Nearly 60 years ago, political columnist Doris Fleeson delivered these “Ten Commandments of Journalism” at the University of Nebraska’s School of Journalism. It was a different time—Eisenhower was president, there was no Internet or Twitter, and Fleeson was one of the few women covering politics—but we guarantee that journalists at every level can find something to take away from her list.
From the practical (“1. Look at what you see.”) to the humorous (“8. Damn the clichés. Full verbs ahead.”) and from the progressive (“6. Women are people. There is no such thing as the women’s angle and don’t let any editor tell you different.”) to the long view (“10. We are told that journalism is ephemeral. Don’t you believe it for it is just not so.”), good advice stands the test of time.
