BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE THALIA — Amid a crowded local election season, a forum hosted by the Thalia Civic League gave the two candidates for Virginia Beach mayor a chance to square off at New Life Church earlier this month. The… Continue Reading
Dear Editor: We look forward to each new issue of The Independent News. You do an outstanding job of presenting the local “Southern/Pungo” Virginia Beach news and important issues to all of us who live in the area. Your articles… Continue Reading
BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE VIRGINIA BEACH – This month journalists at The Virginian-Pilot and The Daily Press, among the leading newsrooms in Virginia, formed a guild and sought voluntary recognition as a union from tronc, a Chicago-based company that purchased The… Continue Reading
THE INDEPENDENT NEWS PUNGO — Newspapers were part of American life before there was a United States of America. They carried news and opinions of the day to the people who would pursue a more perfect union. The pieces of what… Continue Reading
BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE PUNGO — The day before our nation celebrated independence from the Crown, I got an urgent email that seemed to be from the president of a university where I teach. Except maybe I should mention this email came… Continue Reading
BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE PUNGO — Early last month, I saw an online ad attacking Bobby Hanig, chairperson of the Currituck County, N.C., Board of Commissioners, while he was still seeking the Republican nomination to be the North Carolina State Representatives… Continue Reading
Dear Editor: The Dec. 15 edition of The Independent News, you featured essays from several people, and you asked readers to respond about what we can do to build inclusive communities amid a time of polarization. After reading essays from… Continue Reading
BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE PUNGO — I recently wrote about what some call “fake news,” a term that is inexact to the point of uselessness. It generally means stories presented to mislead by including fabricated material, whether in whole or in part.… Continue Reading
BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE PUNGO — I read with interest when Eric Hodies of The Virginian-Pilot reported that student journalists at Salem High School made up a story and published it this month to teach a lesson about what some call “fake news.” … Continue Reading
BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE PUNGO — Farmer, writer and artist Rick Friday, whose cartoons appear in The Independent News, made national news last year after a cartoon criticizing salaries of Big Ag executives angered an advertiser of Farm News, which canned him.… Continue Reading