Books with author The New York Times

For decades, the American criminal justice system has followed a tough on crime model. That's starting to change, following increased criticism of prisons and policing. One model for reform has become especially prominent: restorative justice. Restorative justice prioritizes community-led reconciliation between victim and offender. Based on indigenous practices and motivated by inequities in our current system, restorative justice is premised on a radical redefinition of social harm. To understand this challenging topic, the articles in this book cover deep explorations of our current system, examples of restorative justice in practice, and an overview of the institutional barriers to change. Media literacy terms and questions are included, inviting readers to carefully consider how reporting of the topic has developed over time.

The public's perception of war changed drastically following the Vietnam War, as it was the first time the American public encountered an endless stream of graphic coverage of military conflict abroad. Still, the public often seems divided on the necessity of military engagement for defense or to promote regional stability and the tolls of war: loss, destruction, and veterans requiring lifelong care. These articles document changing attitudes toward war, compiling New York Times coverage as far back as the Civil War and continuing through twenty-first-century conflicts, including those in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.

Attitudes toward crime and punishment have changed with societal shifts in American culture. Changing perspectives on addiction, sexual assault, and other behaviors have sparked changes in legislation, judicial attitudes, and sentencing guidelines. The articles in this collection map evolving attitudes toward what can be conceived of as criminal and how these conceptions mirror larger social movements over time. In many cases, the heavy hand of the law or, alternatively, the lukewarm reaction to certain kinds of criminal activity has resulted in epidemics that continue to the present day.

As the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the right to bear arms may be considered a founding tenet of American life. The expression of that right, however, has generated no end of debate. The association of guns with injury, murder, suicide, and accidents has prompted activists and lawmakers alike to propose and pass regulations about who can buy guns and how they can be used. While one segment of the population wants to ban guns altogether, another bristles at any infringement at all. In between both extremes are multiple issues and perspectives that this thought-provoking collection of articles examines in depth. Media literacy questions and terms are included to help readers further analyze news coverage and reporting styles.