Monthly Archive
January 2013
The true cost of national security
The Pentagon and the White House focus on the core Defense budget, but that’s not the half of it
By David Cay Johnston Jan 31, 2013 at 03:02 PM
Soon, we will get the president's proposed fiscal 2014 spending plan. Much attention will focus on Social Security and... More
Freelancers should consider collectives
Maintaining the intellectual atmosphere of a magazine office or newsroom makes a lot of sense for those of us who work freelance
By Ann Friedman Jan 31, 2013 at 11:24 AM
As a fairly new freelance writer with a lot of friends who are graphic designers, I've been thinking a lot... More
X-treme denial
Why aren’t the player-safety concerns that dog the NFL an issue in ESPN’s X Games?
By Robert Weintraub Jan 31, 2013 at 10:10 AM
It's Super Bowl week, but the majority of talk from the pigskin chattering class revolved around football's existential nature, thanks... More
Frontline hits hard on the lack of crisis prosecutions
And a top DOJ official resigns the next day
By Ryan Chittum Jan 31, 2013 at 06:50 AM
We'd be remiss to not flag Frontline's outstanding investigation into the shameful failure of the Obama administration to pursue, much... More
The bird-flu blues
Short notice that research will resume leads to thin coverage
By Curtis Brainard Jan 30, 2013 at 05:15 PM
Reporters didn't have much time to react to the news that scientists in some countries will soon resume research on... More
How super PACs succeeded in 2012
There’s one area where outside spenders won big: Republican primaries
By Sasha Chavkin Jan 30, 2013 at 02:50 PM
This post has been corrected. See note at bottom. After the Republican Party and its biggest super PAC and dark... More
What region gets the most coverage of its human rights abuses?
Latin America, according to a statistical analysis
By James Ron and Emilie Hafner Burton Jan 30, 2013 at 11:18 AM
When journalists report on human rights abuses, which region do they report on most? Africa, due to the Rwandan genocide,... More
How the Seattle Times got its Starbucks in India story
Some travel funds, some grant money, and a whole lot of of legwork
By Hazel Sheffield Jan 30, 2013 at 07:22 AM
Like many good stories, the Seattle Times's special feature on coffee growers and Starbucks in India, that ran on two... More
Reuters gets a scalp
Its fantastic reporting takes down Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon
By Ryan Chittum Jan 30, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Reuters had already gotten results for its outstanding investigation into Chesapeake Energy and the conflicts of its swashbuckling CEO Aubrey... More
Praise, and criticism, for an NYT series on corporate welfare
The paper’s sources challenge some of its findings while praising attention to the issue
By David Cay Johnston Jan 29, 2013 at 02:50 PM
Many of the most important stories develop for years before they get covered because no one makes an official announcement,... More
How we got our story
The new Atavist feature, The Last Clinic, is a product of persevering and roughing it
By Alissa Quart Jan 29, 2013 at 02:50 PM
In the process of making the multimedia work The Last Clinic, about the last abortion clinic in Mississippi, filmmaker Maisie... More
Poynter’s fuzzy numbers
Those “starting salary for j-school grads” figures come with caveats
By Sara Morrison Jan 29, 2013 at 02:23 PM
Current journalism majors probably thought they had reason to celebrate when Poynter's Andrew Beaujon elaborated on the latest survey by... More
Stories I’d like to see
Newt’s new gigs, following the Sandy money, and hedge-fund matchmakers
By Steven Brill Jan 29, 2013 at 11:34 AM
In his "Stories I'd like to see" column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion, have... More
Incredible shrinking insurance co-ops
Congress gives a gift to the insurance companies. Time for the press to take note
By Trudy Lieberman Jan 29, 2013 at 11:02 AM
When negotiators wrapped up their fiscal cliff negotiations, among the quiet casualties were insurance co-ops, which had been hailed... More
Life after Pandemrix
Reuters’s description of narcolepsy is excessively bleak
By Sara Morrison Jan 29, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Reuters health and science correspondent Kate Kelland's recent article about the growing evidence linking GlaxoSmithKline's Pandemrix swine flu vaccine to... More
Audit Notes: New Orleans newspaper intrigue, NYT numbers, CNET
The Manships are in talks about selling The Advocate
By Ryan Chittum Jan 29, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Baton Rouge's Manship family threw a wrench in the Newhouses' plans for the Times-Picayune when they launched a daily New... More
‘Scare’ tactics
Quotes around single words
By Merrill Perlman Jan 28, 2013 at 03:00 PM
It's Journalism 101: go out and talk to people, then write down what they say. If you can't quote it... More
The Big Boys: Aetna’s dubious rationale
for raising rates
Needed—a closer look at insurers’ sob stories
By Trudy Lieberman Jan 28, 2013 at 11:20 AM
This is the second of an occasional series of posts called "The Big Boys," which will examine how the media... More
Q&A with the FT’s Martin Dickson
A new US managing editor takes over at the salmon-colored financial daily
By Dean Starkman Jan 28, 2013 at 07:00 AM
Martin Dickson came on as US managing editor of the Financial Times in September, succeeding Gillian Tett, who is on... More
Lone Star politics: anything but dull
The Texas press braces for the part-timers and out-of-towners of the 83rd legislature
By Richard Parker Jan 28, 2013 at 06:50 AM
AUSTIN, TX -- Back in the mid-nineteenth century, when Texas gave up its status as an independent republic and joined... More
The state tax shift
As GOP states swap income for sales taxes, can reporters stay ahead of the story?
