The importance of counting stories

Schiffrin and Fagan quantify weaknesses in coverage of the stimulus

By Dean Starkman   Apr 30, 2013 at 03:10 PM

One of the cold, hard facts of media punditry is that no one can read everything—or should be expected... More

Honey, I shrank the IRS

The administration wants more money for tax-law enforcement. Let’s ask why

By David Cay Johnston   Apr 30, 2013 at 02:52 PM

Last week, we pointed to a piece of news that we have yet to read or hear from most... More

Room for two

New Yorker, Grantland go head to head on Iditarod coverage

By Robert Weintraub   Apr 30, 2013 at 02:50 PM

Certainly a thousand-mile race across the vast empty expanse of the Alaskan wilderness has room for two massive, longform articles... More

Covering ‘The American Presidency’

Fiction vs. reality in coverage of the White House

By Brendan Nyhan   Apr 30, 2013 at 11:00 AM

In Hollywood and the accounts of many of the nation's leading journalists, events in Washington revolve around the president, who... More

Participial con-fusion

When possession is the law

By Merrill Perlman   Apr 30, 2013 at 06:50 AM

WARNING: Grammar lesson ahead. If you ever knew what a "participle" was, you may have forgotten. Same with the word... More

In the Egypt Independent’s closure, an end of a beginning

The paper was a symbol of Egypt’s new freedom of the press, which appears to be diminishing

By Vivian Salama   Apr 30, 2013 at 06:50 AM

Like many things in Egypt these days, the fight to save the Egypt Independent from termination went viral almost instantly.... More

And that’s the way it was: April 30, 1993

“WorldWideWeb” software enters the public domain

By Sarah Laskow   Apr 30, 2013 at 06:50 AM

In 1993, computer users all over the world were still working out how best to share information over the Internet.... More

Crowdsourcing done right

Crowdsourced journalism showed its limits during the Boston bombing, but that doesn’t mean it lacks value

By Katie Akagi and Stephanie Linning   Apr 29, 2013 at 03:55 PM

Crowdsourcing -- obtaining data, information, or ideas from a group of people -- can quickly bring up vast quantities of... More

Four Corners coverage: immigration reform

The Arizona Republic raises issues absent in most of this region’s reporting—but there are opportunities for everyone to do more

By Joel Campbell   Apr 29, 2013 at 02:50 PM

PROVO, UT -- Journalists in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah have raised vital policy, political, and accountability issues as... More

When reporters are kidnapped

US journalist James Foley has been missing in Syria since Thanksgiving, and there’s no standard way to save him

By Trevor Bach   Apr 29, 2013 at 11:00 AM

James Foley was supposed to arrive by 4. It was Thanksgiving, and Foley, a freelance journalist covering the war in... More

Google vs Brazil

Why Brazil heads up Google’s list of takedown requests

By Sarah Laskow   Apr 29, 2013 at 06:55 AM

In 2009, Google started releasing some basic information twice a year about the takedown requests it receives from governments around... More

Audit Notes: Awful on Bangladesh, the Kochtopus, US day care

Slate’s Matthew Yglesias gets it very wrong on workers and safety standards

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 29, 2013 at 06:50 AM

They were still pulling the hundreds of dead bodies out of the collapsed garment factory in Bangladesh when Slate's Matthew... More

And that’s the way it was: April 29, 1999

Bombing Milosevic’s TV station: Was it a war crime, or just war?

By Snjezana Milivojevic   Apr 29, 2013 at 06:50 AM

In the late hours of April 29, 1999, NATO bombed Avala Tower, a tall, elegant television transmitter that had been... More

Who’s covering local climates?

A new, interactive map from the Earth Journalism Network has details

By Curtis Brainard   Apr 26, 2013 at 04:45 PM

Want to know more about how the climate is changing in your area, and who's writing about it? On Earth... More

Must-reads of the week

Boston bombing follow-ups, Jill Abramson gossip

By The Editors   Apr 26, 2013 at 02:50 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 laurel to Zahira Torres and the El Paso Times

Dogged investigative work exposed a test-score scandal that harmed students

By Richard Parker   Apr 26, 2013 at 11:52 AM

AUSTIN, TX -- In El Paso, the former school superintendent is now in prison, the Justice Department is investigating,... More

New York Times paywall growth slows

But it remains to be seen whether that’s a one-quarter blip or the new normal

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 26, 2013 at 06:50 AM

The torrid growth in digital-only subscribers to The New York Times slowed sharply in the first quarter. Worse, advertising fell... More

Where is the media on ENDA?

