Monthly Archive
November 2012
NY community papers struggle post-Sandy
Small papers were washed away when their readers most needed them, and they’re still recovering
By Henry Gass Nov 30, 2012 at 03:29 PM
The Wave offices, post-Hurricane Sandy. Photo credit: Henry Gass During Hurricane Sandy, the offices of The Wave, a community newspaper... More
Must-reads of the week
A day without violence in New York, an immortal jellyfish in Shirahama, the last bookstore in Nashville
By The Editors Nov 30, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Culled from CJR’s frequently updated “Must-reads from around the Web,” our staff recommendations for the best pieces of journalism (and... More
NBC News sets good example for Medicare reporting
People perspective leads to clear explanation of impact of proposed changes
By Trudy Lieberman Nov 30, 2012 at 02:50 PM
As tax and spending talks grind on in Washington, The New York Times tells us Friday that in his latest... More
In Pennsylvania, a niche site with wide reach
PoliticsPA drives political conversation in Keystone State
By Ken Knelly Nov 30, 2012 at 11:00 AM
PENNSYLVANIA — Whether it is a presidential swing state or not, Pennsylvania is always a political battleground. With countless boroughs,... More
Audit Notes: pyramid people, Disney and ABC, no USA Today paywall
Roddy Boyd digs into a diet-shake pyramid scheme
By Ryan Chittum Nov 30, 2012 at 06:50 AM
The investigative journalist Roddy Boyd has some excellent reporting on a multilevel marketing company (read: pyramid scheme) called ViSalus: ViSalus... More
Gay at the Times
A lot has changed at the Gray Lady since the early ’90s
By Jennifer Vanasco Nov 30, 2012 at 06:50 AM
In her column, Minority Reports, Jennifer Vanasco analyzes how the mainstream media covers social minorities. It turns out that the... More
Hot air Rises Above on CNBC
An anchor pins a minor dip in stocks on the TV appearance of a minor politician
By Ryan Chittum Nov 30, 2012 at 12:41 AM
Rise Above, if you're among the 99.95 percent of the country who don't watch CNBC on a given day, is... More
The future of factchecking
Here’s what journalists should learn from the 2012 campaign
By Brendan Nyhan Nov 29, 2012 at 02:50 PM
As journalists close the books on 2012 and look forward to coverage of a second Obama administration, one important question... More
The media news cycle is bananas
What’s up with the last couple of days?
By The Editors Nov 29, 2012 at 12:30 PM
We seem to be in the thick of a media news maelstrom right now: —Jeff Zucker was officially named the... More
Can people afford to lose their Social Security COLA?
So far, the press has given this public policy concern the brush off
By Trudy Lieberman Nov 29, 2012 at 11:00 AM
This post is the first of several primers on Social Security we will publish in the coming weeks to help... More
Audit Notes: WaPo on Avandia, giving away the store, plutocrats
Report shows how drug research is corrupted by corporate money
By Ryan Chittum Nov 29, 2012 at 06:50 AM
The Washington Post's Peter Whoriskey has another outstanding story in his series on the Avandia drug scandal at GlaxoSmithKline and... More
Relationship advice for writers and editors
How to work together smoothly
By Ann Friedman Nov 29, 2012 at 06:50 AM
How do you let your editor know you appreciate all they do for you without sounding like a suck-up? —Anonymous... More
Pass the #popcorn
ICYMI: TechCrunch errs, other tech writers pile on
By Sara Morrison Nov 28, 2012 at 06:08 PM
According to a recent Pew study, 15 percent of adults online use Twitter — 8 percent daily. I’m pretty sure... More
Dull news from Doha
UN climate summit a ho-hum affair for the press
By Curtis Brainard Nov 28, 2012 at 03:30 PM
The United Nations climate-change summit that began in Doha, Qatar, on Monday has so far been a ho-hum affair for... More
Audit Notes: FT’s Fairhead is out; BofA CEO stonewalls; Rent a Quote
But Pearson says the paper is not for sale.
By Ryan Chittum Nov 28, 2012 at 06:50 AM
FT Group CEO Rona Fairhead got denied the top job at Pearson and so is stepping down as chairman and... More
What if there are fewer polls in 2016?
Is the editor-in-chief of Gallup’s warning a nightmare vision or… sort of beguiling?
By Walter Shapiro Nov 27, 2012 at 04:00 PM
As a feud, it does not rise to the level of Lyndon Johnson versus Bobby Kennedy or even Jack Benny’s... More
Whine lovers
Complaining with a British accent
By Merrill Perlman Nov 27, 2012 at 03:13 PM
People do a lot of whining. Lately, though, many publications seem to be spelling the complainers (or their complaints) differently.... More
Dart: CBS and the Goldman Sachs solution
Another weak showing on Social Security
By Trudy Lieberman Nov 27, 2012 at 11:06 AM
Maybe CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley was so awestruck by a chance to visit one of the seven... More
Post Industrial Journalism: Adapting to the Present
A report by Emily Bell, CW Anderson, and Clay Shirky has just been released
By Emily Bell Nov 27, 2012 at 10:21 AM
Today we publish our report, “Post Industrial Journalism: Adapting to the Present” from the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at... More
Amazon sharecroppers
The Seattle Times on the hometown giant’s uneasy relationship with its merchants
By Ryan Chittum Nov 27, 2012 at 06:50 AM
The Seattle Times has another good story on Amazon, this time reporting on the hometown giant's lopsided relationship with its... More
‘Resetting’ The Plain Dealer
What’s to become of Cleveland’s daily, a bright spot in Ohio’s coverage of election 2012?