By Greg Marx Jan 25, 2013 at 03:50 PM
In today's The New York Times, Richard Stevenson takes note of an important trend in state capitols around the country:... More
Quinoa’s quagmire
One-sided Guardian article incites media scare
By Curtis Brainard Jan 25, 2013 at 03:05 PM
A slanted post about the quinoa craze set off a cascade of reproachful media warnings last week, telling consumers that... More
Must-reads of the week
Bone-Chilled in the Big Apple Edition
By The Editors Jan 25, 2013 at 02:55 PM
Culled from CJR’s frequently updated “Must-reads from around the Web,” our staff recommendations for the best pieces of journalism (and... More
Good Times
Executive Editor Jill Abramson spoke on the state of the paper
By Kira Goldenberg Jan 25, 2013 at 12:56 PM
Jill Abramson had a cold. Her throat constantly required water and lozenges, and it was impossible, for someone who never... More
The hidden side of women’s military service: sexual assault
A conundrum for reporters and their sources: How do we cover wrongdoing when soldiers don’t want to be labeled as victims?
By Helen Benedict Jan 25, 2013 at 11:16 AM
This week's news that the Pentagon is lifting the ban against women in ground combat is giving many military... More
The Forward relaunches its Yiddish site
The paper goes digital-first in February
By Hazel Sheffield Jan 25, 2013 at 08:00 AM
The 116-year-old, Yiddish-language edition of The Forward is scaling back its print operations from weekly to biweekly to redirect resources... More
Inaugural diversity
When the media employs the term, what does it mean?
By Jennifer Vanasco Jan 25, 2013 at 06:50 AM
On Inauguration Day, Americans of all kinds looked for reflections of themselves in the festivities. Did social minorities find one?... More
Why do evangelicals talk to journalists?
They know they may be depicted unsympathetically, but any chance to spread the Word is worth taking
By Abby Ohlheiser Jan 24, 2013 at 04:00 PM
Not all beats are created equal, but two in particular -- obviously, the ones I like the best -- have... More
Facebook as a reporting tool
The new graph search gives journalists a way to construct a trend story without picking up the phone. Is this a good thing?
By Ann Friedman Jan 24, 2013 at 10:57 AM
You have a Facebook account. I know this because everyone has a Facebook account. And you are a journalist. I... More
Financial crisis bodies are still surfacing
Jesse Eisinger on a Morgan Stanley CDO scandal
By Ryan Chittum Jan 24, 2013 at 06:50 AM
If you think, going on six years after the onset of the financial crisis, that we've learned about all we're... More
Q: What’s Quora up to?
A: New blogs and an iPhone editor app
By Sara Morrison Jan 23, 2013 at 05:00 PM
Quora, the user-generated question-and-answer site founded in 2009, is expanding into blogging, with an emphasis on mobile content. Following its... More
A kids’ magazine takes on obesity
A laurel to ChopChop
By Trudy Lieberman Jan 23, 2013 at 03:15 PM
Every now and then a throwback to the legacy media comes along and reminds us that not all of... More
Disappointing Deadspin
It broke the Manti Te’o story, but then stopped reporting and resumed trashing
By Scott Berinato Jan 23, 2013 at 03:00 PM
When Deadspin broke the story last week that Notre Dame star Manti Te'o's inspirational narrative of a girlfriend who died... More
Climate policy, act two
Reactions to Obama’s second inaugural overlook Skocpol report
By Curtis Brainard Jan 23, 2013 at 11:30 AM
It was great to see The New York Times give front-page treatment to the unexpected weight that President Obama put... More
The press underplays the Geithner leak
A Fed president claims the now-Treasury Secretary gave inside information to Wall Street
By Ryan Chittum Jan 23, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Of all the things we expected to see in the 2007 Federal Reserve meeting transcripts released last week, Tim Geithner... More
Stop knocking curation
It’s an important, and undervalued, journalistic skill
By Steven Rosenbaum Jan 23, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Curation has been steadily rising as a concept as the sheer volume of undifferentiated content has made it nearly impossible... More
Gun control coverage in the Great Lakes
How did the region’s reporters tell the story of Obama’s January 16th proposal?
