided classroom as part of the Washington Post's "School Book Wars" series
December 6, 2023
Epic history that inspired epic storytelling

Epic history that inspired epic storytelling

At the end of each semester, after all the discussions of craft, I remind my reporting students at the Missouri School of Journalism the why of it all: the larger…
January 4, 2022
"His name was Zaki Anwari ..."

“His name was Zaki Anwari …”

When a passive verb makes the story
August 25, 2021
“... a common appreciation for truth.”

“… a common appreciation for truth.”

—Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin
November 13, 2020
Writing the character, contradictions and soul of a place

Writing the character, contradictions and soul of a place

Dan Zak of the Washington Post toured 800 miles of Iowa in five days to explore the real place behind the political headlines and cultural cliches
March 24, 2020
"How dare you..."

“How dare you…”

—Climate activist Greta Thunberg, 16, to the United Nations
September 27, 2019
Yes, everyone, there is a reason to believe ...

Yes, everyone, there is a reason to believe …

From one crusty newspaperman in 19th century to another in the 21st, the "Yes, Virginia" letter endures, transcending time and cynicism
December 25, 2018
An alligator attack sparks a Facebook attack – and an invitation to reconsider meanness

An alligator attack sparks a Facebook attack – and an invitation to reconsider meanness

 I sat on a bench with Wade Livingston the other day. We talked about an alligator attack, a woman who drowned, and the people who saw fit to condemn her for the audacity…
September 13, 2018

“Gary Robinson died hungry.”

—Pulitzer Prize winning crime reporter and novelist Edna Buchanan
July 21, 2018