when will there be good news essay questions

When Will There Be Good News? A-Level Revision

If you are studying A-level WWTBGN, and are looking for revision resources, look no further.

If you’re here, you’re really lost – welcome. I was in the exact same position when I first opened this book in my final year of sixth form. This page aims to lay out the need to know information about When Will There be Good News by Kate Atkinson – so that hopefully the rest of the information on this site is a little easier to digest, and you can walk into that final exam with a lot more understanding than you started out with.

How does this blog work?

This is a pretty easy question for me to answer. Making this blog was my method of revision for my A-Levels – I typed up all the notes I had worked on such as character lists, key quotations, and linked all the resources I had found so I could keep them for my personal use. Once I got my results back, I decided to open the blog up publicly so that anyone could use it (since I was no longer at risk of being accused of plagiarism).

So. This blog has pages in the sidebar – such as this one! Each one contains some information that I’ve written myself about this book. If you’re finding this stuff elsewhere, it’s been pinched – these are all my own original A-Level notes. Teachers, if you’re reading this and want to use this material for your students, feel free. A little financial contribution would go a long way, but isn’t necessary.

Now that you understand how this blog works, the rest of this page will outline the basics of the exam, the book, and Kate Atkinson herself. If you don’t need any of that information, feel free to peruse the rest of the blog. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, check out the contact page in the sidebar. I respond to all e-mails I receive, and hopefully I’ll be able to help you out. Best of luck!

Kate Atkinson

This section will give you all the context you will need about the author. Often, this can be used to infer intentions behind plot points or character decisions. You can use this alongside certain critical lenses to reach a more astute observation in your analysis.

When Will There Be Good News – Context

This section will give you all the context you need about the book itself. Remember, a little bit of context goes a long way in an essay. But do so sparingly; the marker is far more interested in your original analysis and points than they are about the year in which the book was first published. Details like that should be used to ground the text in crime conventions, as opposed to be foundational to your essay.

WWTBGN was published in 2008. It is classed as a crime novel, and is the third in the Jackson Brodie series of books.

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When Will There Be Good News? (Atkinson)

When Will There Be Good News?   Kate Atkinson, 2008 Little, Brown & Co. 400 pp. ISBN-13: 9780316154857 Summary Thirty years ago, six-year-old Joanna witnessed the brutal murders of her mother, brother and sister, before escaping into a field, and running for her life. Now, the man convicted of the crime is being released from prison, meaning Dr. Joanna Hunter has one more reason to dwell on the pain of that day, especially with her own infant son to protect.

Sixteen-year-old Reggie, recently orphaned and wise beyond her years, works as a nanny for Joanna Hunter, but has no idea of the woman’s horrific past. All Reggie knows is that Dr. Hunter cares more about her baby than life itself, and that the two of them make up just the sort of family Reggie wished she had: that unbreakable bond, that safe port in the storm. When Dr. Hunter goes missing, Reggie seems to be the only person who is worried, despite the decidedly shifty business interests of Joanna’s husband, Neil, and the unknown whereabouts of the newly freed murderer, Andrew Decker.

Across town, Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is looking for a missing person of her own, murderer David Needler, whose family lives in terror that he will return to finish the job he started. So it’s not surprising that she listens to Reggie’s outrageous thoughts on Dr. Hunter’s disappearance with only mild attention. But when ex-police officer and Private Investigator, Jackson Brodie arrives on the scene, with connections to Reggie and Joanna Hunter of his own, the details begin tosnap into place. And, as Louise knows, once Jackson is involved there’s no telling how many criminal threads he will be able to pull together — or how many could potentially end up wrapped around his own neck.

In an extraordinary virtuoso display, Kate Atkinson has produced one of the most engrossing, masterful, and piercingly insightful novels of this or any year. It is also as hilarious as it is heartbreaking, as Atkinson weaves in and out of the lives of her eccentric, grief-plagued, and often all-too-human cast. Yet out of the excesses of her characters and extreme events that shake their worlds comes a relatively simple message, about being good, loyal, and true. When Will There Be Good News ? shows us what it means to survive the past and the present, and to have the strength to just keep on keeping on. ( From the publisher .)

This is the third in the Jackson Brodie series, following Case Histories and One Good Turn .