By Anna Clark Jan 22, 2013 at 04:30 PM
Anna Clark followed campaign coverage in Michigan during the 2012 election for CJR's Swing States Project. This year, she will... More
Little big, man
Small changes, big effects
By Merrill Perlman Jan 22, 2013 at 03:00 PM
Sometimes, it's the little things that count. Little things like whether to use "a" or "the," for example, or whether... More
Stories I’d like to see
The next terrorist attack, Obama’s Medicare cuts, and the gun lobby
By Steven Brill Jan 22, 2013 at 11:27 AM
In his "Stories I'd like to see" column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion, have... More
Boosting the Sandy Hook truther myth
The dangers of covering fringe misperceptions
By Brendan Nyhan Jan 22, 2013 at 11:00 AM
In the weeks since the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, fringe conspiracy theorists have suggested... More
Longform meltdown (cont.)
Reaction to a post on the decline of longform stories at major papers
By Dean Starkman Jan 22, 2013 at 07:00 AM
My post presenting data showing that major newspapers drastically cut back their longform story output in the last decade generated... More
Smith-Mundt reform: In with a whimper?
It’s now legal to broadcast Voice of America stateside, but few seem to notice
By Emily T. Metzgar Jan 21, 2013 at 02:50 PM
Last spring, there was a spate of commentary about Congressional efforts to relax the domestic dissemination ban on content produced... More
Science journalism’s great divide
Study finds pessimism in the West, optimism in the Global South
By Curtis Brainard Jan 21, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Science journalists in the West have a bleaker outlook on the future of their profession than their colleagues in the... More
Audit Notes: mixed signals, Sam Zell’s phony equity, power shift
The Seattle Times flubs an inflation report
By Ryan Chittum Jan 21, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Deflation has set in in the Seattle area, according to a misleading Seattle Times story: This is awfully confusing. The... More
The Big Boys: hospitals and their pricing muscles
Three newspaper investigations show that consolidation leads to higher costs for patients
By Trudy Lieberman Jan 21, 2013 at 06:50 AM
This is the first of an occasional series of posts called "The Big Boys," which will examine how the media... More
Internet Freedom Day
Celebrating the defeat of SOPA/PIPA and remembering Aaron Swartz
By Sara Morrison Jan 18, 2013 at 04:20 PM
Remember the Stop Online Privacy and Protect IP Acts, better known as SOPA/PIPA? It was a year ago that thousands... More
Can the media avoid inaugural over-hype?
A little over-emoting is inevitable, but there are some cliches we can do without
By Walter Shapiro Jan 18, 2013 at 03:10 PM
After Bill Clinton took the oath of office for the second time in 1997, a USA Today columnist burbled, "Clinton's... More
Must-reads of the week
Aaron Swartz’s life and death, Deadspin’s Manti Te’o blockbuster, The Atlantic’s Scientology ad, Facebook’s new Graph Search
By The Editors Jan 18, 2013 at 02:56 PM
Culled from CJR’s frequently updated “Must-reads from around the Web,” our staff recommendations for the best pieces of journalism (and... More
Pass the #popcorn
ICYMI: Buzzfeed’s piece about liberal gun culture targets three journalists
By Sara Morrison Jan 18, 2013 at 11:05 AM
According to a recent Pew study, 15 percent of adults online use Twitter -- 8 percent daily. I'm pretty sure... More
Amazon takes a tax hit, finally
Reuters reports early signs that collecting sales taxes affected the company’s sales
By Ryan Chittum Jan 18, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Reuters reports that Amazon's fourth quarter results may take a hit from new laws that force it to collect sales... More
Time to shatter the ‘glass closet’
It is our job as journalists to treat gay and lesbian celebrities like straight ones
By Jennifer Vanasco Jan 18, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Jodie Foster's speech accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes on Sunday was rambling, puzzling, oblique --... More
Being good isn’t enough
The sports media needed Manti Te’o to have a compelling back story
By Robert Weintraub Jan 17, 2013 at 04:53 PM
Just how much confirmation does a reporter require before going with a story? Can any source be trusted? If something... More
Here? Now?
Media squander rare opportunity to localize climate coverage
By Curtis Brainard Jan 17, 2013 at 03:30 PM
Making climate change a local story isn't easy, but regional newspapers are, by and large, missing what is probably going... More
Major papers’ longform meltdown
Stories longer than 2,000 words down 86 percent at the LAT since 2003, 50 percent at WaPo, etc.
By Dean Starkman Jan 17, 2013 at 03:11 PM
No one equates story-length with quality. Let’s start with that concession. But still. Story-length is hardly meaningless when you consider... More
Knight News Challenge: Mobile winners announced
Latest round of winners bring mobile access to developing countries
By Sara Morrison Jan 17, 2013 at 01:10 PM
Eight projects received a total of $2.4 million from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as winners of... More
Is the homepage dead?