By T.C. Brown Nov 27, 2012 at 06:50 AM
OHIO — The frenzy of presidential candidates and entourages overrunning the Buckeye State is history, but questions about how Ohio’s... More
The Washington Post needs a paywall—now
A strategic error needs to be reversed, stat
By Dean Starkman Nov 26, 2012 at 10:00 AM
The not-so-gentle ejection of Marcus Brauchli from the top editor’s chair at The Washington Post has cast a bright... More
Closer look at a cash cow
Denver’s KUSA says newsroom’s “Truth Tests” set high bar for campaign-ad vetting
By Mary Winter Nov 26, 2012 at 07:00 AM
COLORADO — Barack Obama wasn’t the only winner in the 2012 campaign here. The state’s TV stations—especially those in Denver,... More
In Michigan, a look back on the 2012 campaign
A veteran journalist and a young reporter talk about lessons learned
By Anna Clark Nov 23, 2012 at 10:45 AM
MICHIGAN — It was hard. That’s how Marisa Schultz, political reporter for The Detroit News, sums up the experience of... More
Audit Notes: not Fortune tellers; Foursquare, two million; Big Ten
The magazine’s picks for future Apple and Microsoft CEOs go awry immediately
By Ryan Chittum Nov 23, 2012 at 06:50 AM
Fortune peered into its crystal ball for the October 29 issue and came up with four "best bets" on who's... More
Five awesome blogs about minority communities
These sites do a good job giving a sense of their group’s culture or politics, or pointing out media stereotypes
By Jennifer Vanasco Nov 23, 2012 at 06:50 AM
In her column, Minority Reports, Jennifer Vanasco analyzes how the mainstream media covers social minorities. One of the tough things... More
Must-reads of the week
Passwords, Tina Brown, failed right-wing storytelling
By The Editors Nov 21, 2012 at 12:15 PM
Culled from CJR’s frequently updated “Must-reads from around the Web,” our staff recommendations for the best pieces of journalism (and... More
A database that brings radio to life
This American Life’s archive as an interactive map
By Anna Codrea-Rado Nov 21, 2012 at 11:30 AM
Data journalism and information visualization is a burgeoning field. Every week, Between the Spreadsheets will analyze, interrogate, and explore emerging... More
Popularity contest
Words for the people
By Merrill Perlman Nov 21, 2012 at 11:00 AM
The article was discussing a survey on the popular view of marketers and politicians. “Both have a higher perception of... More
Translating America, into Wolof
How a radio host explains US politics to Senegalese listeners in New York and Africa
By Seth Maxon Nov 21, 2012 at 06:50 AM
At about 7:30 p.m. on election day, as Dame Babou waited for the returns at Londel’s Restaurant in Harlem, he... More
Audit Notes: the free model, Coulson and Brooks, another DOJ stunt
A musician writes a compelling business argument against Pandora
By Ryan Chittum Nov 21, 2012 at 06:50 AM
The free model isn't just a failure for newspapers. It doesn't work in music either, as this terrific Pitchfork piece... More
Key stories in the Keystone State
Four issues Pennsylvania’s political press should stay on
By Ken Knelly Nov 20, 2012 at 04:00 PM
PENNSYLVANIA — Political reporters and commentators here will continue to ponder, as the Philadelphia Inquirer did on November 9, Pennsylvania’s... More
Martin Baron’s plans for WaPo
Will he bring the Globe’s double-site strategy to the Post?
By Sara Morrison Nov 20, 2012 at 03:30 PM
Boston Globe editor Martin Baron will be The Washington Post's new executive editor come January 2013, replacing Marcus Brauchli. Three... More
Rise Above, CNBC’s move into advocacy
Corporate America’s house organ starts an anti-political political campaign
By Ryan Chittum Nov 20, 2012 at 02:57 PM
Any time you see Wall Street CEOs and CNBC campaigning for what they call the common good, it's worth raising... More
Stories I’d like to see
Ad technolology that may threaten newspapers; winners and losers of the fiscal cliff
By Steven Brill Nov 20, 2012 at 02:21 PM
In his weekly “Stories I’d like to see” column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion,... More
Highway to the danger zone
Following Sandy, HuffPo and NYT dig into the folly of coastal development
By Curtis Brainard Nov 20, 2012 at 12:15 PM
Hurricane Sandy renewed the media’s interest in the many foolish ways that we increase our vulnerability to extreme weather. There’s... More
Papa John’s Pizza and the business backlash
The real story: how some employers are still working to undermine Obamacare
By Trudy Lieberman Nov 20, 2012 at 11:15 AM
The media have latched onto the story of John Schnatter. That’s the John of Papa John’s Pizza, a CEO with... More
Audit Notes: marginal taxes, a redesign for core readers, Murdoch
An NYT’s anecdote’s confusion goes uncorrected
By Ryan Chittum Nov 20, 2012 at 06:50 AM
The New York Times flubs some reporting on how investors and well off people are bracing for higher tax rates:... More
Tom Rosenstiel leaving Pew
