United States Project
How one town’s government brought the local paper back to life
A year later, the Fitchburg Star gets ready to stand on its own—and cover an election
By Corey Hutchins Feb 27, 2015 at 06:50 AM
Around this time last year, a practically defunct newspaper in a suburb of Madison, WI, embarked on an experiment: With... More
The Kicker
Washington Post staffer leaves for Starbucks-backed media startup
Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s longform storytelling venture is backed by the coffee giant
By David Uberti Feb 26, 2015 at 03:58 PM
The Washington Post’s Rajiv Chandrasekaran is the latest legacy media star to strike out on his own in the... More
Behind the News
How journalists should reframe the encryption debate
Privacy concerns need to be addressed
By Kelly J O'Brien Feb 26, 2015 at 02:50 PM
Digital encryption may seem like a niche topic to be the center of an international debate. Yet in recent months,... More
Reality Check
Showdown over the future of independent documentaries at PBS
Proposal to move POV and Independent Lens to secondary station puts PBS and WNET in a bind
By Chris Ip Feb 26, 2015 at 11:40 AM
POV executive producer Simon Kilmurry, filmmaker Dawn Porter and WNET VP for programming Stephen Segaller at PBS' New York... More
The Second Opinion
The LA Times goes deep on superbug outbreak
Strong reporting spurs FDA response. But there’s more to do on the patient safety beat.
By Trudy Lieberman Feb 26, 2015 at 11:00 AM
Go beyond finger-pointing and look for systemic failures. This advice to journalists on the patient safety beat, from health policy... More
Behind the News
The Olympics and press freedom
Journalists can face restrictions while covering the games
By Joel Simon Feb 26, 2015 at 06:50 AM
In 2001, the last time Beijing was competing to host the Olympic Games, Chinese officials made many promises, including a... More
The Observatory
Why scientists often hate records requests
The shadow side of sunlight laws
By Anna Clark Feb 25, 2015 at 11:00 AM
A mammoth open records request by an anti-GMO nonprofit is making headlines this month for the sheer breadth of its... More
United States Project
Why Jan Brewer is sounding like James Risen
Arizona’s former governor is claiming First Amendment protections, and she may have a point
By Jonathan Peters Feb 25, 2015 at 06:50 AM
My law school mentor used to joke that the First Amendment has protected a bunch of unsavory characters: separatists, chauvinists,... More
Behind the News
Why Bill O’Reilly can play hardball on his war zone story
The media controversy is one that plays to his and Fox News’ inherent strengths.
By David Uberti Feb 24, 2015 at 03:14 PM
Fox News host Bill O’Reilly continued a boisterous defense this week against charges originally leveled by a Mother Jones... More
United States Project
How limited access to state officials hurts reporting in Missouri
Veteran journalists say things have changed for the worse under Gov. Jay Nixon
By Deron Lee Feb 24, 2015 at 02:50 PM
PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS -- To hear Phill Brooks tell it, statehouse reporters in Missouri used to have serious access. Brooks,... More
United States Project
Chicago’s council races are becoming a better story
That’s good news for reporters—though concerns persist about patchwork coverage
By Jackie Spinner Feb 24, 2015 at 10:50 AM
CHICAGO, IL — A Trekkie, a salsa dancer, a member of the 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame, even a man... More
Behind the News
Reveal and the new push for podcasts
A new direction for investigative reporting
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Feb 24, 2015 at 06:50 AM
Two years ago, John Barth met Joaquin Alvarado, the CEO of the Center for Investigative Reporting, for martinis at the... More
Behind the News
Will the new Page One meetings finally make the Times digital first?