Yes and no
By Ann Friedman Jan 17, 2013 at 12:19 PM
A friend of mine who is a Web editor at a political publication recently complained to me that his outlet's... More
Faded green
Environment reporters endangered, regardless of exact number
By Curtis Brainard Jan 17, 2013 at 12:00 PM
InsideClimate News's Katherine Bagley, who broke the news last week that The New York Times is dismantling its environment desk,... More
ChinaFile launches in February
A new online magazine seeks to give “texture” to China coverage
By Hazel Sheffield Jan 17, 2013 at 11:12 AM
A new online magazine focusing on China is launching on February 5. ChinaFile, currently available in beta, was founded by... More
USP Notes: Medicaid expansion edition
Some solid coverage helps keep the debate within the realm of facts
By Greg Marx Jan 17, 2013 at 07:00 AM
As governors around the country deliver their annual addresses and legislatures prepare to convene, one of the key policy stories... More
Digital First goes the Newhouse route in upstate New York
In Oneida, the paper moves to three days a week, following the Post-Standard
By Ryan Chittum Jan 17, 2013 at 06:50 AM
The three-day-a-week newspaper model pioneered by Advance Publications in Michigan is now spreading to Digital First Media. The company will... More
New gun laws restrict press access
In all this debate over the Second Amendment, they may be compromising the First
By Sara Morrison Jan 16, 2013 at 06:15 PM
On Tuesday, New York state governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a gun control bill that includes provisions to keep... More
The Frank Luntz script for Congressional Republicans
A guide to phrases journos should look for (and scrutinize)
By Trudy Lieberman Jan 16, 2013 at 03:00 PM
In advance of a House Republican retreat this week, wordsmith Frank Luntz again offered his recipe for GOP political success,... More
German bill would charge for aggregation
The potential law would provide content creators with a portion of the profits search engines make by aggregating them
By Alison Langley Jan 16, 2013 at 12:38 PM
News aggregators and search engines in Germany will be required to pay publishers a fee for using their content—even snippets,... More
Pass the #popcorn
ICYMI: Rupert Murdoch jumps to conclusions
By Sara Morrison Jan 16, 2013 at 12:13 PM
According to a recent Pew study, 15 percent of adults online use Twitter — 8 percent daily. I’m pretty sure... More
Gun permit data wasn’t maximized
The choice that faced the Journal News was not simply whether to map gun permit holders’ addresses, but how
By Susan McGregor Jan 16, 2013 at 11:36 AM
In the weeks since the Journal News's publication of a controversial interactive map of gun permit holders' addresses in Westchester... More
Audit Notes: insider trading versus CDO fraud, 401(k)s, lead and crime
Rough treatment for inside-trading suspects contrasts with CDO probes
By Ryan Chittum Jan 16, 2013 at 06:50 AM
The contrast between how aggressively authorities have gone after inside-trading hedge fund impresarios and how softly they've tiptoed around Wall... More
Reuters’s OKC gusher
Its outstanding Chesapeake Energy investigation turns toward the gas driller SandRidge
By Ryan Chittum Jan 16, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Reuters's reporting on Oklahoma natural gas giant Chesapeake Energy was some of the best corporate journalism of last year. Its... More
Native ads’ existential problem
L’affaire Atlantic/Scientology points up the format’s built-in problems for news
By Dean Starkman Jan 15, 2013 at 11:00 PM
The Atlantic’s big mistake in the Scientololgy “debacle” has been variously described as: 1. Running an ad in the... More
Patch aims for profitability, shifts platforms
The company president spoke of his goals for the year at Street Fight Summit
By Kira Goldenberg Jan 15, 2013 at 09:12 PM
Patch hopes that all 903 of its hyperlocal news sites will be profitable by the end of 2013, and that... More
Financial reporting, for pros and the public
A panel of top financial journalists consider their true audience
By Peter Sterne Jan 15, 2013 at 04:30 PM
Do business journalists write for professional traders or for the general public? That was one of the main questions in... More
In hyperlocal, ‘success’ is subjective
A Street Fight Summit panel of digital journalists dished about their triumphs and concerns
By Kira Goldenberg Jan 15, 2013 at 03:49 PM
The panel just before lunch at Tuesday’s Street Fight Summit, a two-day conference dedicated to all things hyperlocal, was on... More
Hey readers: They’re bluffing! (maybe)
The need to put political bargaining positions in context
By Brendan Nyhan Jan 15, 2013 at 03:00 PM
Insider reporting is vital to understanding what The Wall Street Journal's Gerald Seib describes as the "'Groundhog Day' loop of... More
Stories I’d like to see
A working legislature, post informant life and Wal-Mart’s guns
By Steven Brill Jan 15, 2013 at 11:06 AM
In his “Stories I’d like to see” column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion, have... More
Environment coverage TBD
The Times says it’s committed, but only time will tell
By Curtis Brainard Jan 15, 2013 at 11:00 AM
The New York Times’s decision is to dismantle its four-year-old environment “pod” has been called everything from “an unmitigated disaster”... More
Should Center Square Journal shut down?