He’ll be American Press Institute’s executive director
By Sara Morrison Nov 19, 2012 at 06:13 PM
More changes are in store for the Pew Research Center. As Wall Street Journal deputy managing editor and online executive... More
Election reflections from the Silver State
Las Vegas Sun political editor Anjeanette Damon wants face time with presidential candidates, more time with voters
By Jay Jones Nov 19, 2012 at 02:50 PM
NEVADA — Midway through the election cycle just completed, longtime Nevada political writer and TV analyst Anjeanette Damon got... More
A reporter is fired; colleagues quit in protest
The Hudson Register-Star reporter refused to include information in his story
By Peter Sterne Nov 19, 2012 at 02:40 PM
On November 8, Tom Casey, a reporter at the Hudson Register-Star, a community paper in upstate New York, wrote an... More
Israeli airstrikes hit Gazan media facilities
At least six employees were wounded
By Jared Malsin Nov 19, 2012 at 11:00 AM
On Sunday morning, Israel’s warplanes attacked two media centers as part of its current military offensive against Gaza. The first... More
Audit Notes: hustled, Brauchli fallout, NYT’s Walmart impact
ProPublica connects the dots on a former Countrywide executive named in a DOJ lawsuit
By Ryan Chittum Nov 19, 2012 at 06:50 AM
ProPublica's Paul Kiel reports (with an assist from TheStreet) that the JPMorgan Chase executive in charge of its program to... More
Buzzfeed president talks branded content
The future of media revenue has its roots in the past
By Sara Morrison Nov 19, 2012 at 06:50 AM
The Columbia Spectator, The Blue & White, and the Columbia InterPublications Association hosted the Columbia Media Conference last weekend. The... More
Must-reads of the week
David Petraeus, Mormon reporters, Guy Fieri, stray penises
By The Editors Nov 16, 2012 at 04:00 PM
Culled from CJR's frequently updated "Must-reads from around the Web," our staff recommendations for the best pieces of journalism (and... More
Overholser leaving USC j-school
She has been the director there since 2008
By Kira Goldenberg Nov 16, 2012 at 03:37 PM
Geneva Overholser, the director of The University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, is stepping down at... More
Hope and change in unlikely places
Three cheers for campaign coverage from BuzzFeed and the Los Angeles Times
By Walter Shapiro Nov 16, 2012 at 02:50 PM
Channeling the Lord High Executioner in The Mikado, I’ve got a little list of those parts of 2012 coverage that... More
Climate roller coaster back on track
With Obama talking global warming, media see ups and downs
By Curtis Brainard Nov 16, 2012 at 11:00 AM
At his first post-election press conference on Wednesday, President Obama talked about his current position on climate change in greater... More
ESPN’s unreality-based coverage
Karl Rove’s got nothing on the boys from Bristol
By Robert Weintraub Nov 16, 2012 at 10:40 AM
One of the main takeaways from last week’s election was that conservatives were living in a bubble of delusion, convinced... More
An Occupy Sandy photo faux pas
A storm relief image that went viral with incorrect context serves as a social media lesson
By Abby Ohlheiser Nov 16, 2012 at 06:50 AM
A photo depicting a cluster of men in military uniform listening attentively to a woman with a plastic “OCCUPY” armband... More
The media’s woman blaming
Most coverage wrongly blames Paula Broadwell for leading Gen. David Petraeus astray
By Jennifer Vanasco Nov 16, 2012 at 06:50 AM
In her column, Minority Reports, Jennifer Vanasco analyzes how the mainstream media covers social minorities. Frank Bruni gets it.... More
Audit Notes: Papacare, Post problem, trade reporting
Forbes finds Papa John’s Obamacare math doesn’t add up
By Ryan Chittum Nov 16, 2012 at 03:08 AM
Papa John's CEO John Schnatter has been carping for some time that Obamacare will add 10 to 14 cents to... More
What’s the MATTER?
A Kickstarter-funded longform narrative science journalism site launches
By Sara Morrison Nov 15, 2012 at 03:30 PM
MATTER, a Kickstarter-funded longform science journalism project, launched on Wednesday with its first article, written by prominent science writer Anil... More
Factchecking the ‘gifts’ theory of politics
LAT, NYT break news on Mitt Romney’s remarks—and also offer a skeptical look
By Greg Marx Nov 15, 2012 at 03:10 PM
The big electoral politics story of the day (well, ok, of late Wednesday) is the news that Mitt Romney, on... More
Letter from a Londoner
The BBC is in crisis. Should you care?
By Hazel Sheffield Nov 15, 2012 at 03:00 PM
This week, the BBC celebrates its 90th birthday. As birthdays go, it’s a rather unhappy one. In the last month,... More
An election post-mortem on Medicare coverage
Coverage? Yes. Guidance? Not so much
By Trudy Lieberman Nov 15, 2012 at 01:12 PM
In mid-August, when Paul Ryan burst on the scene with his voucher scheme for Medicare, the 47-year old program suddenly... More
Decision 2012: Who mapped it best?