Author Bio • Birth—1951 • Where—York, England, UK • Education—M.A., Dundee University • Awards—Whitbread Award; Woman's Own Short Story Award; Ian St. James Award;    Saltire Book of the Year Award; Prix Westminster • Currently—lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK Kate Atkinson was born in York, and studied English Literature at the University of Dundee, gaining her Masters Degree in 1974. She subsequently studied for a doctorate in American Literature which she failed at the viva stage. During her final year of this course, she was married for the first time, although the marriage lasted only two years. After leaving the university, she took on a variety of miscellaneous jobs from home help to legal secretary and teacher. She lived in Whitby, Yorkshire for a time, before moving to Edinburgh, where she taught at Dundee University and began writing short stories. She now lives in Edinburgh. Writing She initially wrote for women's magazines after winning the 1986 Woman's Own Short Story Competition. She was runner-up for the Bridport Short Story Prize in 1990 and won an Ian St James Award in 1993 for her short-story "Karmic Mothers," which she later adapted for BBC2 television as part of its Tartan Shorts series. Atkinson's breakthrough was with her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum , which won the 1995 Whitbread Book of the Year award, ahead of Salman Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh and Roy Jenkins biography of William Ewart Gladstone. The book has been adapted for radio, theatre and television. She has since written several more novels, short stories and a play. Case Histories (2004) was described by Stephen King as "the best mystery of the decade." The book won the Saltire Book of the Year Award and the Prix Westminster. Her work is often celebrated for its wit, wisdom and subtle characterisation, and the surprising twists and plot turns. Four of her novels have featured the popular former detective Jackson Brodie —Case Histories (2004), One Good Turn (2006), When Will There Be Good News (2008), and Started Early, Took My Dog (2010 ). She has shown that, stylistically, she is also a comic novelist who often juxtaposes mundane everyday life with fantastic magical events, a technique that contributes to her work's pervasive magic realism. Life After Life (2013) revolves around Ursula Todd's continual birth and rebirth. Janet Maslin of the New York Times called it "a big book that defies logic, chronology and even history in ways that underscore its author's fully untethered imagination." A God in Ruins (2015), the companion book to Life After Life , follows Ursula's brother Todd who survived the war, only to succumb to disillusionment and guilt at having survived. Atkinson was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to literature. ( Adapted from Wikipedia .)

Book Reviews A deliciously underhanded, echo-filled novel…Although When Will There Be Good News ? has been expertly rendered by Ms. Atkinson, it is a reminder that she is too versatile a writer to stick with any one incarnation. It is very much to be hoped that she keeps this gratifying series going. But she has already shown herself capable of creating a varied body of work, starting with her debut novel, the Whitbread prizewinner Behind the Scenes at the Museum . Good as it is, this latest Brodie book nearly bursts at the seams. It shows off an imagination so active that When Will There Be Good News ? can barely contain it. Janet Maslin - New York Times

Thank God, in these hard times, for a cheerful, ghoulish, gory book like this....This is a grand mystery, with plenty of misdeeds and overwrought coincidences, as well as quotes from Scots ballads, old nursery rhymes and the classics, so you can feel edified while being creeped out—as you wait for that happy ending we all long for, and think we deserve. Carolyn See - Washington Post

( Starred review .) In Atkinson's stellar third novel to feature ex-cop turned PI Jackson Brodie (after Case Histories and One Good Turn ), unrelated characters and plot lines collide with momentous results. On a country road, six-year-old Joanna Mason is the only survivor of a knife attack that leaves her mother and two siblings dead. Thirty years later, after boarding the wrong train in Yorkshire, Brodie is almost killed when the train crashes. He's saved by 16-year-old Regina Reggie Chase, the nanny of Dr. Joanna Hunter, nee Mason. In the chaos following the crash, Brodie ends up with the wallet of Andrew Decker, the recently released man convicted of murdering the Mason family. Enter DCI Louise Monroe, Brodie's former love interest, who's tracking Decker because of a recent case involving a similar family and crime. When Dr. Hunter disappears, Reggie is convinced she's been kidnapped and enlists the reluctant Brodie to track her down. A lesser author would buckle under so many story lines, but Atkinson juggles them brilliantly, simultaneously tying up loose ends from Turn and opening new doors for further Brodie misadventures. Publishers Weekly

Evocative, smart, literary, and funny, Atkinson's third novel featuring one-time police detective Jackson Brodie (after Case Histories and One Good Turn ) is both complicated and a page-turner. Set mostly around Edinburgh, Scotland, the tale begins with a six-year-old girl escaping an attacker who kills her mother, eight-year-old sister, and baby brother. Atkinson then weaves a plot that connects Brodie to the girl, now an adult, through coincidence and more tragedy, this time a train wreck. Detective Chief Inspector Louise Morse, who has a thing for Brodie, returns to his life, and a new character appears: Reggie, an orphaned 16-year-old girl with a criminal for a brother and a desire to study for her A-levels even though she has dropped out of school. The characters quote literature (sometimes in Latin), and fabulous turns of phrase abound, but the narrative remains buoyant; it is sprinkled liberally with humorous observations (particularly from Reggie), making each wild turn of events seem like just another bump in the road. A book that will easily stand up to more than one reading; highly recommended for all fiction collections. Nancy Fontaine - Library Journal