An important bill that would protect gay workers from discrimination gets little media coverage

By Jennifer Vanasco   Apr 26, 2013 at 06:50 AM

A bill that is crucial to the civil rights of the LGBT community was reintroduced in both houses of Congress... More

And that’s the way it was: April 26, 1986

Nuclear accident at Chernobyl

By The Editors   Apr 26, 2013 at 06:49 AM

On April 26, 1986, a nuclear reactor accident occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the former Soviet Union.... More

CPI staffs up to follow the money at the state level

New hires join center’s “Consider the Source” project

By Peter Sterne   Apr 25, 2013 at 02:50 PM

In the wake of the Citizens United case and other court rulings, there's an unprecedented amount of money sloshing around... More

Reporting on industry gossip

How Politico should have reported the “turbulence” at The New York Times

By Ann Friedman   Apr 25, 2013 at 01:28 PM

This week, Politico published a largely anonymously-sourced hit piece on New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson, charging that she... More

Audit Notes: Bagged Men, whistleblowers, Times-Picayune

Rupert Murdoch, prepare your checkbook

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 25, 2013 at 06:50 AM

The Washington Post's Erik Wemple asks the New York Post's "Bag Men" to sue the paper for libel: So journalists... More

And that’s the way it was: April 25, 1908

Edward R. Murrow is born

By The Editors   Apr 25, 2013 at 06:49 AM

On this day 105 years ago, Edward R. Murrow, one of the forefathers of American broadcast journalism, was born. Murrow... More

After Sandy Hook

A daylong symposium addressed covering trauma, from breaking news through its aftermath

By Kira Goldenberg   Apr 24, 2013 at 02:50 PM

Longtime Hartford Courant reporter Bill Leukhardt lives in Danbury, the town adjacent to Newtown, CT. So on December 14, when... More

The Chained CPI in people terms

A laurel to The New York Times’s Tara Siegel Bernard

By Trudy Lieberman   Apr 24, 2013 at 10:55 AM

At last comes a story in a major news outlet that explains in people terms what exactly the Chained... More

The fight over Internet sales taxes

The corporate and ideological motives behind the opposition

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 24, 2013 at 10:30 AM

We're more than 20 years into the mainstream Web era—20 years!—and Congress is finally seriously considering force retailers to collect... More

And that’s the way it was: April 24, 1982

Margaret Thatcher launches her land assault in the Falklands

By Patrick Sloyan   Apr 24, 2013 at 06:49 AM

Operation Paraquet: On April 24, 1982, after a three-day delay caused by bad weather, British forces invaded South Georgia, one... More

Earth Day ennui

Google doodle dominates coverage of the environmental holiday

By Curtis Brainard   Apr 23, 2013 at 03:00 PM

It's a bad sign when the biggest news on Earth Day is an animated Google doodle of nature, wherein a... More

The big three miss a tax story

The IRS is furloughing workers. For a lot of reasons, that’s news

By David Cay Johnston   Apr 23, 2013 at 02:51 PM

Okay, it was a big news week. There was the tragedy in Boston. In West, TX, too. And yes, there... More

Exit Interview: Matthew Keys

What’s next for Reuters’s indicted former deputy social media editor?

By Sara Morrison   Apr 23, 2013 at 11:35 AM

It's been a rough month and a half for Matthew Keys. In March, Reuters's now-former deputy social media editor was... More

Stories I’d like to see

Lawsuits from tragedy, ubiquitous security cameras, and IRS torpor

By Steven Brill   Apr 23, 2013 at 11:10 AM

In his "Stories I'd Like to See" column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion, have... More

Right fast in Raleigh

With an aggressive GOP agenda quickly reshaping North Carolina, the press must explain how it happened and what it could mean

By Corey Hutchins   Apr 23, 2013 at 11:00 AM

COLUMBIA, SC ― Maybe you've seen some of the eye-catching headlines bouncing out of North Carolina's capitol over the last... More

The coming retirement-security crisis: let’s get real

A Laurel to Michael Lind for trying to start the conversation

By Trudy Lieberman   Apr 23, 2013 at 06:50 AM

Bravo to Michael Lind, writing for Salon, for daring to challenge media conventional wisdom--that the country can no longer... More

Audit Notes: WSJ goes long, Valleywag, Boston Globe paywall

With a Boston bombings story, the paper shows what it can still do

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 23, 2013 at 06:50 AM

This Wall Street Journal piece on the suspected Boston terrorists is a deeply reported (18 bylines and taglines) and convincing... More

And that’s the way it was: April 23, 2007

Journalist and author David Halberstam dies

By The Editors   Apr 23, 2013 at 06:49 AM

On this day in 2007, David Halberstam, prolific author and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, died in a car accident in Menlo... More

Making ‘investigative a priority’ in south Florida

How the Sun Sentinel assembled a Pulitzer-worthy “I Team” in the middle of Hurricane Tribune

By Adam Weinstein   Apr 22, 2013 at 03:15 PM

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -- "I've been here before," I told the assistant as she picked me up at the elevator... More

Natal gazing

Of birth, and being borne

By Merrill Perlman   Apr 22, 2013 at 03:00 PM

"I don't know nothing about birthing babies!" Butterfly McQueen told Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind. Those who believe... More

The Koch brothers’ media investment [UPDATED]

They are maneuvering to buy the Tribune chain. A look at Watchdog.org gives some clues about what that might mean

By Sasha Chavkin   Apr 22, 2013 at 02:59 PM

On Sunday, a front-page story in The New York Times described the efforts of Charles and David Koch,... More