From Daily Beast’s red/blue simplicity to WNYC’s intricate oranges, greens, and purples
By Anna Codrea-Rado Nov 15, 2012 at 11:50 AM
Data journalism and information visualization is a burgeoning field. Every week, Between the Spreadsheets will analyze, interrogate, and explore emerging... More
Boo wins National Book Award
For her debut work about an Indian slum
By Kira Goldenberg Nov 15, 2012 at 07:37 AM
New Yorker staff writer Katherine Boo has won a National Book Award for her debut nonfiction work Behind the Beautiful... More
Marcus Brauchli’s impossible task
The Post’s ultimate problem is the business side, not the newsroom
By Ryan Chittum Nov 15, 2012 at 06:50 AM
I can't think of any editor whose last few years ran headlong into the financial collapse of the newspaper industry... More
Call me, maybe
How to get sources, other journalists, and editors to respond to you
By Ann Friedman Nov 15, 2012 at 06:50 AM
Sometimes the likelihood of my pitch being accepted hinges on my accessibility to a particular interview subject, or the likelihood... More
Marcus the unlucky
Good fortune followed by bad, and again
By Mike Hoyt Nov 14, 2012 at 04:23 PM
Scott Sherman, in "A Rocket's Trajectory," his fine profile of Marcus Brauchli in the September/October 2010 issue of CJR, noted... More
Little Havana turns blue (or maybe not)
Choose-your-own-poll-number reporting on the Cuban-American vote
By Brian E. Crowley Nov 14, 2012 at 02:50 PM
FLORIDA — Somehow the Florida election is beginning to feel a bit like an episode from the old I Love... More
Salazar threatens to ‘punch out’ reporter
Interior Secretary angered by tough questions at Obama campaign event
By Curtis Brainard Nov 14, 2012 at 12:00 PM
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar threatened to “punch out” a journalist for having the temerity to ask him questions... More
Two music journos plan a longform site
The duo is running a Kickstarter campaign to finance UNCOOL
By Hazel Sheffield Nov 14, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Two music journalists from Los Angeles have launched a Kickstarter to fund a reader-supported, ad-free longform site. David Greenwald... More
Apples and oranges on Google and publishers
Print performance is bad enough without putting a thumb on the scale
By Ryan Chittum Nov 14, 2012 at 06:50 AM
Slate tells us that "Google ad revenue tops entire US print media industry" in the first six months of the... More
Audit Notes: WaPo on the Bain thing, deadbeat Forbes, hamster wheel
The Post’s revealing slip-up on the definition of swift-boating
By Ryan Chittum Nov 13, 2012 at 08:06 PM
The Washington Post apparently doesn't understand just how toxic Wall Street and its even more rapacious cousin, private equity—not popular... More
Predictable in retrospect
The dangers of hindsight bias in election postmortems
By Brendan Nyhan Nov 13, 2012 at 02:55 PM
The media has undergone a strange change of mindset. Immediately before last Tuesday's election, many reporters and commentators ignored or... More
Four stories to follow in Virginia
What the Commonwealth’s political reporters should focus on now
By Tharon Giddens Nov 13, 2012 at 02:50 PM
VIRGINIA — Election Day has come and gone, leaving many vital story threads for Virginia’s political reporters to continue to... More
Learn about Marty Baron
The incoming Washington Post editor visited Columbia’s j-school last year
By Kira Goldenberg Nov 13, 2012 at 12:49 PM
The Washington Post announced on Tuesday that editor Marcus Brauchli is stepping down and will be succeeded by Boston Globe... More
What happened, anyway?
The election may be over, but the self-protective spin is not
By Walter Shapiro Nov 13, 2012 at 11:12 AM
Shortly after 11 p.m. (Eastern) on Election Night—with the polls still open only in Alaska—Mitt Romney aides were pleading with... More
Stories I’d like to see
The clown-show economics of storm-hit utilities, and in search of open primaries
By Steven Brill Nov 13, 2012 at 11:00 AM
In his weekly “Stories I’d like to see” column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion,... More
Audit Notes: Whinin’ Dimon, Elizabeth Warren, WSJ on Petraeus
JPMorgan CEO takes to CNBC for consolation
By Ryan Chittum Nov 13, 2012 at 06:50 AM
I got a chuckle from Mark Gongloff's Huffington Post piece on Jamie Dimon taking his anti-administration whining to the friendly... More
Of storms and ships at sea
Let’s not take them personally
By Merrill Perlman Nov 13, 2012 at 06:50 AM
We have names. Our pets have names. And so do hurricanes and ships. But, unlike us and our pets, hurricanes... More
Who really holds leverage on Bush tax cuts?