A hyperlocal site editor is holding a community meeting to decide its fate
By Hazel Sheffield Jan 15, 2013 at 07:22 AM
The editor of a hyperlocal news site in Chicago is organizing a community meeting to decide whether or not to... More
CBS’s CNET Fiasco
An egregious breach of editorial dependence damages its credibility
By Ryan Chittum Jan 15, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Last week, CNET picked Dish Network's Hopper with Sling, a DVR that can skip ads even more efficiently than other... More
Call in the math club
Science reporters can help ward off a “Big Data bubble”
By Declan Fahy Jan 14, 2013 at 03:15 PM
A reflective piece in The New York Times’s business pages points to a critical future role for science reporters—guarding against... More
… And so on
Explaining explanatory abbreviations
By Merrill Perlman Jan 14, 2013 at 03:00 PM
Today, we’re going to talk about what symbols, abbreviations, etc., to use when, i.e., you want to give a list... More
Healthcare and the profit motive—do they work well together?
Eduardo Porter asks a big question in the Times
By Trudy Lieberman Jan 14, 2013 at 02:51 PM
It was refreshing to see Eduardo Porter, in his Economic Scene column last week in The New York Times, call... More
Fast-tracking the truth in IPAB coverage
How to cover a key ACA provision without making misinformation worse
By Brendan Nyhan Jan 14, 2013 at 11:15 AM
One of the most underrated political stories of the next year is the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (also... More
Audit Notes: The Big Lie of the crisis, Hubbard and Mozilo, institutions
The attempts to muddy the historical record continue
By Ryan Chittum Jan 14, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Jesse Eisinger has a good New York Times column skewering Edward Pinto, the American Enterprise Institute economist behind much of... More
Local California news site sues county sheriff
Lake County News believes it is suffering discrimination
By Hazel Sheffield Jan 14, 2013 at 06:50 AM
A local news site in Lake County, CA, is suing the sheriff there for discrimination. Elizabeth Larson and John Jensen,... More
AP turns to Twitter and restaurant receipts
Unconventional revenue strategies in the wake of new year’s member losses
By Sara Morrison Jan 11, 2013 at 07:54 PM
The AP rolled out two unconventional money-generating strategies this week: It sold advertising in its Twitter feed and cut a... More
Geithner gets his exit hagiography
Soft Washington Post and New York Times coverage of the departing Treasury secretary
By Ryan Chittum Jan 11, 2013 at 03:29 PM
Speaking of hagiography, the Washington Post's Neil Irwin gives Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner his own exit hagiography. This line sums... More
Must-reads of the week
An embarrassment of riches
By The Editors Jan 11, 2013 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
Tough guys
The press is complicit in the NFL’s ‘warrior mentality’
By Robert Weintraub Jan 11, 2013 at 01:22 PM
Last Sunday the Washington Redskins lost more than a playoff game. Their star rookie quarterback, Robert Griffin III, a.k.a. “RG3,”... More
Following the cash behind the new Congress
A guide to getting a (mostly) complete picture in the era of outside spending
By Sasha Chavkin Jan 11, 2013 at 11:00 AM
In simpler times, when donors were donors and PACs were PACs, campaign spending was easy to follow. A review of... More
Audit Notes: WSJ Libor scoop, Business Insider, reader revenue
Deutsche Bank made big money betting on the rigged rate
By Ryan Chittum Jan 11, 2013 at 06:50 AM
The Wall Street Journal posts an interesting page-one report on Deutsche Bank and the big profits it made betting on... More
The president’s lady problem
News outlets were right to report on Obama’s track record of hiring women, but that’s not the only type of diversity to keep in mind
By Jennifer Vanasco Jan 11, 2013 at 06:50 AM
In her column, Minority Reports, Jennifer Vanasco analyzes how the mainstream media covers social minorities. Maybe Obama needs to borrow... More
EXCLUSIVE: WSJ memo doubles down on scoops
An internal memo over the transom
By Dean Starkman Jan 10, 2013 at 07:20 PM
Fresh over the transom, a new memo from The Wall Street Journal’s hierarchy on the importance of scoops to reporters’... More
USP Notes: NYT on Fix the Debt, ProPublica on ‘Democratic Grandmas’
Private interests behind a public debate, and the unusual source of some campaign data
By Greg Marx Jan 10, 2013 at 03:10 PM
As the fiscal cliff debate dragged on late last year, the presence of some deep corporate pockets behind the public... More
The realities of long-term care in America
A Laurel to PBS’s Need To Know
By Trudy Lieberman Jan 10, 2013 at 03:00 PM
Last week’s fiscal cliff deal hammered the last nail in the coffin of the CLASS Act, a part of... More
The ‘Hell No’ caucus and primary cash
Politico looks at the incentives facing Rep. Tom Cotton and his new colleagues
By Sasha Chavkin Jan 10, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Earlier this week, Politico’s John VandeHei and Mike Allen wrote a smart story about what they described as the “Hell... More
The Times gives the SEC’s Khuzami a parting kiss
The enforcement chief still gets the “new sheriff in town” treatment
By Ryan Chittum Jan 10, 2013 at 06:50 AM
It's at least easy to understand the logic, however icky, of the beat sweetener, that staple of news coverage that... More
Is crowdfunding the future of media funding?