Pass the #popcorn [Updated]

ICYMI: Reuters social media editors spar

By Sara Morrison   Apr 22, 2013 at 01:56 PM

According to a recent Pew study, 16 percent of adults online use Twitter -- 8 percent daily. I'm pretty sure... More

In defense of scoops

Their reputation took a beating in Boston, but there are reasons to value the news scoop, and they go beyond ego and institutional pride

By Bill Grueskin   Apr 22, 2013 at 11:37 AM

The press services standardize the main events; it is only once in a while that a great scoop is... More

Fast and wrong beats slow and right

The incentives for speed-induced misinformation in Boston bombings coverage

By Brendan Nyhan   Apr 22, 2013 at 10:45 AM

Breaking news addicts were glued to their screens last week as developments in the Boston bombings case flooded cable news... More

Localore’s ‘new media life-forms’

The latest results of AIR’s initiative to show public broadcasters what’s possible

By Sara Morrison   Apr 22, 2013 at 06:50 AM

Since 2007, the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR), a 25-year-old professional networking group, has been trying to figure out... More

The social media tail mustn’t wag the MSM dog

A crowdsourced hunt for the bombers was unambiguously counterproductive

By Felix Salmon   Apr 22, 2013 at 06:50 AM

The Boston bombing and subsequent manhunt was in many ways the first big interactive news story. It wasn't the first... More

Disaster science

Articles about explosives, surveillance, and prosthetics followed tragedies in Boston, Texas

By Curtis Brainard   Apr 22, 2013 at 06:50 AM

As is often the case after bombings and explosions, a steady stream of science stories seeking to explain the mechanics... More

And that’s the way it was: April 22, 1994

Former US President Richard Nixon dies in New York

By The Editors   Apr 22, 2013 at 06:49 AM

On April 22, 1994, the press really would no longer have Nixon to kick around anymore. Richard Milhous Nixon, the... More

How do you cover a story that isn’t?

The world’s media are all over Watertown, but the story is gone

By Justin Peters   Apr 19, 2013 at 04:15 PM

Update, April 21, 2013: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was discovered on Friday night, hiding inside a boat in the backyard of a... More

Must-reads of the week

What a week

By The Editors   Apr 19, 2013 at 02:50 PM

Culled from CJR’s frequently updated “Must-reads from around the Web,” our staff recommendations for the best pieces of journalism (and... More

Collecting Sandy’s stories, one by one

Sandy Storyline is featured in this weekend’s Tribeca Film Festival

By Lauren Kirchner   Apr 19, 2013 at 02:50 PM

Photo Credit: Matt Richter Two men lift a waterlogged piece of furniture up and out of a flooded living... More

Speaking truth to power as a criminal act

A new documentary looks at the press and democracy implications of punishing whistleblowers

By Susan Armitage   Apr 19, 2013 at 02:50 PM

In 2007, Franz Gayl, a civilian Marine Corps science advisor, went public with concerns about delays delivering armored vehicles requested... More

Boston cops: Don’t reveal our tactics, please

Most journalists comply with ‘war zone’ request

By David Riedel   Apr 19, 2013 at 01:19 PM

At 8:52am today, the official Boston Police Twitter feed posted this message: "#MediaAlert: WARNING: Do Not Compromise Officer Safety by... More

Remembering Tim Hetherington

Two years after his death, his legacy continues

By Michael Meyer   Apr 19, 2013 at 01:05 PM

Saturday marks the second anniversary of the deaths of the photojournalists Tim Hetheringon and Chris Hondros, friends and colleagues who... More

As Boston bombing story unfolds, a stellar showing from local TV

WBZ, WHDH deliver balanced, nuanced, comprehensive reporting amid a crisis

By Justin Peters   Apr 19, 2013 at 11:00 AM

BOSTON, MA -- Last night was possibly the biggest, most confusing news night in Boston history. Around 5:15pm, the FBI... More

On a wild night of news, a remarkable press performance

While Reddit fails again

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 19, 2013 at 07:49 AM

Last night was one of the wildest nights of news I can ever recall. With Boston already on edge in... More

The New York Post’s disgrace

The paper smears a kid and a young man on its front page as possible terrorists

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 19, 2013 at 06:50 AM

At some point, you even have to hold the tabloids to account. That point is now with the New York... More

And that’s the way it was: April 19, 2005

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected pope

By The Editors   Apr 19, 2013 at 06:49 AM

On this day in 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, after the... More

Pulitzer surprise: the Sun Sentinel’s rise to a gold medal

How a dark-horse series on police speeding won for public service

By Roy J. Harris Jr.   Apr 18, 2013 at 03:00 PM

In this year's American Society of News Editors, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and Scripps Howard competitions, Fort Lauderdale's Sun Sentinel... More

Keeping up with the bullet train

An immensely ambitious project requires hugely creative coverage. California had it, for a while. Time to try again?