Bloomberg’s Barro argues even post-“cliff,” GOP would have the upper hand
By Greg Marx Nov 13, 2012 at 06:50 AM
My Friday post about how reporters are missing a big part of the “fiscal cliff” story—the leverage President Obama and... More
Take a beat
Media pump too much news from heart association meeting, critic says
By Curtis Brainard Nov 12, 2012 at 03:00 PM
More than 10,000 stories came out of the annual meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA), which took place in... More
A dart to Yahoo Finance
For utterly confusing its readers about Social Security
By Trudy Lieberman Nov 12, 2012 at 02:50 PM
By now we’re accustomed to weak reporting about Social Security, but a piece on Yahoo Finance, part of its... More
Context-free market reporting on a post-election dive
First-term bull market goes unmentioned after a November 7 stock dip
By Ryan Chittum Nov 12, 2012 at 06:50 AM
The stock market dive the day after President Obama was re-elected, dropping 320 points, or 2.4 percent. The Drudge Report,... More
Historic votes, hidden from live coverage
The four gay marriage votes in last week’s election were hard to follow in real-time
By Jennifer Vanasco Nov 12, 2012 at 06:50 AM
In her column, Minority Reports, Jennifer Vanasco analyzes how the mainstream media covers social minorities. Do you know what was... More
What’s happening at the BBC
The Corporation is facing a serious challenge to its future and to its independence
By Emily Bell Nov 11, 2012 at 12:09 PM
“To lose one parent, Mr Worthing, may be regarded as misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.” —Oscar Wilde, The... More
Pass the #popcorn
Don’t treat CNN’s Don Lemon like “the help”
By Sara Morrison Nov 9, 2012 at 03:24 PM
According to a recent Pew study, 15 percent of adults online use Twitter — 8 percent daily. I’m pretty sure... More
Now This News launches an app to grow its global audience
A new mobile and social news service for millennials is evolving
By Hazel Sheffield Nov 9, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Things have been going well for Now This News since a spate of stories in September announced that the video... More
The fiscal whatchamacallit
Media’s embrace of “fiscal cliff” obscures the real story about budget negotiations
By Greg Marx Nov 9, 2012 at 11:57 AM
With Election Day behind us, all of Washington is suddenly focused on a looming issue that drew little notice during... More
And the award for sexist pig goes to…
Feminist media watchdogs gave out awards for sexist campaign coverage
By Sara Morrison Nov 9, 2012 at 07:05 AM
The Women's Media Center celebrated the end of election season on Thursday by giving out awards for sexist coverage of... More
Audit Notes: low-info billionaires, Trump the taker, Elizabeth Warren
Money apparently can’t buy a firm grip on reality
By Ryan Chittum Nov 9, 2012 at 06:50 AM
One of the things this election proved conclusively is that even billionaires can be low-information voters. Here's Bloomberg BusinessWeek on... More
An Ohio election special causes controversy
TPM flags some anti-Obama programming on Sinclair stations
By T.C. Brown Nov 8, 2012 at 03:12 PM
OHIO — A controversial election eve special that aired twice Monday night on the local ABC affiliate in Columbus triggered... More
Obama and the environment
Media react to the election with speculation, some insights
By Curtis Brainard Nov 8, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Journalists didn’t leave energy and the environment out of post-election speculation about what President Obama’s second term might look like.... More
Letter from a Londoner
Mark Thompson must sink his teeth into the Times
By Hazel Sheffield Nov 8, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Journalists at The New York Times are suddenly not feeling so confident about their new chief executive. In the last... More
The Ad Wars: Was outside money futile?
After Election Day, the press seizes on a new conventional wisdom
By Sasha Chavkin Nov 8, 2012 at 11:10 AM
Throughout the 2012 campaign, dozens of reporters and advocates kept a close eye on the flood of outside money that... More
WSJ gets lost in the weeds with the Romney campaign
A too-savvy take and flawed assumptions undermine some interesting reporting
By Ryan Chittum Nov 8, 2012 at 06:50 AM
The Wall Street Journal fronts an interesting but seriously flawed story this morning headlined "How Race Slipped Away From Romney."... More
Who generates story ideas?
When writers expect editors to do the all the legwork
By Ann Friedman Nov 8, 2012 at 06:50 AM
I am the managing and news editor at my university paper. I'm having problems getting the staff writers to pitch... More
Digital innovation on election night: a report
From CJR and Tow Center’s “meta newsroom”
By Mike Hoyt Nov 7, 2012 at 03:16 PM
About as digital as most Americans get on election night is to operate the channel clicker. But that is steadily... More
How to cover the presidential results
A guide for journalists on election fundamentals and campaign effects
By Brendan Nyhan Nov 7, 2012 at 01:18 PM
One of the most fascinating parts of the aftermath of an election is the construction of post-hoc narratives to "explain"... More
Paywalls are a means, not an end
A Toronto Star columnist’s belligerence gets me thinking
By Dean Starkman Nov 7, 2012 at 11:02 AM
I like paywalls. I really do. I think it makes sense for newspapers that saw the bottom drop out... More
A Laurel to NPR, for giving hospitals a disaster exam
Sandy exposes gaping holes in hospital safety plans
By Trudy Lieberman Nov 7, 2012 at 06:51 AM
NYU Langone Medical Center and Bellevue represent a tale of two New York City hospitals. Langone is a well-endowed... More
Audit Notes: FT denies Bloomberg report, Drudge stats, financialization
Misleading with bogus statistics
By Ryan Chittum Nov 7, 2012 at 06:50 AM
Bloomberg News reports that Pearson is considering putting the Financial Times up for sale, as Michael Wolff predicted a month... More
Election 2012: Welcome to our Meta Newsroom
What’s happening now in digital election-night news
By The Editors Nov 6, 2012 at 08:00 PM
CJR, in collaboration with Columbia's Tow Center for digital journalism, will be covering tonight's election coverage. Seven student journalists from... More
Election Day worries in Ohio
Lawsuits, provisional ballots, alleged software glitches—and the coverage of it all
By T.C. Brown Nov 6, 2012 at 07:13 PM
OHIO — The fun never stops here in Battleground Ohio. Just when reporters thought they had seen the last of... More
Nor’easter blows Newsday’s paywall down
Long Island and Westchester/Rockland editions providing free access
By Sara Morrison Nov 6, 2012 at 05:30 PM
The paywall at Newsday — both its Long Island and Westchester/Rockland versions — has come down … for now. According... More
Lemmings like us
Businessweek’s climate-change broadside is powerful, but ignores the allure of waterfront property
By Curtis Brainard Nov 6, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Hurricane Sandy finally got the media talking about climate change last week, but Bloomberg Businessweek spoke the loudest with a... More
Stories I’d like to see
Keeping tabs on the Red Cross; Romney’s transition plans; Obama’s next book
By Steven Brill Nov 6, 2012 at 10:35 AM
In his weekly “Stories I’d like to see” column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion,... More
Audit Notes: digital ads, margins of error, freehadists
French publishing’s online revenues make the Americans look good
By Ryan Chittum Nov 6, 2012 at 06:50 AM
This New York Times story is nice on the coming attempt in Europe to get Google to pay content providers... More
In Colorado, $716 billion claim lives on
Romney repeats the discredited charge at weekend rally, and it pops up in ads for a Congressional race
By Mary Winter Nov 6, 2012 at 06:50 AM
COLORADO — On Saturday, at his last and largest 2012 campaign rally here, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney told the... More
King Coal rises in PA
A last-minute crush of ads—including Romney’s first here—challenges reporters to keep up
By Ken Knelly Nov 6, 2012 at 06:50 AM
PENNSYLVANIA — Add the Keystone State to the list of places where King Coal is a leading issue in candidate... More
Q&A: Caitlin Moran tells it like it is
The foul-mouthed feminist’s new book comes out on Tuesday
By Julia Scirrotto Nov 6, 2012 at 06:50 AM
British columnist Caitlin Moran exploded onto the US scene this past July when her feminist memoir/manifesto, How to Be... More
The Ad Wars: GOP advantage in the House
In local races, outside money can tip the scales, and the GOP is trying to do just that
By Sasha Chavkin Nov 5, 2012 at 03:44 PM
As Americans cast their votes for the next president, the Obama campaign and its supporters have maintained an unexpected advantage... More
Was it Obama’s policies—or the pie?