A third appearance for former police investigator and private detective Jackson Brodie in this psychologically astute thriller from Atkinson ( Case Histories and One Good Turn ). In the emotional opening, six-year-old Joanna witnesses the brutal killing of her mother and siblings by a knife-wielding madman in the British countryside. Thirty years later, Joanna, now a doctor in Edinburgh, has become a mother herself. Her baby's nanny is 16-year-old Reggie. To Reggie, whose own mother recently died in a freak accident, Joanna and her baby represent an ideal family (Joanna's husband, a struggling businessman, seems only a vaguely irritating irrelevance to fatherless Reggie). When prickly, self-loathing policewoman Louise Monroe comes to call on lovely, warm-hearted Joanna, watchful Reggie (think Ellen Page from Juno with a Scottish brogue) is struck by the similarities between the two well-dressed professional women. Actually Louise has come to warn Joanna that her family's murderer is being released from prison. Louise chooses not to mention her other reason for visiting, a suspicion that Joanna's husband torched one of his failing businesses for the insurance. Jackson's connection to the others is revealed gradually: Jackson and Louise were once almost lovers although they since married others; as a youth Jackson joined the search party that found Joanna hiding in a field following the murders. Rattled after visiting a child he suspects he fathered despite the mother's denials, Jackson mistakenly takes the train to Edinburgh instead of London. When the train crashes near the house where Reggie happens to be watching TV, she gives him CPR. Soon afterward, Joanna's husband tells Reggie that Joanna has gone away unexpectedly. Suspecting foul play, Reggie involves Louise and Jackson in individual searches for the missing woman and baby. While Louise and Jackson face truths about themselves and their relationships, Joanna's survival instincts are once more put to the ultimate test. Like the most riveting BBC mystery, in which understated, deadpan intelligence illuminates characters' inner lives within a convoluted plot. Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions 1. Kate Atkinson is an author formerly known as a prize-winning literary writer, but with the three Jackson Brodie novels, she has introduced elements of the traditional crime novel. What do you think turns a novel into a "crime" novel? Don’t all good novels that catch the public imagination have elements of the crime novel: a sense of suspense, a mystery, a violent death or two? What crime novel conventions can you discern in this book?

2. Kate Atkinson always creates very strong female characters. What do you think about the women in this novel – Dr Hunter, Reggie, Louise? And what about the men: are they generally weaker than the women, and does this make it a feminist novel?

3. The initial tragedy that opens the books is reminiscent of familiar high-profile news stories. What is it about those cases of random violence that make them so very haunting? Does it have something to do with the fact that when mothers are attacked they can’t run, because they feel the need to stay and protect their children?

4. Similarly, it would appear that Kate Atkinson used the Selby train crash as the inspiration for the train crash in the novel. Discuss the impact of these tragedies on the nation’s morale. Do you think Kate speaks for us all when she asks When Will There Be Good News ?

5. Jackson Brodie believes that "there are no rules. There isn’t a template we’re supposed to follow. We make it up as we go along." Do you feel this statement also applies to Kate Atkinson’s writing – and to real life itself?

6. "How ironic that both Julia and Louise, the two women he’d felt closest to in his recent past, had both unexpectedly got married, and neither of them to him." Do you think Kate Atkinson should ever allow Jackson Brodie to have a successful romantic relationship? Why do you think he is such an appealing character?

7. Jackson Brodie believes that "a coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen." Discuss the coincidences in the novel. Do they make the story seem more or less real? If Kate Atkinson had written a conventional crime novel, would it be as appropriate to use coincidence to move the plot forward?

8. There are "good" characters and "evil" characters in the novel, but Kate Atkinson is rarely black and white in her portrayal of either. Louise, Reggie and Jackson Brodie are essentially good, but will break the law to achieve the right result. What is the moral code at work in the novel?

9. "As in the best crime fiction, dramatic events and unexpected twists abound, but Atkinson subverts the genre by refusing to neatly tie up every thread." (From the UK's Independent ). Did you notice any loose threads in the plot?

10. The British pride themselves on their dry wit in the face of adversity. Despite the bleakness of the subject matter and the streak of sadness running through the novel, Kate Atkinson’s writing is often very funny. What did you find humorous about the book, and do you think that it’s a particularly British sort of humour? ( Questions issued by publisher .) top of page (summary)

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When Will There Be Good News?