By John Mecklin   Apr 18, 2013 at 11:03 AM

Californians might be forgiven for being puzzled about the merits of their state's ambitious high-speed rail program. The sprawling,... More

Audit Notes: Retail life, statutes of limitations, newspaper bulls

CBS MoneyWatch looks at how shops jerk workers around

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 18, 2013 at 06:50 AM

CBS News's MoneyWatch is good to take a hard look at life for workers in the retail industry, which not... More

In marathon explosion coverage, avoid premature accusations

It’s easy to assume the perpetrator is muslim, but that’s a harmful thing to do

By Jennifer Vanasco   Apr 18, 2013 at 06:50 AM

We don't know yet who planted the Boston Marathon bombs. Maybe it was a crazy loner. Maybe it was someone... More

And that’s the way it was: April 18, 1930

A day with no news

By The Editors   Apr 18, 2013 at 06:49 AM

On April 18, 1930, during what was supposed to be the scheduled news bulletin, BBC Radio announced, simply, "Good evening.... More

The Dish’s progress, so far

At paidContent Live, Andrew Sullivan offered an update on his efforts to turn his blog into a reader-sponsored business

By Kira Goldenberg   Apr 18, 2013 at 06:35 AM

Andrew Sullivan announced in January that he was taking his blog, The Dish, from its home at The Daily Beast... More

Paywalls did not cause the fall of WSJ longform

The Atlantic’s Alexis Madrigal misses the Murdoch

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 17, 2013 at 06:30 PM

Alexis Madrigal asks whether The Wall Street Journal's paywall is responsible for its turning away from longform journalism. That one's... More

STOCK fraud?

Reporters miss a chance to expose Congress’s weak rationale for an ethics rule rollback

By Sasha Chavkin   Apr 17, 2013 at 02:50 PM

On Monday, President Obama quietly signed a bill repealing the major provisions of the much-touted ethics law known as the... More

Google’s privacy policy scrutinized in Europe

A six-country investigation could have worldwide ramifications

By Alison Langley   Apr 17, 2013 at 02:50 PM

Six European countries are stepping up the heat on Google to comply with the continent's strict privacy policies, a year... More

On Tumblr abandoning in-house editorial

CEO David Karp speaks about his decision to eliminate Storyboard staff

By Kira Goldenberg   Apr 17, 2013 at 01:50 PM

Last week, Tumblr CEO David Karp announced the company was dissolving Storyboard, the editorial staff it had hired a year... More

Q&A: Afi-Odelia Scruggs of PD Now What?

A former Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter on the “too big to ignore” paper and its place in the city

By Anna Clark   Apr 17, 2013 at 11:15 AM

DETROIT, MI -- Afi-Odelia E. Scruggs was one of the last hires of the Cleveland Plain Dealer during its hiring... More

Wall Street Journal: time to look in the mirror

Its Pulitzer shutout reaches six years

By Dean Starkman   Apr 17, 2013 at 11:04 AM

Stop me if you've heard this one: Old man goes to shul, prays: "Dear God, just once, let me... More

The problem with financial literacy as a fix

Helaine Olen on enabling blame-the-victims apologies

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 17, 2013 at 06:50 AM

Helaine Olen has an eye-opening column in The Guardian on the concept of financial literacy and how it's misused to... More

The other side of reporting a tragedy

Is it possible for reporters to both do their job and be empathetic humans?

By Ann Friedman   Apr 17, 2013 at 06:50 AM

I don't have cable, so I experienced Monday's events the way I've experienced every violent American tragedy since 9/11: through... More

And that’s the way it was: April 17, 1961

Bay of Pigs Invasion

By The Editors   Apr 17, 2013 at 06:49 AM

On April 17, 1961, a group of about 1,500 CIA-financed and -trained Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs... More

Stories I’d like to see

A New York Times home run, piggyback journalism, and hospital TV ads

By Steven Brill   Apr 16, 2013 at 04:48 PM

In his weekly "Stories I'd Like to See" column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion,... More

Medicare Uncovered: Figuring out the president’s plan

An Associated Press story offers more fog than sunshine

By Trudy Lieberman   Apr 16, 2013 at 03:29 PM

You have to give the AP an A for effort, for at least trying to tell its huge audience... More

In Boston coverage, avoid the ‘t’ word

Some media outlets have been too quick to deem the marathon explosions “terrorism”

By Tanveer Ali   Apr 16, 2013 at 03:10 PM

The twin blasts at the Boston Marathon finish line Monday--which killed at least three people and injured dozens of others--were... More

TNT’s silly experiment

NBA game with no play-by-play guy? Um, maybe not.