Romney ad blames president for Virginia BBQ chain’s closure; locals point to the food, competition
By Tharon Giddens Nov 5, 2012 at 02:00 PM
VIRGINIA — As part of his closing pitch to voters here in Virginia, Mitt Romney went hog wild. It was... More
What are the odds?
Dealing with percentages
By Merrill Perlman Nov 5, 2012 at 01:00 PM
Take this quiz: If one candidate has 46 percent of the likely voters, and the other has 48 percent, what’s... More
Lessons from Sullivan-Silver fracas
When digital and institutional cultures collide
By Dean Starkman Nov 5, 2012 at 11:32 AM
Before the Margaret Sullivan/Nate Silver episode fades into history, there are a couple of meta lessons to be drawn from... More
Analyzing early voting in Nevada
Reporting roundup: What might the early numbers tell us?
By Jay Jones Nov 5, 2012 at 11:15 AM
NEVADA —Two weeks of early voting ended here in the Silver State on Friday evening. In a state where folks... More
A missed connection on Michigan’s ballot questions?
Bridge battle draws the attention, but Props 1 and 2 could lead to future conflict
By Anna Clark Nov 5, 2012 at 06:50 AM
MICHIGAN — On Tuesday, voters will here sift through six ballot initiatives that could transform the state’s policies on a... More
Navigating voter guides in North Carolina
For voters looking for easy research tools, a few bright spots emerge
By Andria Krewson Nov 5, 2012 at 06:49 AM
NORTH CAROLINA — For many normal people—that is, people who take their ballot seriously but don’t obsess over every twist... More
Getting ready for ballot battles in Ohio
Reporters explore ‘nightmare scenarios’—and offer some practical advice to voters
By T.C. Brown Nov 3, 2012 at 11:45 AM
OHIO — No disrespect to other swing states, but the pivotal one on the majority of pundits’ lips and in... More
Three questions about campaign coverage
How the media can do better the next time around (Or, “NOW FOR THE HARD PART”)
By Walter Shapiro Nov 2, 2012 at 03:00 PM
COLUMBUS, OH — As America lurches towards Election Day like a ravaged water-logged creature from a 1950s horror flick, the... More
It’s about the info, not the outlet
Google’s mapped information on Sandy topped anything news organizations offered
By Anna Codrea-Rado Nov 2, 2012 at 11:47 AM
Data journalism and information visualization is a burgeoning field. Every week, Between the Spreadsheets will analyze, interrogate, and explore emerging... More
Audit Notes: Stray on Silver, the new-old Black, ‘rocketing’ from a low base
Data-based journalism and its potential; an ex-mogul takes a flogging, etc.
By Dean Starkman Nov 2, 2012 at 11:30 AM
The best thing about the faux-controversy between New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan and political stats whiz Nate Silver... More
Ask Romney This: What will replace Obamacare?
A vague healthcare plan raises many questions
By Trudy Lieberman Nov 2, 2012 at 10:28 AM
Over the final weeks of the campaign, CJR has been publishing a series of pieces under the headline “Ask Obama... More
At Michigan’s edge, global warming emerges as campaign issue
But spotty local coverage of House race is sometimes too soft on climate denialism
By Anna Clark Nov 2, 2012 at 06:50 AM
MICHIGAN — Climate change is one of the great disappearing issues of the 2012 campaign. Though President Obama made climate... More
Pass the #popcorn
Hurricane Sandy edition
By Sara Morrison Nov 1, 2012 at 06:45 PM
According to a recent Pew study, 15 percent of adults online use Twitter — 8 percent daily. I’m pretty sure... More
Toledo Blade disappoints on Jeep-to-China claims
For Ohioans targeted by Romney’s misleading rhetoric, the paper confuses more than it clarifies
By Liz Cox Barrett Nov 1, 2012 at 02:50 PM
OHIO — As Toledo became ground zero in the presidential campaigns’ message war in recent days—over auto industry jobs, in... More
The Ad Wars: Romney’s Last-Minute Deceptions
Swing state reporters—watch for ninth-inning spitballs
By Sasha Chavkin Nov 1, 2012 at 01:37 PM
As the presidential race enters its critical final days, Mitt Romney’s campaign has drawn fire for two advertisements that it... More
Bad hippie!
