United States Project
How an activist journalist’s commitment to a poor Chicago community led to a big FOIA win
After a years-long fight, city agrees that records of police misconduct complaints will be public
By Rui Kaneya Jul 22, 2014 at 10:58 AM
CHICAGO, IL — Ten years ago, a school janitor named Diane Bond brought a civil rights lawsuit against the... More
Behind the News
Truth and the Russian media
Unhinged claims about the Malaysia jet are part of a broader propaganda campaign
By Maria Danilova Jul 22, 2014 at 09:56 AM
As the world reacted to the deranged explanations emanating from Russia's state-controlled media about what really happened to Malaysia Airlines... More
Language Corner
Gotcha!
Get, got, and gotten
By Merrill Perlman Jul 22, 2014 at 06:50 AM
A software program that acts as a super spelling checker often stops on the word "got," and asks, in effect,... More
The Audit
How Forbes got to $475 million
That’s what a Hong Kong investor has agreed to pay for a firm that two years ago had trouble paying its rent
By Ryan Chittum Jul 21, 2014 at 05:06 PM
Integrated Whale Media Investments of Hong Kong is now the majority owner of Forbes Media, valuing the company at a... More
The Kicker
Are female journalists up to the job of a Jill Abramson interview?
Reporters avoid unflattering discussion about her firing
By Elizabeth Spayd Jul 21, 2014 at 04:45 PM
Let me just say this: If I ever get publicly bounced from a job, I am heading straight for Cosmopolitan... More
Behind the News
Minus proper archives, news outlets risk losing years of backstories forever
Experts say journalism outfits are naive about the safety of digital content and underestimate the value of archives
By Lene Sillesen Jul 21, 2014 at 12:41 PM
Print stories can be lost, but digital stories last forever, captured for eternity in some nebulous internet ether or on... More
Behind the News
Twitter and factchecking don’t mix during debates
Though Twitter provides real-time opportunities to hold candidates accountable during debates, factchecking on the quick isn’t as easy as it looks
By David Uberti Jul 21, 2014 at 06:50 AM
Mitt Romney’s assertion in the first 2012 presidential debate - that Obamacare was a government takeover of the healthcare industry... More
The Kicker
Must-reads of the week
Somaly Mam, the race beat and America’s ‘records of carnage.’
By The Editors Jul 18, 2014 at 02:50 PM
Culled from CJR’s own stories, plus the frequently updated “Must-reads from around the Web,” our staff recommendations for the best... More
United States Project
Jose Antonio Vargas’ detention shows what ‘border security’ actually entails
A reminder to reporters: Look beyond familiar images of agents patrolling the line
By Michelle Garcia Jul 18, 2014 at 02:50 PM
AUSTIN, TX -- The blurry photograph appears to capture the moment on July 15 when a Border Patrol agent handcuffed... More
United States Project
Free Press takes its transparency dispute with the University of Michigan to court
An attempt to clarify state law—and establish a principle of openness for public universities
By Jonathan Peters Jul 18, 2014 at 11:02 AM
Investment commitments and funding of more than $120 million, a property purchase for $12.8 million, construction of a new biological... More
Data Points
The best and worst of this week’s data journalism
A cool side project tracking taxi rides, and a quest to find the bowling center of the country
By Tanveer Ali Jul 18, 2014 at 11:00 AM
Chris Whong--a self-proclaimed urbanist, mapmaker, and data junkie--filed a Freedom of Information request that resulted in acquiring information about all... More
News Literacy
How to check if that viral video is true
Journalists don’t always verify user-generated content, so readers need to learn how to verify what they see online
By Jihii Jolly Jul 18, 2014 at 06:50 AM
When big news breaks, like the Malaysian airline plane crash in eastern Ukraine on Thursday afternoon, news organizations can't... More
The Audit
Murdoch moves on Time Warner
As pipes companies merge, another round of media consolidation
By Ryan Chittum Jul 17, 2014 at 04:04 PM
Seven years ago, when Rupert Murdoch stunned the media world by bidding for The Wall Street Journal, its parent company... More
The Second Opinion
Dangerous drug side effects will no longer be secret in Canada
Kudos to the Toronto Star for dogged investigations and pressure on a reluctant government agency
By Trudy Lieberman Jul 17, 2014 at 03:00 PM
Last fall on a visit to Canada, I spotted a first-rate piece in the Toronto Star by Diana Zlomislic,... More
Critical Eye
How Katrina and BP spill coverage defined NOLA as the two events, in turn, shaped local press
A review of Oil and Water: Media Lessons from Hurricane Katrina and The Deepwater Horizon Disaster
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Jul 17, 2014 at 10:30 AM
When Hurricane Katrina charged through New Orleans, the devastation left in its wake had an unintended side effect: It became... More
The Observatory
A long-time science reporter wrote a questionable book on genetics. Can we trust his other work?