Best practices for a Kickstarter-funded journalistic endeavor
By Ann Friedman Jan 10, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Some colleagues and I recently ran a Kickstarter to launch a fairly ambitious music publication from scratch. Our idea —... More
Al Jazeera in America
With its purchase of Current TV, the broadcaster has wide access to the American market for the first time. But will audiences come?
By Vivian Salama Jan 9, 2013 at 03:13 PM
Al Jazeera Media Network, the Qatar-based channel once described by the George W. Bush administration as a “terror network,” announced... More
Back to basics with Krugman
Reporters (and economists) need to take accounting identities into account
By David Cay Johnston Jan 9, 2013 at 03:10 PM
Paul Krugman on Monday delivered an excellent primer on basic economics and the importance of what economists call accounting identities.... More
Maura Johnston’s new song
The former Village Voice music editor is back with a magazine app
By Sara Morrison Jan 9, 2013 at 11:09 AM
After Maura Johnston was let go from the Village Voice in September, she decided that, after six years as a... More
Playing the study game
David Freedman responds to critics of his article about bad health reporting
By David H. Freedman Jan 9, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Recently in the pages of the CJR, I took on science journalism's lack of skepticism and misuse of published scientific... More
Stories I’d like to see
Medicare meddling, the guns of Westchester, and Al Gore’s payday
By Steven Brill Jan 9, 2013 at 08:00 AM
In his “Stories I’d like to see” column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion, have... More
Audit Notes: NYT on AIG, subsidizing fraud, free logic
Probably a bit hyped
By Ryan Chittum Jan 9, 2013 at 06:50 AM
The New York Times scoops that AIG, recipient of a $180 billion bailout from taxpayers, will meet today to hear... More
WaPo: Got agency?
The Post’s ombudsman calls for more coverage of the “less sexy” Cabinet departments
By Liz Cox Barrett Jan 9, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Last Friday, the day after The Washington Post announced an expansion of its online video content "with politically focused programming,”... More
What’s a trillion, anyway?
How to make scary budget numbers meaningful
By David Cay Johnston Jan 8, 2013 at 03:00 PM
Throughout the weeks of intense coverage over the scheduled end of the Bush income tax cuts and the Obama payroll... More
Wilderness of Errol
Two heavyweights square off with new works on the Jeffrey MacDonald murder case
By Lindsay Beyerstein Jan 8, 2013 at 03:00 PM
A Wilderness of Error: The Trials of Jeffrey MacDonald | By Errol Morris | Penguin Press | 544 pages |... More
Medicare Uncovered: the pain from ‘skin in the game’
A report puts a hole in the plan to make people pay more
By Trudy Lieberman Jan 8, 2013 at 10:58 AM
This is the first of a series of occasional "Medicare Uncovered" posts that will look at how the media are... More
Murdoch’s straw snobs
The phony war on “elitist” journalism
By Dean Starkman Jan 8, 2013 at 07:03 AM
It’s often hard to tell when Rupert Murdoch’s biographer, Michael Wolff, is merely transmitting his subject’s views or whether... More
Climate coverage rebound?
Maybe, but the press has a long way to go
By Curtis Brainard Jan 7, 2013 at 05:45 PM
There are signs that climate-change coverage is poised for a rebound after three years of decline, experts say, but the... More
Our funny language
Puzzling English expressions
By Merrill Perlman Jan 7, 2013 at 03:00 PM
As we bid farewell to the holiday season (whatever you may celebrate), here are a few final presents to amuse... More
The Muhammad movie: look who fanned the flames
Despite what Western media reported it was not Islamist outlets that stirred things up
By Emad Mekay Jan 7, 2013 at 10:59 AM
Back on September 11, protestors gathered outside the US embassy near downtown Cairo, furious over reports of a video said... More
On building trust
You’ve feigned orgasm? You’re ready for a career in journalism
By Joyce Wadler Jan 7, 2013 at 10:50 AM
Every now and then somebody chases me down to talk to their journalism class about writing profiles and since this... More
Audit Notes: Gore gorges, 60 Minutes in New Orleans, Wired
The former vice president twists arms and cashes in on Current TV
By Ryan Chittum Jan 7, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Read Brian Stelter's excellent coverage in The New York Times of Al Gore's role in building and selling Current TV:... More
How right is the (1st round of) CW about 2012?
