A 30-year tour of hope and disaster

Even after decades in the news business, sometimes I don't think I've had a very interesting life. Then I remember the fires, floods, plane crashes and murders, and I can see that I don't have much in common with the neighbors.                                                                

I come from the backcountry of north Missouri, where my family has lived for 200 years. After I graduated from college, I packed up a rusted-out Ford and left Missouri for a three-month internship in California.                                       

I was 21 then, but I had been on my own since I was 17. When I got to the Golden State, I didn't have enough money to get a place to live.

In those early years, after rent and student loan payments, I had less than $1.50 a day left over for food.

But the stories made the sacrifices worth the trouble, and in 1997, I started writing a column for The New York Times on the Web. That column evolved into day-to-day coverage of the development of the Internet as a force in politics.

These days, I'm working for U.S. Right to Know, a nonprofit news organization that investigates public health issues.

In recent years, I have pitched in on coverage of big breaking stories for The New York Times, and I also wrote profiles of scientists for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

Major stories in recent years have included the "Stairway to Heaven" copyright trial, the San Bernardino terror attack and the mass shooting in Las Vegas. 

During the 2000's, I taught data journalism at the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California. Freelance credits include essays for Writer's Digest and The Atlantic online. 

I'm still looking for that next great story.

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During the pandemic, I taught myself how to play the violin again after quitting to focus on my career. I documented the experience as part of a cross-platform project that included a YouTube channel and an essay series.

Here's a link to a popular essay from the series:

"Who Built My Fiddle? The Mysterious Origin of a Violin from Missouri" 

To follow the "Reckless Violinist" series, sign up here: