The awesome responsibility of being Publisher of The Digital Journalist has once again fallen upon my shoulders. Actually it didn't fall, but was thrust there by Dirck Halstead, who is busy promoting his book Moments in Time on that exhausting trail I know so well – the Author Tour. By a remarkable coincidence our cover story this month is Dirck Halstead's book Moments in Time. It's funny how these things work out. One thing dipping into Dirck's book will amply illustrate is what a long and extraordinary career he's had so far, and how privileged the best photojournalists are to be the front-line witnesses of so much contemporary history. His work could be used as a primer for the history of the United States in the last half of the 20th century, and for all I know maybe is.

Our second feature is fitting for the season of the year. As we genuflect in front of the altar of compassion before opening whatever gifts our particular religion mandates we receive, let us pause for a moment and think about what we actually do believe. This is what the producers of the NPR program This I Believe asked many thousands of people to do, out of which they produced a book by the same title. They also asked photographer Nubar Alexanian to photograph some of the participants, the results of which we publish in this issue. The problem of photographing what people believe was a challenge that Nubar was not only up for, but executed through a series of compelling portraits of the famous and those yet to become so.

I love the Dispatches section of The DJ. For someone who hasn't been out at the sharp end for a considerable amount of time it's refreshing to be taken there again through the humor or passion, often both, of the working photographer. This month's offering spans the gamut of humor and passion, revealing the secrets of the campaign trail with Kinky Friedman as well as a small portion of Brent Stirton's work on AIDS for the Global Business Coalition Against AIDS.

Along with all this we have Ron Steinman taking issue with Thomas L. Friedman of The New York Times on his recent article in which he saw parallels between Iraq and the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War. Add to this PF Bentley's good news that Mac users no longer need fear Windows Media players because of a product called Flip4Mac. You may have missed it, but Joan Gramatte found a Gorilla at the recent PhotoPlus show in New York, and Beverly Spicer starts E-Bits with a lesson on Shakespeare that morphs into a plea for living in harmony with animals, taking in some highly entertaining video on the way.

This, and more, awaits you in the December edition of The Digital Journalist. May I also take this opportunity to thank you for your attention over the last 12 months, and to wish you a very happy whatever it is you're celebrating. If you're not celebrating anything, don't worry – something will come along soon, even if it's only the January edition of The Digital Journalist.

Peter Howe
Executive Editor and would-be Publisher and Editor
peterhowe1@mac.com

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