Is it wrong to ‘scold’ exaggerations about climate and weather?
By Curtis Brainard Nov 1, 2012 at 01:00 PM
David Roberts has a long essay over at Grist complaining about "scolds" (The New York Times’s Andrew Revkin, in particular)... More
Breaking up and moving on
When to take your pitch elsewhere, when to quit altogether, and how to search for out-of-state jobs
By Ann Friedman Nov 1, 2012 at 11:15 AM
I'm sure you've had the frustrating experience of reading your story for the first time in print and discovering new... More
Social Security: a Laurel to The Motley Fool
An investment newsletter breaks down persistent myths
By Trudy Lieberman Nov 1, 2012 at 11:15 AM
The motto of The Motley Fool is “To Educate, Amuse & Enrich,” and its piece called “5 Huge Myths... More
In Virginia, skirmishes in the voting wars
O’Keefe sting, trashed voter forms lead to some solid coverage
By Tharon Giddens Nov 1, 2012 at 11:00 AM
VIRGINIA — With Election Day fast approaching and this swing state looming large in the contests for both the White... More
A muddy Bloomberg story sets up Romney’s Jeep attack
The wire’s poorly worded story is misread
By Ryan Chittum Nov 1, 2012 at 06:50 AM
Mitt Romney's gotten in hot water with the nation's burgeoning horde of fact checkers by asserting that Jeep "is thinking... More
Embeddable Sandy content
Google and WNYC created free, shareable media
By Hazel Sheffield Nov 1, 2012 at 06:50 AM
One of the most useful bits of embeddable content being passed around in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy is this... More
Questionable taste
Ricky Gervais describes the pleasures and pitfalls of being interviewed
By Cyndi Stivers Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
As his Golden Globes hosting gigs have shown, Ricky Gervais is not afraid to say what he thinks. So... More
Rules of the game
The sometimes nauseating, often fun, and always absurd life of a movie publicist
By Reid Rosefelt Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
I’ve always regretted that I never thanked Goldie Hawn for launching my career as a publicist. Goldie became my... More
In cold type
When Truman Capote set out to profile Marlon Brando for The New Yorker in 1957, he knew just how to set his traps
By Douglas McCollam Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
One morning in January, 1957, Josh Logan, the veteran Broadway producer and Hollywood director, came down from his room into... More
Celeb-O-Matic
Yes, it’s your handy map of access to the stars!
By Cyndi Stivers Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
Click to enlarge: More
Gross misunderstanding
What journalists miss about the movie business
By Edward Jay Epstein Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
The vast preponderance of news reporting about Hollywood concerns the weekly box-office race. It is offered free to the... More
Esprit de corpse
What it’s like to be embedded—on a movie set
By Jay A. Fernandez Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
With an explosion of light, the screaming starts. . . . This place is wrecked—an entire ballroom flopped on its head. In the... More
The red-carpet treatment
Set the Wayback Machine to April 9, 1984. The stars are filing into the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles for the 56th Academy Awards . . .
By Cyndi Stivers Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
In 1984, gaining access to the Oscars was pretty easy. Calling from Vanity Fair, where new immigrant Tina Brown had... More
Taking the seen-it route
Why toil as an entry-level slave when you can watch a lot of TV, write it up, build a following—and perhaps even get paid?
By Sara Morrison Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
Since I could talk, I have talked back to the television. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was great—I loved that segment... More
Avoiding pilot error
By tracking its users’ intent to watch fall shows, TVGuide.com handicaps the new TV season
By Cyndi Stivers Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
Television viewers are all over the place these days, tuning in via computers, tablets, and phones, at odd times, and... More
Opening Shot
A picture is worth a thousand meanings
By The Editors Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
In October, Columbia J-School joined with BagNewsNotes, an almost decade-old site devoted to analyzing media images, for a discussion... More
Lost and found
In 1967, an ambitious young reporter broke a promise to a troubled source and inadvertently made her famous. Forty-three years later, he set out to find her and apologize.
By Bruce Porter Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
On October 27, 1967, senior editors gathered for the Thursday story conference to see how things were shaping up... More
Going to great lengths
After two years as the hot new thing, the e-singles market is getting serious—and crowded
By Michael Meyer Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
From the beginning, The Atavist was a small startup with a lot of big playmates. A pioneer in the... More
Darts and Laurels
Women’s work
By Sara Morrison Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
When The New York Times made Buffalo News editor Margaret Sullivan its new public editor in September, there seemed... More
A matter of time
Pretty in Finke
By The Editors Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
In October, auto-racing and truck-leasing scion Jay Penske announced that he’d bought Variety, the storied Hollywood trade publication founded in... More
Title Search
Python developer
By Jay Woodruff Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
Alexandre Conrad is a Python developer for SurveyMonkey. Jay Woodruff interviewed him in September. Have you ever been slapped in... More
Behind the news
Give me a visual
By Jessica Weisberg Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
Serious graphic novels, like Maus or Persepolis, have proven that comics aren’t always funny. But what about graphic journalism?... More
Death becomes … who?