Kate atkinson, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Trauma, Survival, and Reckoning with the Past

When Will There Be Good News? , Kate Atkinson’s 2008 mystery novel, is very much a survival story. Multiple characters—detectives Jackson Brodie and Louise Monroe , and especially crime survivor Joanna Hunter and orphan Reggie Chase —carry memories from traumatic events and are coming to terms with how their pasts impact their relationships with others in the present. By focusing on the struggles of Joanna and Reggie to deal with their respective pasts, Atkinson argues…

Appearances vs. Reality

In When Will There Be Good News? , many characters feel like misfits in their surroundings, cross socio-cultural boundaries, and forge unlikely personal ties in an effort to find meaning in their lives. Sometimes characters embody unusual contrasts, such as Reggie’s bookishness amidst poverty, and Joanna Hunter’s underworld ties amidst middle-class gentility. These improbable boundary-crossings often signal an unresolved tension in a character’s life.  Through such contrasts—both relatively innocent ones like Reggie and darker ones…

Lies and Deceptions

Throughout When Will There Be Good News? , characters’ relationships are marked by dishonesty: lies, omissions, and deceptions of various kinds. Often these deceptions are part of the way characters represent—or fail to represent—their own lives to one another. For instance, Reggie doesn’t tell Dr. Hunter about her criminal brother, Billy (“She hadn’t lied, she had simply left him out of the story of her life”),  and Dr. Hunter never mentions her troubled past to…

All of the book’s major characters have suffered through major dysfunction in their home lives—often involving the traumatic deaths of loved ones. Reggie , Jackson , and Joanna all long to piece back together the families that were taken from them when they were young, and they each do this through the means most readily available to them—whether through jobs, childbearing, or even detective work. Through the characters’ various attempts to reconstruct their broken families…

Home / Books / When Will There Be Good News?

Jackson Brodie

When Will There Be Good News?

The third novel featuring Jackson Brodie

In a quiet corner of rural Devon, a six-year-old girl witnesses an appalling crime. Thirty years later the man convicted of the crime is released from prison.

In Edinburgh, sixteen-year-old Reggie, wise beyond her years, works as a nanny for a G.P. But her employer has disappeared with her baby, and Reggie seems to be the only person who is worried.

Across town, Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is also looking for a missing person, unaware that hurtling towards her is a former acquaintance – Jackson Brodie – himself on a journey that is about to be fatally interrupted.

“A man with an Irish accent could sound wise and poetic and interesting even when he wasn’t.”

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Kate Atkinson reads from When Will There Be Good News?

• An audio excerpt from When Will There Be Good News? read by Jason Isaacs

Download a reading guide and discussion questions for When Will There Be Good News? to support your Book Club or Reading Group.

Please note: Resources can contain spoilers.

Reading guide and discussion questions for When Will There Be Good News?

Atkinson’s world is full of bizarre accidents and meaningless murders, but she celebrates love, laughter and literature so wholeheartedly that I cheered aloud. She is one of the most eccentric of crime writers, and perhaps the sanest. Everybody should read her.

A masterclass in plot daring, an extended riff on coincidence, and a piercing evocation of love and loss in many forms. One of the fiercest, funniest, most affecting reads of the year.

An intricately crafted tale of coincidence and fate, love and longing. From the get-go, Atkinson’s pitch-perfect ear for dialogue is apparent…As in the best crime fiction, dramatic events and unexpected twists abound, but Atkinson subverts the genre by refusing to neatly tie up every thread. And while there is plenty of blood and bitterness, redemption and resolve are well represented too. Good news all around.

Independent

By becoming a crime writer she has – in a way that other ‘literary’ types may wish to note – become a better literary writer than ever: funny, bracingly intelligent and delightfully prickly…Kate Atkinson is that rarest of beasts, a genuinely surprising novelist.

I love Kate’s writing…a fantastic detective mystery.

Heralds the welcome return of Jackson Brodie…a brilliantly observed drama on the nature of fate, love and memory.

Marie Claire (Book of the Month)

The opening chapter of Kate Atkinson’s latest book is one of the finest pieces of suspense literature you will read this year…addictive…Atkinson is back at her best.

London Life

Deliciously underhanded, echo-filled novel…so rewarding…it shows off an imagination so active that When Will There Be Good News? can barely contain it.

New York Times

One of those writers who effortlessly bridges the gap between commercial and literary fiction.

Fay Weldon, Sunday Express

In this gripping new thriller by Kate Atkinson we are plunged into the heart of darkness…Suspense is tinglingly maintained throughout…shot through with wry wit and gritty realism.

Daily Express

Another faultless display by Kate Atkinson…Like the other titles in the Jackson Brodie series, this one plays with the tenets of the crime genre without ever sacrificing the essence of wit and nuance which make Atkinson’s novels such jubilant reads.

Scotland on Sunday

The good news, of course, is that here is another Jackson Brodie thriller from the brilliant Kate Atkinson. The even better news is that…it’s the most enthralling to date.