As the retrospectives roll in, a debate unfolds about Obama’s early ads
By Walter Shapiro Jan 4, 2013 at 03:55 PM
Theodore White’s The Making of the President 1960 was published in hardcover in July 1961, a breakneck pace in an... More
Must-reads of the week
Andrew Sullivan declares his independence, Kevin Drum gets the lead out, and Jon Chait goes back to the future!
By The Editors Jan 4, 2013 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
A valuable walk through a 10-K
Partnoy and Eisinger keep it simple
By Dean Starkman Jan 4, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Sometimes, when faced with the unholy mess that is financial regulation, the best idea is to keep it simple,... More
If you were John Boehner, you’d cry too
Why journalists should put the struggles of the House speaker in a larger context
By Brendan Nyhan Jan 4, 2013 at 11:00 AM
On Thursday, John Boehner survived some conservative defections to narrowly win re-election as Speaker of the House, prompting a predictable... More
Are the fiscal fights a bore?
Not to those who dig
By Trudy Lieberman Jan 4, 2013 at 10:55 AM
One of the more telling stories to emerge during the holidays was Politico’s candid take on coverage of the fiscal... More
Loaded language of gay marriage
Reporters need to be mindful of using loaded terminology
By Jennifer Vanasco Jan 4, 2013 at 06:50 AM
In her column, Minority Reports, Jennifer Vanasco analyzes how the mainstream media covers social minorities. At the intersection of gay... More
The money behind the fiscal cliff hardliners
Plan B opponents drew major support from outside groups. What does that mean?
By Sasha Chavkin Jan 3, 2013 at 03:00 PM
The fiscal cliff deal reached on Tuesday reflects a depressing new routine in Washington, DC: the federal government lurching from... More
Coming clean on food safety
The Obama administration’s lack of transparency makes a difficult beat that much harder
By Helena Bottemiller Jan 3, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Editors’ Note: Bottemiller’s bio should have mentioned that her employer, Food Safety News, is published by the law firm Marler... More
Andrew Sullivan’s bold experiment
And how to think about it
By Dean Starkman Jan 3, 2013 at 06:50 AM
The great journalism paywall debate has picked up steam lately as more newspapers move away from the idea of giving... More
Getting more mileage from your ideas
How to turn one reporting trip into several pieces, and how to get your editor to give you more substantive assignments
By Ann Friedman Jan 3, 2013 at 06:50 AM
I'm terrible at writing two to three stories from one reporting trip. How do I get better at this? —Anonymous... More
Opening Shot
Superstorm Sandy’s aftermath on journalism
By The Editors Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
A fter Superstorm Sandy swamped the nation’s media capital in October, some shops, such as the Daily News and American... More
Obamacare: round two
A chance for journalistic redemption
By The Editors Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
The Affordable Care Act, a.k.a Obamacare, is the law of the land, and the re-election of the president ensures... More
Letters to the editor
Readers respond to our November / December issue
By The Editors Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
Good publicity Re: “Rules of the Game: The sometimes nauseating, often fun, and always absurd life of a movie publicist”... More
How I got that story
Explosive situation
By The Editors Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
In 2005, Jerry Redfern and Karen Coates were in Laos reporting a story on the Plain of Jars region... More
Language Corner
Like you were
By Merrill Perlman Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
Using “like” as a conjunction can earn you dirty looks from some quarters. The example most often cited by anti-conjunctionists... More
Hard Numbers
Weird science
By Sara Morrison Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
95 weekly science sections in newspapers in 1989 34 weekly science sections in newspapers in 2005 19 weekly science sections... More
Strange but true
Tales from the sports beat
By Marla Jo Fisher Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
C. W. Nevius, San Francisco Chronicle In 1990, the San Francisco 49ers had a big Monday Night Football game, and... More
Sree tips
Social-media etiquette for journalists
By Sree Sreenivasan Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
Q: What is the advantage of Facebook’s Subscribe function for journalists? A: Facebook’s Subscribe function allows you to share your... More
The Lower Case
Headlines that editors probably wish they could take back
By The Editors Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
- CBSNews.com, 11/9/12 - Newspaper Research Journal, Summer 2012 - KHOU.com, 9/2/12 - The New York Times, 11/22/12 -... More
Darts & Laurels 2012
2012’s media highlights and lowlights
By The Editors Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
DART for inflaming an already tense situation: Business Insider, The Daily Caller, Michelle Malkin, NBC News Following Trayvon Martin’s death... More
‘Survival of the wrongest’
How personal-health journalism ignores the fundamental pitfalls baked into all scientific research and serves up a daily diet of unreliable information
By David H. Freedman Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
In late 2011, in a nearly 6,000-word article in The New York Times Magazine, health writer Tara Parker-Pope laid... More
Chemical reaction
HuffPost’s Cara Santa Maria wants to ‘Talk Nerdy’ to you
By Fred Schruers Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
The tattoo on Cara Santa Maria’s inner right forearm isn’t exactly the kind of ink drunken sailors get. “Yeah,... More
Safe at the plate?
