Author Archives: Doug Cumming

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About Doug Cumming

Doug Cumming is an associate professor emeritus of journalism at Washington & Lee University with 26 years experience at metro newspapers and magazines. After getting a Ph.D. at UNC-Chapel Hill in mass communications, he taught multimedia reporting and feature writing at Loyola University-New Orleans and at W&L in Virginia. Earlier, he worked at the newspapers in Raleigh, Providence and Atlanta; was editor of the Sunday Magazine in Providence; and helped launch Southpoint monthly magazine in Atlanta. He won a George Polk Award and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard.

A Singular Critter

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Doug Cumming

“The case of the three species of protozoan (I forget the names) which apparently select differently sized grains of sand, etc., is almost the most wonderful fact I ever heard of. One cannot believe that they have mental power enough … Continue reading →

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Visions of New York

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Doug Cumming

A walk in New York City is a passage between the world’s extreme possibilities – in between the horrors of Armageddon and the bliss of an urban paradise. You walk near-sighted, with blinders that hide these wild visions as you … Continue reading →

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Surprised by JOY-FM, Ghana

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Doug Cumming

A good radio voice can work magic, especially in the west African nation of Ghana. Kojo Yankson, visiting our journalism department for the week, has that voice. His father is a biology professor. Kojo had spent about 12 years in … Continue reading →

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Circuitry: For Sarah

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Doug Cumming

I. Out of nothing above the infinite falling of snow. I lie on a couch face up watching it fall. The thought of infinite dropping dots fills my mind, silently dropping as numberless as the crumbs of stars scattered across … Continue reading →

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Peachtree Heights, Murky Depths

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Doug Cumming

In my JOUR318 Literature of Journalism class, I gave an in-class writing assignment that Rick Bragg once brought into my class when I was teaching in New Orleans. It starts with the prompt “I come from the kind of place … Continue reading →

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Making the Past ‘Relatable’

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Doug Cumming

The digital/mobile ether that our undergraduates float in these days seems to make the historical past even less relevant than it used to be. Or less “relatable,” the word they use to replace “relevant.” (Check out the two words in … Continue reading →

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Journal-keeping in a Digital World

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Doug Cumming

Why, in this world of infinite choices and the great search-able eBay/Craigslist flea market, can’t I find the 6-ring notebook I’ve used since college for keeping a journal? It’s not as if iPhones and social media have abolished journal-keeping. Even … Continue reading →

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An Appreciation: Fred Farrar, 1918-2014

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Doug Cumming

Eleven years ago, our Development office told me that an alumnus who owned some historical newspapers wanted to donate them to Washington & Lee. Frederic B. Farrar was 85, a journalism major from W&L’s Class of ’41 who had served … Continue reading →

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Why Not Ask?

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Doug Cumming

Here’s a good question to ask any seasoned, serious journalist: What’s the best question to ask in an interview? It would be interesting to collect 10 or 20 of the best journalistic questions to keep handy in your toolbox. My … Continue reading →

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Election Night Live!

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Doug Cumming

The third floor of Reid Hall glowed in the dark on Election Night, Nov. 4. I had an inconspicuous job of copy-editing for Rockbridge Report’s election coverage, the only live TV broadcast and web report on the voting in Rockbridge … Continue reading →

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