Full of unsolved mysteries and suspense. It is one of those rare fictions that defies categorisation, creating a milieu that is a recognisable version of the real world but inflected with its author’s preoccupations…contains startling moments of truth, and its insights into human nature are simply superb.

Sunday Times

An exhilarating read. Her wry humour, sharp eye for the quirks of human behaviour and subtle characterisation are a constant joy…with writing of this quality, there is good news on every page.

Atkinson’s genius is her sure control of plot…immaculately – even lovingly – paced, and it is a measure of Atkinson’s talent that I read it in one sitting…insightful, often funny, life-affirming.

Sunday Telegraph

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When will there be good news?

Subject: English

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

8 November 2021

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Teaching resource for AQA A level spec B -Crime Writing. Includes some ideas about the text, themes in the text, analysis of character and textual analysis, 4 sample exam questions -2 adapted from AQA resource and 2 based on the same pattern. Also includes some short texts for wider reading of crime writing. 44 slides.

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What it was like to be in the room with Trump at NABJ

Poynter faculty Kerwin Speight, a longtime NABJ member, was in Chicago during Trump’s appearance. It went about as expected.

Just before former President Donald Trump took the stage at the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago, an announcer asked the audience for “professionalism.”

Upbeat music booming from the sound system ushered Trump on stage. The audience was mostly silent, except for a few cheers.

Trump looked out at the crowd. The journalists and other attendees stayed mostly quiet, their mobile phones raised to record videos and take pictures. Trump greeted the moderators. They sat down to begin what immediately became a raucous conversation.

ABC News senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott’s first question was the one many in the room wanted answered.

Here’s the full text of her question:

A lot of people did not think it was appropriate for you to be here today. You have pushed false claims about some of your rivals, from Nikki Haley to former President Barack Obama, saying that they were not born in the United States, which is not true. You have told four congresswomen of color who were American citizens to go back to where they came from. You have used words like animal and rabid to describe Black district attorneys. You’ve attacked Black journalists, calling them a loser, saying the questions that they ask are, quote, stupid and racist. You’ve had dinner with a white supremacist at your Mar-a-Lago resort. So my question, sir, now that you are asking Black supporters to vote for you: Why should Black voters trust you after you have used language like that?

Trump attacked Scott immediately, something he would do several more times during the 36-minute interview. “Well, first of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question so, in such a horrible manner. First question? Don’t even say hello? How are you? Are you with ABC? Because I think they’re a fake news network, a terrible network.”

He went on to boast about all that he’d done for Black Americans, specifically bragging about “saving” historically Black colleges, a claim that PolitiFact immediately pointed out needed more context.

There was a mixture of laughter and disgust in the room. It immediately felt like a skit from “Saturday Night Live” that didn’t play out as planned.

Getting there

I’ve been a member of NABJ since 2000 and I’ve attended its annual conference about 20 times. I arrived in Chicago Wednesday morning with just enough time to pick up my badge and get in line for a seat in the room.

NABJ members had been divided over whether it was a good idea to welcome Trump to the conference since his appearance had been announced two days earlier. It’s a common practice that NABJ and other professional journalism conferences invite presidential candidates to their conventions. President Joe Biden participated in a virtual interview with NABJ in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hillary Clinton attended in 2016. Trump had declined both years.

I think it’s safe to say conference organizers were surprised when Trump said yes.

Waiting in line to get into the 1,100-seat ballroom, I saw friends, former colleagues and familiar faces. Many used the time to talk shop, talk about career aspirations and talk about the length of the line, which snaked down hallway after hallway inside the Hilton Chicago Hotel.

It took me an hour to reach the security checkpoint. Once there, all bags were searched. Everyone walked through security machines and was inspected with a wand before being cleared and pointed to the ballroom.

The energy in the 90 minutes before he took the stage was kinetic. At its peak, the room was full by my estimation, with standing room only. People mulled about, discussing what they expected from the event, speculating about what was taking so long, sharing posts from social media. There was word that Trump was in the building but there was a problem with the microphones. (Trump blamed Scott for faulty equipment, even though I’m pretty sure the mics were not her job.) Then there was a tweet that Trump was threatening to cancel because he was going to be fact-checked by my colleagues at PolitiFact as the event was happening.

Trump and the interviewers took the stage an hour and 15 minutes late. Finally, it was time to hear three Black journalists ask Trump questions about his stance on issues impacting Black Americans.

The moderators — Scott, Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba and Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner — were selected by NABJ. Each journalist brought a different brand of authority. They asked questions and often had to ask a second time as Trump diverted or decided he wanted to talk about something else. No journalist representing the Black press or Black media was on stage, something many in the crowd noted.

