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Articles by Curtis Brainard | Email the Author

USA Today Wins Oakes Award

“Smokestack Effect” garners another prize for outstanding reporting

A USA Today investigation which found that the air outside thousands of schools across the country could be at least... More

WSJ Cancels Energy/Environment Blog

Two years after launch, popular site mysteriously dumped

After a mere two-year run, The Wall Street Journal has, for some inexplicable reason—or, rather, for some reason it refuses... More

Criticism of IPCC Continues

American media still missing in action

American media are still missing in action on the controversy currently embroiling the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In addition... More

MIA on the IPCC

American press largely ignores latest controversies

Almost two weeks ago, the Sunday Times, a British newspaper, “broke” the story that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change... More

Reporters Doubling as Docs in Haiti

Dual roles raise concerns about journalistic ethics

Prominent television journalists who are also certified doctors have been treating injured patients amidst the recovery and relief efforts in... More

Repairing Haitian Radio

Internews sends team of specialists, technicians to restore local broadcasting

With radio and television news outlets crippled by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti last week, Internews, an international media... More

BBC Trust to Review Science Coverage

Outlet’s “accuracy and impartiality” to be scrutinized following criticism

The BBC Trust—the governing body of the BBC—announced last week that it will review the accuracy and impartiality of the... More

“New” Media Crucial in Aftermath of Haitian Earthquake

Newspapers, television scramble to reach the scene

“New” media platforms were critical to delivering early information about damage and relief efforts in the aftermath of a 7.0... More

Flatlining Despite Healthcare Overhaul

CUNY, Univ. of Minnesota suspend health/medical journalism programs

With one of the most significant and expensive overhauls of the American health care system about to begin, the City... More

Just in Time for Winter

Homans on weathermen as climate skeptics

The cover story in the current issue of CJR, about why climate skepticism is so common among television weather forecasters,... More

Best of 2009: The Observatory

Brainard picks The Observatory’s top stories from 2009

Jan. 13 — Environmental S.W.A.T. Team: 2009 began on a seemingly positive note, with The New York Times pulling a... More

Copenhagen’s “Climate Pool”

Eleven international news agencies launch Facebook blog

The Associated Press and ten other international news agencies have launched “The Climate Pool,” a Facebook page that they hope... More

Hacked E-mails and “Journalistic Tribalism”

Climate coverage is imperfect, but is it ideologically biased?

In a column for USA Today on Tuesday, Jonah Goldberg argued that the mainstream press hasn’t given enough attention to... More

Saving Corwin’s Creatures

MSNBC wades into new territory with environmental documentary 100 Heartbeats

While filming his new documentary, 100 Heartbeats, Jeff Corwin cut off the horn of a black rhino to protect it... More

Trains, Planes, and Carbon Offsets

Times keeps a needed eye on green premiums

This week, The New York Times published two much-needed articles questioning the value of programs that let consumers pay a... More

Plimer, “Balance as Bias” Back in Climate Coverage

That old nuisance, “balance as bias,” cropped up in the press again on Thursday in an article in the Telegraph... More

The Fate of Former P-I Employees

Ruth Teichroeb, who worked as an investigative reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer from 1997 until its demise in March, is... More

AMNH Hosts 33rd Annual Margaret Mead Film Festival

Science news aficionados that are passing through New York City this week should check out the thirty-third Margaret Mead Film... More

Univ. of Montana Launches Environmental Journalism Program

School cites expansive value of training, diverse job possibilities

At least somebody gets it. The University of Montana in Missoula announced on Monday that it is accepting applications for... More

AAAS Announces 2009 Kavli Science Journalism Awards

Recipients of the 2009 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards were announced this morning. “A radio broadcast on probability told through... More

Google X

Inside Google’s secret lab

A tweetable feast

We might deplore the practice, but posting pictures of our food online is a way to bring everyone to the table

How the ‘World’s 50 Best’ list changed the way elite restaurants do business

“Every time the restaurant switched up its format, it got plenty of accompanying media coverage that let judges know they needed to return to see what was going on”

This is water

David Foster Wallace’s 2005 Kenyon commencement speech as a short film

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Who Owns What

The Business of Digital Journalism

A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

Study Guides

Questions and exercises for journalism students.