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Articles by Brendan Nyhan | Email the Author
The press botches the tax debate—again
Narratives and ignorance trump accuracy in descriptions of Democratic proposal
By Brendan Nyhan Jul 26, 2012 at 04:54 PM
NEW HAMPSHIRE — Yesterday, the Senate held symbolic votes on a pair of high-profile tax bills with important implications for... More
Unanswered questions in the Romney/Bain controversy
Don’t look to fact-checkers for resolution
By Brendan Nyhan Jul 17, 2012 at 12:15 PM
NEW HAMPSHIRE — Fact-checkers have played a key role in the controversy over Mitt Romney's role in outsourcing at Bain... More
Arbitrating the dispute over Romney’s history at Bain
Reporters and editors need a better approach to covering the controversy
By Brendan Nyhan Jul 9, 2012 at 03:00 PM
NEW HAMPSHIRE — Last Tuesday, the Obama campaign released a new ad here and in eight other swing states that... More
‘Turning point’ claims ‘in tatters’
After historic health care decision, some commentators set out on fruitless search for campaign narrative
By Brendan Nyhan Jun 29, 2012 at 04:26 PM
Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision upholding most of the Affordable Care Act has vast implications for health policy in this country... More
Why Romney looks more ‘confident’ in reporters’ eyes
It’s journalism-speak for “seeming more likely to win”
By Brendan Nyhan Jun 19, 2012 at 12:05 PM
NEW HAMPSHIRE — One of the most frequent problems with campaign reporting is the way that journalists construct candidate-centric narratives... More
Do campaign gaffes matter? Not to voters
Overhyped gaffe coverage is a sign that editors should shift resources to other stories
By Brendan Nyhan Jun 13, 2012 at 02:55 PM
Since Friday, the national political conversation has been dominated by a debate over the importance of President Obama’s statement, at... More
Journalists: do no harm!
If you must cover the birthers, here’s an annotated how-to
By Brendan Nyhan May 31, 2012 at 01:19 PM
In a series of media interviews conducted before a Las Vegas fundraiser with presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, Donald... More
The over-covered image war
Journalists are exaggerating the risk that Mitt Romney will be “defined” early
By Brendan Nyhan May 21, 2012 at 10:50 AM
The message war in the presidential election got underway in earnest last week, with the Obama campaign releasing a new... More
The entirely predictable failure of Americans Elect
A little poli-sci—or just recent history—would have helped pundits avoid the hype
By Brendan Nyhan May 18, 2012 at 11:03 AM
On Thursday, the board of Americans Elect folded its presidential nominating process after the set of declared candidates repeatedly failed... More
Obama ‘evolves,’ Romney ‘flip-flops’
As the candidates’ positions change, reporters construct differing narratives
By Brendan Nyhan May 8, 2012 at 12:00 PM
NEW HAMPSHIRE—Are Barack Obama and Mitt Romney so different after all? Despite the media’s portrayal of Romney as a uniquely... More
The Dangers of Silly Season
How bored reporters and social media can hype fake controversies and spread misinformation
By Brendan Nyhan Apr 13, 2012 at 12:09 PM
When Rick Santorum suspended his candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination on Tuesday, he removed any remaining doubt that Mitt... More
Narrowcasting the 2012 Election
Why media polls that slice and dice the electorate could miss the big picture
By Brendan Nyhan Apr 6, 2012 at 12:55 PM
NEW HAMPSHIRE — With Mitt Romney’s hold on the GOP nomination becoming too obvious to deny, horse race enthusiasts in... More
Does Fact-Checking Work? False Statements are Wrong Metric
By naming and shaming worst offenders, reporters can make a difference
By Brendan Nyhan Mar 30, 2012 at 09:41 AM
Politics today seemingly has more fact-checking than ever before. As a result, reporters are asking a new question: Does fact-checking... More
The Etch-a-Sketch Press
How the media constructed another Romney gaffe—and why it is unlikely to matter
By Brendan Nyhan Mar 22, 2012 at 11:25 AM
NEW HAMPSHIRE — Yesterday, Etch-a-Sketch became the media’s favorite metaphor for Mitt Romney’s ideological flexibility. But the iconic children’s toy... More
The World’s Dumbest Press Conference
How coverage of Joe Arpaio’s birtherism threatens to make the myth worse
By Brendan Nyhan Mar 5, 2012 at 10:37 AM
NEW HAMPSHIRE — Last Tuesday, the New America Foundation released a report (PDF) I co-authored with Georgia State's Jason Reifler... More
Countering Misinformation: Tips for Journalists
Avoid negations, use graphics, and get the story right the first time!
By Brendan Nyhan Feb 29, 2012 at 10:52 AM
This article was written by Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler. It is adapted from Misinformation and Fact-checking: Research Findings from... More
The Elusive Hunt for the ‘Real Romney’
How the search for a politician’s true identity leads to pathological media coverage
By Brendan Nyhan Feb 16, 2012 at 10:21 AM
Though he launched his first run for president more than five years ago, Mitt Romney is still widely seen as... More
A State of the Union Media Prebuttal
Instead of overhyping the SOTU, here’s what reporters should do
By Brendan Nyhan Jan 24, 2012 at 11:43 AM
NEW HAMPSHIRE—Tonight, President Obama will address Congress and the nation in his 2012 State of the Union address. The SOTU... More
The Out-of-Context Quote as Gaffe
A closer look at coverage of “I like being able to fire people who provide services to me’”
By Brendan Nyhan Jan 17, 2012 at 06:00 AM
NEW HAMPSHIRE — Michael Kinsley famously wrote that "A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth—some obvious truth he... More
Forget the Debates—Focus on the Air War!
Journalists are looking for attacks in all the wrong places
By Brendan Nyhan Jan 10, 2012 at 06:00 AM
NEW HAMPSHIRE — Over the weekend, media coverage of the Republican presidential race focused on the lack of conflict in... 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.