The most interesting questions and answers

A view from the back of the room as former President Donald Trump spoke at the National Association of Black Journalists, NABJ, convention, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Chicago. (Kerwin Speight/Poynter)

While there’s plenty of debate about the moderators and their questions, in addition to the opening question, I found two other exchanges illuminating.

Goba raised an issue that’s been plaguing Black communities for decades — the killing of Black people at the hands of law enforcement. She asked, “Sonya Massey, someone from Illinois, an unarmed Black woman, was shot the other day in her home by a deputy sheriff. The deputy has since been charged with murder. You’ve said police would get immunity from prosecution if you win. Why should someone like that officer have immunity, in your opinion?”

Trump’s first response was to hedge. “Immunity. I don’t know the exact case, but I saw something, and it didn’t look, it didn’t look good to me. Are you talking with the water, right?” he said

His answer didn’t get any more clear as he went on: “Well, he might not. I mean, it depends, it depends on what happens,” he said. “I’m talking about people that are much different cases than that. We need people to protect ourselves.”

After a back and forth about the definition of diversity, equity and inclusion, Scott asked, “Do you believe that Kamala Harris is only on the ticket because she’s a Black woman?”

Trump’s response shocked the crowd. He said, “Now it is a little bit different. I have known her a long time, indirectly, not directly very much, and she was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I did not know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. Is she Indian or is she Black?”

The audience — predominantly Black — let out a collective gasp.

Scott interjected, “She always identified as Black. She went to an historically Black college.”

I go to NABJ almost every year to see old friends, acquire new knowledge and become a better journalist. This is the organization that supports and nurtures Black journalists so they can do the work that fuels democracy.

I went to Trump’s appearance because I wanted to see him answer tough questions that Black Americans care about. Now that it’s over, I do not anticipate that the controversy over whether NABJ should have invited Trump will end anytime soon. I’m OK with that.

A comment I overheard as the event concluded sums it up, “That went about as expected.”

Correction, July 31, 2024, 8:42 p.m.: President Joe Biden participated in a virtual interview in 2020. A previous version of this article mistakenly said he submitted a video.

Opinion | ‘It is a joyous day’: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich freed in a prisoner swap with Russia

Two powerful words shared on social media, signs and bumper stickers became a reality Thursday. Free Evan! After 16 months, Gershkovich is now free.

Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich freed in a prisoner swap with Russia

Gershkovich was arrested in March 2023 on trumped up charges of espionage. After a sham trial last month, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Opinion | The good, the bad and the ugly of Donald Trump’s appearance with NABJ

By the time Trump took the stage, patience was already thin and tensions were already bubbling. The result was a mixed bag.

Fact-checking Donald Trump in Chicago at NABJ conference

In a contentious appearance, Trump argued with moderators and baselessly claimed Kamala Harris only recently began identifying as Black

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5 takeaways by a longtime NABJ member from Trump’s appearance before Black journalists

Eric Deggans

Former President Donald Trump walks offstage after speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago on Wednesday. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP hide caption

CHICAGO — At first, it felt like watching a slow-motion car crash.

I wasn’t actually in the room when Donald Trump brought his toxic rhetoric to the National Association of Black Journalists national convention Wednesday. But I was nearly there, sitting in a taxicab headed from the airport to the conference at the Hilton Chicago downtown, watching a livestream video as the former president insulted a roomful of Black journalists after ABC’s Rachel Scott opened with a tough question.

Scott asked about several instances where Trump said racist things, from falsely insisting Barack Obama wasn’t born in America to calling Black journalists losers and racist. Trump’s response was a torrent of barely connected ideas, including a complaint that NABJ brought him to Chicago under “false pretenses” because they didn’t work out details to get Vice President Kamala Harris to make a similar, in-person appearance at the convention.

“I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln,” Trump said, drawing scoffs from the crowd. “That is my answer.”

In a flash, it felt like all the predictions critics made of inviting Trump to address Black journalists came true. He was offering his usual torrent of accusations, assertions and insults — some outrageous, most inflated — creating word salad that moderators struggled to fact-check in the moment, raising fears that he owned the organization at its own conference.

As a 34-year member of NABJ, I had my own qualms. Not about inviting Trump — the group has invited the major party candidates for president to its national conferences for many years, to platform questions on issues involving people of color. But, among other things, I objected to seeing an anchor from the right-leaning cable channel Fox News among the three people questioning Trump. (Though I have volunteered for decades as chair of the NABJ’s Media Monitoring Committee, I had nothing to do with organizing Trump’s appearance.)

Trump's planned address to Black journalists convention sparks backlash

And I worried about the optics of a Black journalists group offering a prime panel spot to a politician who had attacked Black journalists, while the Black and Asian woman also running for president would not appear.