By Robert Weintraub   Apr 16, 2013 at 02:55 PM

Late last week, TNT tried an experiment on its weekly national NBA telecast. During the second game of its doubleheader,... More

InsideClimate wins a Pulitzer

Five-year-old news site honored for exposé of Michigan oil spill

By Curtis Brainard   Apr 16, 2013 at 01:45 PM

On Monday, InsideClimate News, a five-year-old investigative news outlet that is based in Brooklyn, but doesn't even have an office,... More

Audit Notes: Reinflating the bubble, Nader in the WSJ

The LA Times reports on a new rush in Southern California

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 16, 2013 at 11:00 AM

The Los Angeles Times has a good and disturbing look at how the LA housing market is already showing signs... More

60 Minutes’s Chevron pollution story springs a leak

An on-camera expert recants in a court statement

By Dean Starkman   Apr 16, 2013 at 06:50 AM

Three years ago, we weighed in on a bitter media dispute pitting Chevron against 60 Minutes over a piece... More

Making Internet politics personal

Activists put a face on acronyms like SOPA, PIPA, and CFAA

By Sarah Laskow   Apr 16, 2013 at 06:50 AM

If you start looking for images to illustrate the fight last year over the Stop Online Piracy Act and the... More

And that’s the way it was: April 16, 2007

Virginia Tech massacre, the deadliest shooting spree in American history

By The Editors   Apr 16, 2013 at 06:49 AM

On April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech senior Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 and injured 23, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic... More

Pulitzer Prizes announced

By The Editors   Apr 15, 2013 at 03:05 PM

Columbia University announced the winners of the 97th annual Pulitzer Prizes on Monday afternoon. Big winners included: the Sun Sentinel... More

Becoming the Texas Tribune (UPDATED)

Evan Smith’s project isn’t exactly as envisioned, but it matters and it’s here to stay. Now, how good can it be?

By Richard Parker   Apr 15, 2013 at 03:00 PM

Update, 4/15, 5:15pm, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation today announced a $1.5 million grant to the Texas... More

Writing tics

The optics of metrics

By Merrill Perlman   Apr 15, 2013 at 02:51 PM

The mayor's op-ed piece urged action on a regional 911 system, which, among other things, would "provide consistent and transparent... More

Connecting China, visually

Reporters help tell Chinese political stories in an interactive way

By Yue Qiu and Wenxiong Zhang   Apr 15, 2013 at 02:00 PM

On February 28, while China's leadership transition was underway, Connected China, a visualization application produced by Reuters, went online. Using... More

New from NYT R&D: Quips

Now you can highlight and mark up an online New York Times article just like you would a book

By Sara Morrison   Apr 15, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Those who have walked through the New York Times lobby have no doubt seen Mark Hansen and Ben Rubin's data-art... More

The native matrix

Making critical distinctions

By Felix Salmon   Apr 15, 2013 at 10:42 AM

Jay Rosen asks, reasonably, that people start drawing useful distinctions between buzzy terms like content marketing, sponsored content, native advertising,... More

Audit Notes: WSJ and labor, Tumblr-speak, not the London whale

Getting it right on a nursing-home worker shortage

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 15, 2013 at 08:30 AM

I got on the Journal last week for completely missing labor's point of view in a story on cranky McDonald's... More

And that’s the way it was: April 15, 1912

The Titanic sinks after colliding with an iceberg

By The Editors   Apr 15, 2013 at 06:49 AM

On April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic, a British passenger liner on her maiden voyage, sank into the North Atlantic... More

Translating public health into media

The Envision conference revealed an ongoing disconnect between policy wonks and storytellers

By Jina Moore   Apr 12, 2013 at 03:40 PM

It's 10am, and we're talking about death. Deaths from disease and neglect--deaths the world could prevent, if only for... Name... More

McCarthy faces transparency questions

Journalists, GOP demand more openness at EPA

By Curtis Brainard   Apr 12, 2013 at 03:35 PM

Journalists and the GOP called for more transparency at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week, as Gina McCarthy, the... More

Must-reads of the week

Margaret Thatcher dies, Anthony Weiner returns, the Maine hermit emerges

By The Editors   Apr 12, 2013 at 02:50 PM

Culled from CJR’s frequently updated “Must-reads from around the Web,” our staff recommendations for the best pieces of journalism (and... More

In Florida, a joint bureau, a unique beat, and a sharp scoop

Partnership gives papers a chance to chase big stories—but can’t guarantee they’ll get read

By Adam Weinstein   Apr 12, 2013 at 11:20 AM

MIAMI, FL -- At the start of April, there was big news in Florida: The state's dismal unemployment rate had... More

McDonald’s through management’s eyes, in the WSJ

Rude employees who, oh by the way, make poverty wages

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 12, 2013 at 11:00 AM

The Wall Street Journal reports that internal McDonald's documents say that the fast food chain's customer service is "broken"—that it... More

Leave appearance out of it

Because she isn’t currently a candidate, Obama’s remarks didn’t necessarily hurt Kamala Harris. But if she had been running, a new study says that they would have hurt her

By Jennifer Vanasco   Apr 12, 2013 at 06:50 AM

I wasn't planning to write about the dust-up after Obama called California's Kamala Harris the country's "best-looking attorney general." After... More

Populism and financial crises

A Columbia professor’s thesis on Canadian and American banking gets credulous WSJ treatment

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 12, 2013 at 06:50 AM

The Wall Street Journal credulously reports on a new paper by Columbia B-school professor Charles Calomiris on why we have... More

And that’s the way it was: April 12, 1961

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person to fly in space

By The Editors   Apr 12, 2013 at 06:49 AM

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, became the first human being to travel into outer space.... More

Chained CPI: A broken link at NPR

For a massive change to Social Security, ‘he-said/she-said’ reporting just doesn’t cut it

By Trudy Lieberman   Apr 11, 2013 at 02:58 PM

A piece on NPR's All Things Considered that aired Monday did little to enlighten listeners about a major change... More

On Plan B: a Dart for Dr. Manny

A physician toes the party line on emergency contraceptives, and science takes a hit

By Sibyl Shalo Wilmont   Apr 11, 2013 at 11:16 AM

Leave it to Fox News Channel's Dr. Manny (Alvarez) to scare the audience away from open and honest discussion... More

What am I supposed to tweet about?

