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Articles by Curtis Brainard | Email the Author
Climate Conundrums
Slack coverage, quality issues stir debate
By Curtis Brainard Jan 10, 2011 at 01:16 PM
2010 was “the year climate coverage ‘fell off the map,’” The Daily Climate, a website that tracks related news and... More
Best of 2010: The Observatory
Curtis Brainard picks the top stories from 2010
By Curtis Brainard Dec 29, 2010 at 01:11 PM
1. “New” Media Crucial in Aftermath of Haitian Earthquake With standard telephone, radio, and television communications disabled, “new” media platforms... More
Climate Change 101
Trio of articles re-cover some global warming basics
By Curtis Brainard Dec 23, 2010 at 04:45 PM
A little more than a year ago, there was a feeling among many editors and reporters that the climate-change story... More
The Right Place for Scientific Debate?
Scientists snub media as controversy over arsenic-eating microbes rolls on
By Curtis Brainard Dec 7, 2010 at 05:07 PM
First there was the wild speculation about the discovery of extraterrestrial life. Then came widespread, sometimes misguided, coverage of the... More
A Life Less Ordinary
After speculation about aliens, arsenic-eating microbe stirs wide coverage
By Curtis Brainard Dec 3, 2010 at 01:23 PM
A bacterium trained to substitute arsenic for phosphorus—one of six elements considered essential for life—in some of its basic cellular... More
Close Encounters of the Media Kind
NASA press release leads to wild speculation about alien discovery
By Curtis Brainard Dec 1, 2010 at 12:42 PM
Over the last two days, bloggers at a few of the country’s top news outlets have engaged in wild and... More
Drop Out?
Suggested closure of Colorado journalism school sparks controversy
By Curtis Brainard Nov 19, 2010 at 01:39 PM
The University of Colorado at Boulder kicked up a cloud of dust when it announced in August that it had... More
How to Place a Story?
Survey finds top environmental newsmakers still target traditional media
By Curtis Brainard Nov 18, 2010 at 10:00 AM
Despite disruptive changes in the media industry, which have made it more difficult to place stories and develop relationships with... More
Echoes of Grit and Humor
Great Lakes news startup brings on an inspiring new voice
By Curtis Brainard Nov 16, 2010 at 02:30 PM
If all goes as planned, Tom Henry’s decision to take on more work—in the form of a monthly column for... More
Press Pass Problems
Cetacean Society’s decision to deny a reporter raises questions about access
By Curtis Brainard Nov 12, 2010 at 04:30 PM
On Tuesday, the American Cetacean Society denied a freelancer’s request for a press pass to attend the society’s annual meeting... More
A Future for Cooperative Politics?
New York Times story on candidates’ psychology is overly optimistic
By Curtis Brainard Nov 3, 2010 at 02:49 PM
Thankfully, the days of “neuropunditry,” which sought to decipher voters’ thoughts with brain imaging and which blighted coverage of the... More
Paint it Green
Why it’s been left to reporters to bring up environmental issues on the campaign trail
By Curtis Brainard Oct 28, 2010 at 02:37 PM
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, “In much of the nation, ‘cap and trade’ has... More
Red, White, and Blue, but Not Green
Energy and environment issues lacking in mid-term election coverage
By Curtis Brainard Oct 21, 2010 at 02:26 PM
Remember the 2008 presidential campaign, when candidates and voters alike couldn’t seem to get enough of energy and climate issues... More
Q&A: Miles O’Brien, Back in Action
Ex-CNN correspondent talks about the NewsHour’s new Science News Unit
By Curtis Brainard Oct 4, 2010 at 04:35 PM
Bucking the trend in science journalism, the PBS NewsHour announced last Tuesday that it has created a new Science News... More
“This is Our Beat”
Breaking news and the big picture in Audubon’s special report on the oil spill
By Curtis Brainard Sep 16, 2010 at 10:15 AM
Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon sank and oil began erupting into the Gulf of Mexico in late April, the 105-year-old... More
Q&A: Covering the IPCC
Perlman award-winner Pallava Bagla talks about courage and tough questions
By Curtis Brainard Sep 14, 2010 at 10:45 AM
[Editor’s Note: The American Geophysical Union recently awarded this year’s David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism to Indian... More
The Oil Plume Paradox
Coverage of various studies engenders frustration
By Curtis Brainard Aug 26, 2010 at 11:54 AM
Pinpointing the amount of oil lingering in the Gulf of Mexico continues to be a source of frustration for journalists... More
Gulf Coast Guessing Game
Fresh wave of articles highlight uncertainty about lingering oil
By Curtis Brainard Aug 19, 2010 at 05:15 PM
More scientific criticism of a government report that attempted to calculate the amount oil left in the Gulf of Mexico... More
More on Extreme Weather
Day Two stories go a step farther in drawing connection to climate change
By Curtis Brainard Aug 17, 2010 at 01:40 PM
Stories exploring a possible connection between climate change and extreme weather around the world continued over the weekend, with some... More
Temperate Coverage of Extreme Weather
Media put heat, floods in proper climatic context
By Curtis Brainard Aug 12, 2010 at 03:56 PM
More and more, reporters have been asking whether or not climate change could be responsible for this summer’s extreme weather.... 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”
In one tweet
Luke Russert is the Golden Boy of DC
And it drives young journalists crazy
It’s official: We never need to worry about the future of journalism again!
The NYT shows us why
Why does Florida produce so much weird news? Experts explain
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.