But, after some reflection and talking with other members at the conference, I think the actual impact of Trump’s appearance is more nuanced. Here’s my five takeaways from what happened.

Trump’s appearance pushed NABJ to face tension between its status as a journalism organization and an advocate for fair treatment of Black journalists and, by extension, Black people.

This is an idea I heard from a friend and fellow journalist/NABJ member, and it rings true. As journalists, we jump at the chance to ask direct questions of a former president who has often stoked racial fears, from birtherism attacks against Obama and Harris to false claims about undocumented immigrants.

But our website also notes that NABJ “advocates on behalf of Black journalists and media professionals,” honoring those who provide “balanced coverage of the Black community and society at large.” I’ve always felt that if the media industry can give Black journalists a fair shot, we can help provide more accurate, less prejudiced coverage of everything — particularly issues involving marginalized groups.

That’s why some NABJ members chafed at platforming Trump, with his long history of racist statements, at a conference aimed at reducing the prejudice Black journalists face every day. But I think part of reaching NABJ’s goals involves Black journalists learning how to confront racist ideas; trying to get Trump to explain himself in front of a group of Black media professionals seems pretty in line with that mission.

NABJ President Ken Lemon asserted during the conference’s opening ceremonies later that day that the group is, at its core, a journalism organization. On this day, at least, it’s obvious the journalism side took precedence.

Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with ABC's Rachel Scott, one of the journalists who moderated the event at NABJ in Chicago on Wednesday. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP hide caption

If the goal was to get Trump to reveal his terrible takes on race to the world — mission accomplished.

Lots of media outlets focused on his awful comments on how Harris “suddenly” became Black in his eyes. Trump tried the classic maneuver of turning an opponent’s advantage against them, acting as if the embrace of Harris as a history-making Black and Asian woman in politics was the result of some cynical marketing spin.

“I did not know she was Black until a couple of years ago when she happened to turn Black,” he said. “And now she wants to be known as Black. Is she Indian, or is she Black?”

True enough, the questioners struggled to pin Trump down on exactly why he talks about race the way he does. Or how he can believe such ideas aren’t racist.

Trump attacks Kamala Harris’ racial identity at Black journalism convention

Still, what Trump did say mostly made him look old-fashioned and prejudiced. Will it appeal to his base? Perhaps, but the moment didn’t feel like a strong, confident leader puncturing racial hypocrisy.

It seemed more like the wandering statements of someone who just doesn’t understand America’s modern melting pot of ethnicities.

Sometimes, with Trump, there is value in having an interviewer on hand who he trusts.

Much as I disliked seeing an anchor from a news organization that has won the NABJ’s Thumbs Down Award twice on the panel, Fox News’ Harris Faulkner did get Trump to open up a bit with less-pointed but telling questions.

In particular, when Trump said he thought the vice presidential candidates had “virtually no impact” on election results, he seemed to put into perspective his relationship with JD Vance while belittling the guy he is supposed to spend months alongside in a tight campaign.

There are other journalists from less partisan news outlets who likely could have achieved the same moment. But there is value in having one journalist in the mix who doesn’t immediately raise Trump’s defenses and might provoke more telling responses.

Former President Donald Trump appears on a panel at NABJ on Wednesday in Chicago. From left, ABC's Rachel Scott, Semafor's Kadia Goba and FOX News' Harris Faulkner moderated the event. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP hide caption

Trump is a chaos agent who divides people and divides NABJ

In the end, I was less concerned about how NABJ looked to the world in the wake of Trump’s visit than how it deals with itself.

As news of the panel spread, many journalists spoke out passionately against having him at the conference, reasoning that any appearance would likely benefit him more than the group, platforming his terrible rhetoric about racial issues. Well-known figures like Roland Martin and April Ryan — who Trump criticized when he was president — spoke out; Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah quit her post as convention co-chair amid the controversy.

There are also tough questions about why the group couldn’t work out an arrangement to have Harris appear at the convention virtually, given that she was flying to Houston for the funeral of friend and sorority sister Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.

Considering the intense emotions at hand over the coming election and widespread skepticism about coverage decisions by journalists, there’s lots of criticism and bruising assumptions about what happened here.

This is the kind of division that can hobble NABJ in the future as people cancel memberships, decline to volunteer, hold back donations and continue to criticize the group’s direction. I expect the group’s membership meeting, scheduled for Saturday morning, will draw lots of pointed feedback from those who still question the wisdom of welcoming the former president here.

As someone who can attribute almost every major job I’ve gotten to connections made at an NABJ convention, this heightened squabbling is what I fear most — a distraction at a time when job losses and cutbacks in media have made times even more challenging for journalists of color.