How to have fun but stay professional in 140-character bursts

By Ann Friedman   Apr 11, 2013 at 06:50 AM

Last weekend I spoke at the BU Power of Narrative conference, where a lot of accomplished longform feature writers asked... More

Audit Notes: The paywall problem, Thatcherism, Googlebots

Keeping out the youth of America

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 11, 2013 at 06:50 AM

Alan Mutter has this to say about the pitfalls of paywalls: The case for paywalls would seem to be compelling:... More

And that’s the way it was: April 11, 1976

The first Apple computer is created

By The Editors   Apr 11, 2013 at 06:49 AM

On this day in 1976, the original Apple computer was built. It was designed and assembled by Steve Wozniak. Wozniak... More

Keystone XL road trip

New ebook from TED Books and The Washington Post takes readers down the pipeline’s proposed path

By Curtis Brainard   Apr 10, 2013 at 05:00 PM

In June 2012, a team from The Washington Post, including energy reporter Steven Mufson, photographer Michael Williamson, and videographer Whitney... More

Privacy and the right to know

Does the fact that information is publicly available mean news outlets should use it?

By Sarah Laskow   Apr 10, 2013 at 02:50 PM

At the Deadline Club's panel on privacy and the right to know on Tuesday, the discussion began with guns and... More

AP’s pension probe misses the broad view

Good reporting is undermined by a lack of context

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 10, 2013 at 12:55 PM

The Associated Press has a tough three-part investigation out this week looking at corruption in an old Washington state pension... More

The disruptive potential of native advertising

It’s ad agencies that should worry. But will it scale?

By Felix Salmon   Apr 10, 2013 at 11:03 AM

Andrew Rice delivers 6,000 words on BuzzFeed in the latest NY Mag, which means he has the space to... More

The return of the congressional junket

MoJo’s Andy Kroll shares his strategies for following the money in a post-Abramoff world

By Sasha Chavkin   Apr 10, 2013 at 11:00 AM

* A "Fiesta de Golf," in which donors who will chip in a cool $50,000 get the chance to potentially... More

Audit Notes: Not so scammy, engineer world, Americans’ low taxes

A Bloomberg View column’s alleged scamming of the FDIC looks perfectly legal

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 10, 2013 at 10:40 AM

William D. Cohan roughs up newly former SEC Chief Mary Schapiro and former Fed Vice Chairman Alan Blinder in a... More

And that’s the way it was: April 10, 1847

Joseph Pulitzer is born

By The Editors   Apr 10, 2013 at 06:49 AM

Influential newspaper editor and publisher Joseph Pulitzer was born on this day in 1847. Pulitzer immigrated to the United States... More

Fifth annual Shorty awards held

Tim Pool, CNN win journalism-related awards

By Sara Morrison   Apr 9, 2013 at 05:00 PM

The fifth annual Shorty Awards, held Monday night in New York City's TimesCenter, honored "the best in social media," including... More

The reporter in the middle of the Aurora shooting trial

FoxNews.com’s Jana Winter could be jailed for refusing to reveal her sources

By Sara Morrison   Apr 9, 2013 at 01:00 PM

[Update, April 9, 1pm] The judge in the Holmes case has ruled that he will not order Jana Winter to... More

Big Pharma’s army of messengers

A campaign to kill a drug discount

By Trudy Lieberman   Apr 9, 2013 at 11:18 AM

As we report in a companion piece here on CJR.org--"Medicare uncovered: What's not on the table"--the president's budget proposal,... More

Medicare Uncovered: What’s not on the table

Negotiating the price of drugs would save billions. Why don’t we talk about it?