Nothing else has worked so far
By Nikki Usher Feb 23, 2015 at 04:00 PM
Last Thursday, New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet announced a radical change: The Gray Lady's twice-daily Page One meetings... More
Language Corner
Why we ‘stave off’ colds
It all started with wine
By Merrill Perlman Feb 23, 2015 at 12:40 PM
"I'm trying to stave off a cold," a friend said. Another responded, "Wine will work for that." Neither probably realized... More
Behind the News
Why journalists are struggling to cover Libya
It’s too dangerous to report regularly from inside the country
By Jared Malsin Feb 23, 2015 at 06:50 AM
The crisis in Libya seized world media attention again this month after self-declared Islamic State militants released a video showing... More
The Kicker
Must-reads of the week
Native ads, feelings journalism, and a new New Republic
By The Editors Feb 20, 2015 at 03:29 PM
Culled from CJR's own stories, plus the frequently updated "Must-reads from around the Web," our staff recommendations for the best... More
Full-Court Press
Reporters rely on anonymous sources in heightened NBA coverage
Rumors fuel fans before the trading deadline
By Christopher Massie Feb 20, 2015 at 12:40 PM
Thursday at 3pm marked the NBA trade deadline, teams' last chance to make major roster upgrades before the playoffs. Reporters... More
Behind the News
Why serious journalism can coexist with audience-pleasing content
Legacy media organizations should experiment with digital platforms while continuing to publish hard news
By Ann Friedman Feb 20, 2015 at 06:50 AM
In his editor's letter this week announcing a redesigned New York Times Magazine, one with much more digital content... More
United States Project
Dan Gilbert stories disappear with no explanation to readers
They’re back online today, but it was a bad move by these alt-weeklies
By Anna Clark Feb 19, 2015 at 01:50 PM
DETROIT, MI — Last fall, Detroit’s Metro Times and Cleveland’s Scene, alt-weeklies owned by Euclid Media, each published big, ambitious... More
Behind the News
What documentary filmmakers and journalists can learn from each other
A new report seeks to promote dialogue between the two groups
By Lene Bech Sillesen Feb 19, 2015 at 11:59 AM
Harnessing the power of film to tell investigative stories can be risky for documentary film producers. In 2009, the documentary... More
Darts and Laurels
Oregon governor’s resignation shows power of local media
In-state journalists brought down John Kitzhaber without national outlets’ help
By David Uberti Feb 19, 2015 at 06:50 AM
The scandal that enveloped Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber in recent months didn’t capture the attention of national political media... More
Behind the News
Tracking your every online move
Native ads could increase readership with one simple trick
By Damaris Colhoun Feb 18, 2015 at 02:00 PM
Everyone who shops online knows what happens next: Search for jackets, and the banner ads you see across the Web... More
Currents
The New Republic, then and now
Tallying the staff turnover at the overhauled magazine
By David Uberti and Chris Ip Feb 18, 2015 at 06:50 AM
Beginning in December, the implosion of The New Republic was shocking in its totality. The departure of 23 staff writers... More
New survey reveals everything you think about freelancing is true - Data from Project Word quantifies challenges of freelance investigative reporting
Why one editor won’t run any more op-eds by the Heritage Foundation’s top economist - A reply to Paul Krugman on state taxes and job growth made some incorrect claims
Why we ‘stave off’ colds - It all started with wine
The New Republic, then and now - Tallying the staff turnover at the overhauled magazine
Why serious journalism can coexist with audience-pleasing content - Legacy media organizations should experiment with digital platforms while continuing to publish hard news
Email blasts from CJR writers and editors
The rise of feelings journalism (TNR)
“Bloom engaged in an increasingly popular style of writing, which I’ve discussed on my blog before, which I call “feelings journalism.” It involves a writer making an argument based on what they imagine someone else is thinking, what they feel may be another person’s feelings. The realm of fact, of reporting, has been left behind.”
Things a war correspondent should never say (WSJ)
“The correspondent retelling war stories surely knows that fellow correspondents had faced the same dangers or worse”
The joyful, bloody media circus of bringing down Brian Williams (Bloomberg)
“In the media, we eat our own for sport”
On WaPo trying to interview a cow (National Journal)
“‘I wasn’t milked on the White House lawn by a strange man,’ The Washington Post—the venerable institution that would later come to break the Watergate scandal and win 48 Pulitzers—quoted her, a farm animal, as saying”
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.
