Wouldn’t it be nice if, once in a while, a news story about Dick Cheney, Vladimir Putin, or the Philadelphia Eagles surprised you?

A journalist’s duty is to look beyond questions of legal guilt or innocence to ask, “What really happened here?” A rape victim’s testimony might not stand up in court, but if she is the victim, how can she be ignored?

How could major league journalists swallow the narrative spun by Bill Cosby, his lawyers, and his PR handlers? You may find the answer not in journalism but in art — specifically, in Roman Polanski’s classic 1974 film Chinatown.

Banish Taylor Swift from your mind and return with me now to the days when songwriters prided themselves on their skill at devising inventive rhymes for seemingly unrhymable words.

Are you astonished that Bill Cosby’s carefully controlled personal narrative doesn’t jibe with the real, fallible human Bill Cosby? The comedian/producer has been dropping hints to that effect throughout his career.

Why was the governor’s wife dragged into his campaign at the last minute? Ask George Orwell.

Instead of endorsing a candidate for governor, the Inquirer opts to summarize the candidates’ stands on critical issues. Is this a newspaper or the League of Women Voters?

Like most journalists, I was shocked to learn that Pennsylvania state officials have sent hundreds of pornographic images to one another over the Internet. Please — can we talk seriously about pornography in the Internet age?

Was Philadelphia ever a good town for college football? Oh my yes. Too good, in fact.

Hitler triggered a scientific brain drain that ultimately destroyed Germany. Now the descendants of his victims — tech-savvy Israelis — are flocking to Hitler's capital city. Is there a lesson here?