What the NY Times obits say about America
By Stephen G. Bloom Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
The New York Times is, more than any other single publication, the nation’s arbiter of erudition, prosperity, and success.... More
Open Bar
The Anchor Bar
By Tanveer Ali Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
The Anchor Bar 450 West Fort Street, Detroit, MI Year opened 1959. It’s been in its current location since 1993,... More
Gifted
‘Tis the season
By The Editors Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
If you love a journalist, you know how hard it is to find the perfect gift—they’re so neurotic! So... More
Language Corner
There, there
By Merrill Perlman Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
There are many ways to start articles and sentences. There is often a way to avoid beginning with the phrases... More
Talk to the hand
A long-running journalism inside joke gets new (after?)life
By Sara Morrison Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
Eight years ago, the Chicago Tribune put the halogen searchlight of public attention on an age-old international media conspiracy—an... More
Hard truths
What is the future of political factchecking?
By The Editors Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
As the presidential campaign wound down, it became clear that the media’s factchecking effort, which played a more prominent... More
The fame game
Just in time for Hollywood awards season, CJR shines a Klieg light on entertainment journalism—a sometimes deprecated but highly influential corner of the craft.
By The Editors Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
In the past half century, as the big movie studios ceded control of the media narrative, celebrities have loomed... More
DIY celebrity profile
Fill in the blanks
By The Editors Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
“It is half-past 10 on another soullessly sun-kissed Los Angeles morning. And (promising young star) is late. I’ve been sitting... More
The Lower Case
Headlines that editors probably wish they could take back
By The Editors Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
- Daily Variety, 9/14/12 - Ventura County (CA) Star, 8/23/12 - Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/29/12 More
Hard Numbers
Election edition
By Hazel Sheffield Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
54 Percent of Americans who knew that General Motors’ decision to close its plant in Janesville, WI, happened before Barack... More
Letters to the editor
Readers respond to our September/October issue
By The Editors Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
Fleurs du mal Very compelling argument and well-stated, Clay Shirky (“Failing Geometry” CJR, September/October). Traditional media’s “original sin” (re: the... More
‘How to Get On With Your Life’
Kate White talks life after Cosmo
By Cyndi Stivers Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
It takes guts to quit a job running the world’s best-selling women’s magazine. But Kate White has long embodied... More
Innovator’s lament
Shouldn’t trailblazers be allowed to establish new standards of success?
By Michael Schudson and Katherine Fink Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
Some months ago, on the Poynter Institute’s website, PolitiFact’s Bill Adair urged: “[L]et’s blow up the news story.” Journalism must... More
Color blind
When white men and three networks ruled the media, coverage of race was … better? Damn you, Internet!
By Amanda Hess Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
Last summer, Gawker asked veteran news anchor Dan Rather to review Aaron Sorkin’s new television series The Newsroom. It... More
The future’s so bright …
How to save the world while paying people with beer and hugs
By Justin Peters Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
In early 2012, a musician named Amanda Palmer took to Kickstarter to ask her fans for $100,000. Palmer, a... More
Brief Encounters
Short reviews of Out of the News, The Way the World Works: Essays, and The Stammering Century
By James Boylan Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
Out of the News: Former Journalists Discuss a Profession in Crisis | By Celia Viggo Wexler | McFarland & Company... More
Flag on the play
Why a great sportswriter blew the story of a lifetime; the undoing of Joe Paterno
By Tim Marchman Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
For those who care about sports and sports writing, the recent publication of Joe Posnanski’s book on the late Penn... More
Human capital
In O Albany!, William Kennedy pays homage to the hard-to-love city that is his novels’ greatest hero
By Stefan Beck Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
On January 16, 1928, William Joseph Kennedy suffered a misfortune of birth only slightly preferable to bastardy. Having drawn... More
- « August 2013
- « July 2013
- « June 2013
- « May 2013
- « April 2013
- « March 2013
- « February 2013
- « January 2013
- « March 2004
- « December 2012
- « November 2012
- « October 2012
- « September 2012
- « August 2012
- « July 2012
- « June 2012
- « May 2012
- « April 2012
- « March 2012
- « February 2012
- « January 2012
- « December 2011
- « November 2011
- « October 2011
- « September 2011
- « August 2011
- « July 2011
- « June 2011
- « May 2011
- « April 2011
- « March 2011
- « February 2011
- « January 2011
- « December 2010
- « November 2010
- « October 2010
- « September 2010
- « August 2010
- « July 2010
- « June 2010
- « May 2010
- « April 2010
- « March 2010
- « February 2010
- « January 2010
- « December 2009
- « November 2009
- « October 2009
- « September 2009
- « August 2009
- « July 2009
- « June 2009
- « May 2009
- « April 2009
- « March 2009
- « February 2009
- « January 2009
- « December 2008
- « November 2008
- More ...
Woman’s work - The twisted reality of an Italian freelancer in Syria
Sourcing Trayvon Martin ‘photos’ from stormfront - Not a good idea, Business Insider
Elizabeth Warren, the antidote to CNBC - The senator schools the talking heads on bank regulation
Art Laffer + PR blitz = press failure - The media types up the retail lobby’s propaganda
Reuters’s global warming about-face - A survey shows the newswire ran 50 percent fewer stories on climate change after hiring a “skeptic”
Barack Obama: ‘those old times aren’t coming back’
“It used to be there were local newspapers everywhere. If you wanted to be a journalist, you could really make a good living working for your hometown paper”
The Guardian’s editor opens up on Reddit
Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian, answered questions in an Ask Me Anything
The (almost) lost speech of Justice Anthony Kennedy
How his insightful remarks about the Constitution inadvertently make the case for a Supreme Court “media pool”
Fox News sues TVEyes for copyright infringement
Says subscription service sells access to its content without permission nor compensation
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.