The case of Nicholas Wade and reporting on a lively field with a dishonorable past
By Chris Ip Jul 17, 2014 at 06:53 AM
In the 10 weeks since veteran science journalist Nicholas Wade penned a book claiming that genetic difference between the races... More
United States Project
For Detroit’s alt-weekly, rising ambition and a few questionable decisions
Native ads can be OK—just be clear with readers, and please keep them off the cover!
By Anna Clark Jul 17, 2014 at 06:50 AM
DETROIT, MI — The Boston Phoenix closed up shop. The Village Voice is diminished by heavy layoffs and staff disquiet.... More
United States Project
Journalist on criticism of ‘neglected child’ broadcast: ‘I reported the facts I was given by the police’
As a local news clip goes viral, critics bring context and more perspectives
By Corey Hutchins Jul 16, 2014 at 02:58 PM
CHARLESTON, SC -- "I reported the facts I was given by the police." That's what broadcast reporter Deon Guillory told... More
Behind the News
After 29 years, Freep is indefinitely halting its high school journalism program (UPDATED)
It has long been a pipeline, sending local, diverse talent to prominent journalism careers
By Aaron Foley Jul 16, 2014 at 11:15 AM
The Detroit Free Press is abruptly ending a 29-year-old high school journalism program within weeks, where high school students were... More
Behind the News
Somaly Mam, Nick Kristof, and journalism’s hero problem
Reporters should not abandon the story of child trafficking in Cambodia, just because its ‘hero’ has fallen
By Karen Coates Jul 16, 2014 at 06:50 AM
Heroes are complicated and victims aren't always who we think they are. As journalists, we are storytellers lured by the... More
United States Project
The Grand Dame of Florida reporting has retired twice, but she’s still causing trouble
A conversation with the Tampa Bay Times’ Lucy Morgan
By Susannah Nesmith Jul 16, 2014 at 06:50 AM
MIAMI — The Tampa Bay Times’ Lucy Morgan is the Grand Dame of statehouse reporters in Florida. Morgan was recently inducted... More
United States Project
A silver lining in Pew’s statehouse press report?
A Daily Tar Heel reporter sees a call to action in shrinking legacy coverage
By Amanda Albright Jul 15, 2014 at 04:00 PM
It was 4pm, nearing the end of a workday for North Carolina's state legislators, political experts, and public relations flacks,... More
United States Project
6 Wikipedia edits made from Capitol Hill
A new Twitter bot records anonymous changes, ranging from serious to mundane, made on computers in Congress
By David Uberti Jul 15, 2014 at 03:07 PM
Congressional approval ratings are near all-time lows. Policy issues have taken a back seat on the campaign trail, special interests... More
Brick by brick - After years of shrinking ambition at The Washington Post, Jeff Bezos has the paper thinking global domination
Gawker’s so-far successful experiment in making office chats public - Are group chat rooms a waste of time or essential to running a modern newsroom?
A new course in video games journalism - As an art form grows up, can the critics keep pace?
On the NSA, a White House credibility problem - The AP report on the destruction of The Guardian’s hard drives is just the latest evidence that reporters can’t trust the Obama administration on spying claims
Long all-volunteer, Guernica Mag looks toward paying its contributors - The 10-year-old online mag hired its first full-time employee and is launching a second Kickstarter
For Detroit's alt-weekly, rising ambition and a few questionable decisions (5)
Are female journalists up to the job of a Jill Abramson interview? (4)
The Grand Dame of Florida reporting has retired twice, but she's still causing trouble (3)
Dangerous drug side effects will no longer be secret in Canada (2)
Email blasts from CJR writers and editors
Should travelers avoid airlines with past crashes? (FiveThirtyEight)
Nate Silver drills into the numbers
In the digital sphere, ‘magazine’ = money (Digiday)
“A single page in a glossy magazine could be discounted by more than half its open rate and still get an effective CPM of about $70. Online display ad CPMs average under $3”
9 decades of The New Yorker (New Yorker)
With the relaunch comes the archive
I don’t care if you like it (TNR)
“[I]n this country, every barometer by which female worth is measured—from the superficial to the life-altering, the appreciative to the punitive—has long been calibrated to ‘dude,’ whether or not those measurements are actually being taken by dudes”
Greg Marx discusses democracy and news with Tom Rosenstiel of the American Press Institute
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
ACEsTooHigh.com – Reporting on the science, education, and policy surrounding childhood trauma
Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.