Every few months, an outbreak of foodborne illness roils the nation. But a byzantine regulatory system and a patchwork approach to coverage in depleted newsrooms ensures the press is always playing catch-up on the food-safety story.
By Helena Bottemiller Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
Editors’ Note: Bottemiller’s bio should have mentioned that her employer, Food Safety News, is published by the law firm... More
You’ve got shale!
Brian Cohen and the Marcellus Shale Documentary Project
By Brent Cunningham Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
The story of Janet McIntyre, the woman in the photo above, embodies many of the reasons why Brian Cohen... More
Another round of Cosmos
An American popular scientist in the Carl Sagan tradition, Neil deGrasse Tyson explains why he tweets, and why the US needs to rediscover its space mojo
By Curtis Brainard Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
When it comes to making science popular and accessible, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson does it all. He’s the director... More
My space
Internet visionary Esther Dyson is ready for liftoff
By Cyndi Stivers Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
Esther Dyson always figured she would ride a rocket one day. As the daughter of renowned physicist Freeman Dyson,... More
Snow job?
In the 2012 election, Denver broadcasters accepted an avalanche of political ads and the attendant windfall of revenue. Where did that money go, and what happens next time?
By Sasha Chavkin Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
Side by side, the two cartoon figures stride across the screen, their stick arms wrapped around massive boxes of gifts.... More
Fundamental objections
Reporters in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas are under threat, underpaid, and overwhelmed
By Kiran Nazish Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
Thirty seconds into a phone conversation, Hamid’s voice shifted from polite to brusque. “No, I cannot look into this,”... More
Power vacuum
Working in Sierra Leone is a constant search for current and currency
By Simon Akam Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
About two years ago, I took a position as a freelance correspondent for Reuters in the West African nation... More
Where truth is a hard cell
Although seen as modern and West-leaning, Turkey leads the world in jailing journalists
By Stephen Franklin Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
Award-winning investigative reporter Ahmet Sik is no stranger to danger. In 1998, he was hospitalized after a pro-police mob,... More
Staying alive
That’s the challenge for reporters covering the ultraviolent drug cartels in Mexico — but at least now they’re getting tips from their Colombian colleagues
By Judith Matloff Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
The 20 Mexican journalists had flown to the border of Guatemala to discuss how to report on drug activities... More
Through the looking glass
When a South Korean reporter headed north across the DMZ, she entered a parallel universe that was, and remains, curiouser and curiouser
By Soomin Seo Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
On the eve of August 12, 2001, I received a phone call in the middle of the night. It... More
Elements of Gangnam style
Reporting tips from Kim Jong-il
By Liz Cox Barrett Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
In 2001, Kim Jong-il began wooing the foreign media. But The Dear Leader had long since been pursuing his... More
A beautiful mind
In Is There No Place on Earth for Me?, Susan Sheehan told the complete story of one woman’s struggles with schizophrenia
By Jennifer Gonnerman Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
There were times when the lobby of The Village Voice seemed to be a magnet for crazy people. When... More
Motor City madman
Charlie LeDuff dissects his Detroit hometown
By Bill Shea Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
In recent years, a journalistic cottage industry has emerged around the collapse of once-vibrant Detroit, the implosion of the... More
Fait inaccompli
Why the world failed to rebuild Haiti after the earthquake
By Justin Peters Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
On March 31, 2010, almost three months after an earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince, the capital city of the poorest nation... More
Unfinished business
A new biography of photojournalist Tim Hetherington reflects on a too-short career
By Michael Meyer Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
In recent years, as the American public has grown exhausted by news of war, it has become ever more... More
Brief Encounters
Short reviews of A Journalist’s Diplomatic Mission and The Noir Forties
By James Boylan Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
A Journalist's Diplomatic Mission: Ray Stannard Baker's World War I Diary | Edited with an introduction by John Maxwell Hamilton... More
Huey, Luce, and the news
John Huey takes a Time Inc. out
By Cyndi Stivers Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
At year-end, Time Inc. editor in chief John Huey quietly announced plans to head to a fellowship at Harvard... More
Stories I’d like to see
How far can the Chinese firewall stretch?
By Steven Brill Jan 1, 2013 at 09:16 AM
In his “Stories I’d like to see” column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion, have... 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.