By Trudy Lieberman   Apr 9, 2013 at 11:02 AM

The leaks from the White House and the circulation of pre-budget talking points on Friday made it clear that fixes... More

Stories I’d like to see

The revealing Rutgers report, job number revisions, and Trayvon, Inc

By Steven Brill   Apr 9, 2013 at 10:56 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: Reuters in court, 97-month car loans, the missing 000s

A flurry of legal activity for the wire service

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 9, 2013 at 06:50 AM

Reuters has been in the legal news a bit lately, and not in a good way. First, the Journal reported... More

Newspaper revenue: good news, bad news

Mostly bad as revenue stops its free-fall but ads remain weak

By Dean Starkman   Apr 9, 2013 at 06:50 AM

The Newspaper Association of America takes some comfort, and with some reason, in the news that newspaper revenues declined... More

And that’s the way it was: April 9, 1865

Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox

By The Editors   Apr 9, 2013 at 06:49 AM

On the morning of April 9, 1865, in Appomattox Court House, VA, General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia... More

Blame excuses

Where to point the finger

By Merrill Perlman   Apr 8, 2013 at 03:43 PM

"Deer Creek blames fire on science experiment," read one headline. "Arsonist blames fire on living conditions," said another. Some people... More

Networks lose two veteran science reporters

ABC News and NBC News say they will replace Potter and Bazell

By Peter Sterne   Apr 8, 2013 at 01:30 PM

Last month witnessed the retirement of two longtime science correspondents for network news, Ned Potter of ABC and Robert Bazell... More

Ellie finalists announced

National mag awards honor the best work last year

By The Editors   Apr 8, 2013 at 11:06 AM

[Update, April 8, 11am] Monday morning, ASME announced finalists for Magazine of the Year, the top honor in its annual... More

Investigative collaboration, cross-border edition

A landmark series on offshore tax havens from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists

By Dean Starkman   Apr 8, 2013 at 11:05 AM

A good sign that your investigation has hit the mark is when law enforcement agencies start demanding to see... More

Audit Notes: Plain Dealer, Silicon Valley openness, debt and borrowing

Cleveland execs trot out the Advance Publications talking points

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 8, 2013 at 06:50 AM

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, whose slogan not so long ago was "Miss a day, miss a lot," will go to... More

Bill Adair, setting pants ablaze no more

The PolitiFact founder on his move to academia and the state of the factchecking movement

By Brendan Nyhan   Apr 8, 2013 at 06:50 AM

The Tampa Bay Times announced last week that Bill Adair, the newspaper's Washington bureau chief and the founder and editor... More

And that’s the way it was: April 8, 1904

Longacre Square is renamed Times Square after The New York Times

By Sang Ngo   Apr 8, 2013 at 06:49 AM

Ninety-nine years ago today, the city center in Midtown Manhattan, formerly known as Longacre Square, was officially redubbed "Times Square."... More

Smart, straightforward sequester stories

A HuffPost survey and a close Wonkblog look at cancer treatment stand out

By David Cay Johnston   Apr 5, 2013 at 05:09 PM

Covering the effect of the across-the-board federal spending cuts does not have to be expensive, and it does not have... More

Must-reads of the week

The business outsider, the future of currency, the distance to Mars

By The Editors   Apr 5, 2013 at 02:50 PM

Culled from CJR’s frequently updated “Must-reads from around the Web,” our staff recommendations for the best pieces of journalism (and... More

Copyright’s new ‘new law’

Maria Pallante’s vision for copyright reform

By Sarah Laskow   Apr 5, 2013 at 02:50 PM

In the world that Maria Pallante, the US Register of Copyrights, inhabits, people sometimes call the Copyright Act of 1976... More

Covering an Obamacare clawback: better late than never

The Associated Press discovers an overlooked story

By Trudy Lieberman   Apr 5, 2013 at 11:00 AM

What Congress giveth, it can also taketh away. And there's no clearer example than a provision in the Affordable Care... More

Tidbits in the news

Quick takes on social minorities in the recent news cycle

By Jennifer Vanasco   Apr 5, 2013 at 06:50 AM

It seems like every day in the news cycle there is a fascinating tidbit I'd like to cover in Minority... More

And that’s the way it was: April 5, 1951

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for conspiring to commit espionage

By The Editors   Apr 5, 2013 at 06:49 AM

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were the first American civilians to be executed for espionage. They were charged with transmitting secret... More

Advance to nowhere

Newhouse-owned chain slogs forward with discredited free-news model, now in Cleveland

By Dean Starkman   Apr 4, 2013 at 05:00 PM

Advance Publications's announcement today on the future of the Cleveland Plain Dealer was less dramatic than the one a year... More

Q&A: NewYorker.com editor Nicholas Thompson

On the site’s new science and technology section and blog

By Curtis Brainard   Apr 4, 2013 at 04:45 PM

On Tuesday, The New Yorker launched a science and technology page on its website, along with a companion blog called... More

Doctors and nurse practitioners: beyond the turf wars

Research shows nurse practitioners are as good as MDs at primary care, where there is a big shortage. But who knows about it?