In a way, NABJ played Trump’s game — and may have had some success

Another friend noted that Trump — who commands loyalty from GOP voters — has always valued dominating the news cycle, regardless of whether the stories are complimentary. His NABJ appearance ensured everything from the network evening news programs to The Daily Show focused on his comments here rather than Harris’ increasingly energized campaign.

As I saw criticism build over Trump’s visit, I wondered if NABJ wasn’t like a scrappy dog who finally caught a passing car — after years of GOP candidates declining invitations, finally one of the most divisive Republicans in modern politics was accepted. And the consequences of hosting him — particularly when Harris would not appear at the convention — loomed large.

But in the end, NABJ also landed at the top of the news cycle at a time when — as announced by the group during its opening ceremony — the convention drew the largest number of attendees in its history, over 4,000.

Yes, many supporters felt, as I did initially, that the appearance was a train wreck. But NABJ also showed the world three Black female journalists questioning Trump on some of his most provocative statements on race, with telling answers.

In a world where any publicity can be good publicity, that just might be enough.

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Fact-Checking Trump’s Remarks on Race

The former president falsely accused Vice President Kamala Harris of “only promoting” her Indian heritage, among other inaccurate claims. Here’s a fact check.

• Share full article

By Linda Qiu

• July 31, 2024

Former President Donald J. Trump, in a combative appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists, repeatedly disparaged Vice President Kamala Harris and the Black women interviewing him as he made the case on Wednesday that Black voters should vote for him in November.

In a 30-minute appearance, Mr. Trump made false and exaggerated claims about Ms. Harris, overstated his role in securing funding for historically Black colleges and universities and repeated his false assertion that he did more for Black Americans than any president since Abraham Lincoln. He also rehashed several other inaccurate claims about inflation, immigration and other topics that have become staples of his public appearances.

Here’s a fact check.

What Was Said

“I’ve known her a long time indirectly, not directly very much. And she was always of Indian heritage and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black.”

False. Ms. Harris, the daughter of an Indian American mother and Jamaican father, has consistently identified as Black in public life and long before she entered the national stage.

Ms. Harris told The Washington Post in 2019 that she had long been comfortable with her racial identity. The Post reported that during her 2010 race for attorney general of California, some members of the Indian American community in San Francisco had not known about Ms. Harris’s Indian heritage, and that in public office, Ms. Harris had “tended to stress issues over her personal biography.”

But Ms. Harris never hid her biracial background during various campaigns. In her 2019 autobiography, “The Truths We Hold,” Ms. Harris wrote that her family instilled “pride in our South Asian roots” in her and her sister, Maya, but that “my mother understood very well that she was raising two Black daughters.”

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When Will There Be Good News? Literary Elements

By kate atkinson.

These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.

Written by Anastasia Melnyk, Lucy Hannah

Crime/Detective

Setting and Context

The events take place in Edinburgh. The time is divided into two time-lines: the present time, and the time of thirty years ago.

Narrator and Point of View

The story is written in the third person, and follows the point of view of multiple different characters- Joanna Hunter, Reggie Chase, Jackson Brodie and Louise Monroe.

Tone and Mood

The tone is dramatic, while the mood is suspenseful.

Protagonist and Antagonist

There are multiple protagonists, with the main protagonists being Joanna, Reggie, Jackson and Louise. The main antagonist is Andrew Decker, with Billy Chase being a more minor antagonist. It could be argued that Neil Hunter (Joanna's husband) is another minor antagonist.

Major Conflict

The main conflict is whether a person can live a life if something really terrible had happened in the past.

The climax comes with the Dr. Hunter’s reappearance.

Foreshadowing

The introductory chapter reveals a foreshadowing that Joanna would have to struggle through her life.

Understatement

The concept of family, ‘blood and flesh’, is underestimated.

The novel alludes to some writers like Hemingway, Dickens, Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence. There are also allusions to some historic figures like Princess Diana.

Images of nature, everyday use objects, houses, etc., are widely used in the story.

“Neither of them spoke, there was nothing to say and everything to say at the same time”.

Parallelism

The chapters are told in the parallels of the present and the past.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

“a stream dressed in PE kit, poured out of the school and spread over the green like a delta” (“stream” is metonymy for children) “the suit next to him coughed” (‘the suit’ is metonymy for the person being dressed in that suit)

Personification

“The little road snaked one way and then another, so that you couldn’t see anything ahead of you” (the “road” is personified) “The first sirens had begun to wail in the distance” (‘sirens’ are personified)

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After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.

When Will There Be Good News? Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for When Will There Be Good News? is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Study Guide for When Will There Be Good News?

When Will There Be Good News? study guide contains a biography of Kate Atkinson, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About When Will There Be Good News?
• When Will There Be Good News? Summary
• Character List