By Sibyl Shalo Wilmont   Apr 4, 2013 at 03:00 PM

A few days ago, I got an email asking me to sign a petition on the White House website, urging... More

Next FCC chairman will impact journalism

Why journalists should care who succeeds Julius Genachowski

By Tracie Powell   Apr 4, 2013 at 02:50 PM

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced last month that he was stepping down, and journalism advocates have since been... More

Plain Dealer announces reduced print delivery, creation of new digital company

No layoffs—yet—at Advance’s paper in Cleveland

By Anna Clark   Apr 4, 2013 at 01:11 PM

DETROIT, MI -- Ever since owner Advance Publications notified staff at the Cleveland Plain Dealer of looming layoffs late last... More

Digital ads and grains of salt

Assessing recent claims

By Dean Starkman   Apr 4, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Some data are better than no data, I suppose, but it always pays to be skeptical when companies disclose... More

Expand Ohio’s Medicaid expansion story

Keep people at the fore, but dig into the private insurance angle

By Anna Clark   Apr 4, 2013 at 11:00 AM

DETROIT, MI -- While reporters across the country are tackling the Medicaid expansion story as the Affordable Care Act takes... More

ICYMI: CJR’s panel at the Newseum

Farai Chideya, Gene Policinski, Jeff Yang, Raquel Cepeda, and Richard Prince discuss coverage of race, class, and social mobility

By The Editors   Apr 4, 2013 at 07:50 AM

On Wednesday morning, CJR hosted a panel at the Newseum in Washington, DC, to further the discussion of our March/April... More

What you gonna do with all that junket?

You really want to accept that free trip. Here’s how to decide whether you can do it ethically

By Ann Friedman   Apr 4, 2013 at 06:50 AM

At most news outlets, travel budgets have disappeared. This is a bummer if you're a reporter who likes to get... More

And that’s the way it was: April 4, 1968

Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, TN

By The Editors   Apr 4, 2013 at 06:49 AM

At a motel in Memphis, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray on April 4, 1968. The... More

To avoid sexism, follow AP style

The New York Times would have dodged a headache in its Yvonne Brill obituary

By Jessica Seigel   Apr 3, 2013 at 05:15 PM

If the New York Times journalists behind the much-criticized obituary--that originally led with pioneering scientist Yvonne Brill's fab "beef stroganoff"... More

The insurance industry wins a big one

Lobbying effort on Medicare Advantage, mostly uncovered in the press, pays off in DC

By Trudy Lieberman   Apr 3, 2013 at 02:50 PM

The lead of Politico's story on the battle over Medicare Advantage cuts didn't pull any punches: "The insurance industry chalked... More

No more ‘illegal immigrants’ in AP stories

The AP hopes the change will lead to more accurate immigration coverage

By Peter Sterne   Apr 3, 2013 at 01:50 PM

On Tuesday, the AP announced that it will no longer use the term "illegal immigrant." In a blog post, Kathleen... More

Obamacare and the business angle: innovative coverage

A tip of the hat to Inc. and The New York Times

By Trudy Lieberman   Apr 3, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Inc.'s Adam Bluestein and Julie Weed of The New York Times have come up with an interesting way of covering... More

Revolving door spins for Schapiro and Breuer

Former SEC and DOJ officials cash in

By Ryan Chittum   Apr 3, 2013 at 06:50 AM

So you make big bucks as partner at a top law firm at the "nexus of Washington and Wall Street."... More

And that’s the way it was: April 3, 1888

The first of the “Whitechapel murders” is committed in London

By Sang Ngo   Apr 3, 2013 at 06:49 AM

On Tuesday, April 3, 1888, prostitute Emma Elizabeth Smith was assaulted and robbed. She died the next day from her... More

College rejection clickbait

It was irresponsible for the WSJ to let a teen create a search history she could end up regretting

By Kira Goldenberg   Apr 2, 2013 at 12:45 PM

So this piece has been making the rounds since Monday. It's on op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by high... More

Stories I’d like to see

Steve Cohen’s frustrated PR machine; unlikely lobbyists; and the $600 million train station

By Steven Brill   Apr 2, 2013 at 11:45 AM

In his "Stories I'd like to see" column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion, have... More

And that’s the way it was: April 2, 2005

Pope John Paul II dies at the age of 84

By The Editors   Apr 2, 2013 at 06:49 AM

After suffering heart failure, Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005. He was one of the most charismatic... More

Cruelest month for sequester-related cuts?

Layoffs and furloughs are going into effect—coverage needs to keep up

By David Cay Johnston   Apr 1, 2013 at 03:20 PM

April Fool's Day is an important date for reporting on the meat ax cuts to federal spending resulting from the... More

Season openers

Baseball terms and myths

By Merrill Perlman   Apr 1, 2013 at 03:00 PM

Major league baseball season gets under way this week, so let's throw out the first ball, left-handed. That's called "southpaw."... More

Three things to like about the Times OSHA exposé

And one thing not to like at all

By Dean Starkman   Apr 1, 2013 at 06:50 AM

Ian Urbina's magisterial probe in The New York Times of OSHA's failure to police long-term health risks—like harmful fumes caused... More

To watch: Race, class, & social mobility

CJR is livestreaming its panel discussion from the Newseum on Wednesday

By The Editors   Apr 1, 2013 at 06:50 AM

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington--the full name of which was "The... More

And that’s the way it was: April 1, 1957

The BBC broadcasts its now-famous spaghetti tree hoax

By Sang Ngo   Apr 1, 2013 at 06:49 AM

Called "undoubtedly the biggest hoax that any reputable news establishment ever pulled," the spaghetti tree hoax refers to a three-minute... More