Author Archive

Articles by Curtis Brainard | Email the Author

 

1. The Observatory

   Science Journalism’s Hope and Despair

   February 13, 2009 12:47 PM

   About a year and a half ago, I began reporting on a story about the “state” of science journalism, which may finally see the light of day in an upcoming issue of CJR. But I was flattered to hear it... Continue reading

2. The Observatory

   What Have We Learned?

   February 11, 2009 04:37 PM

   Last night, a panel of distinguished science journalists and one social scientist discussed shifting norms in climate-change coverage at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. “Let’s assume that journalists didn’t do a flawless job covering... Continue reading

3. The Observatory

   One More Science Journalism Event…

   February 11, 2009 04:07 PM

   Yesterday, I wrote a short post about a few all-star science journalism events taking place this week in New York and Chicago. I missed another one, which bears mentioning and, unlike the others, this one is being webcast... Continue reading

4. The Observatory

   Science Journalism Events at AMNH, AAAS

   February 10, 2009 12:33 PM

   I don’t generally announce upcoming science journalism events, mostly because my readership is spread out across the country. I might get in the habit, though, and now seems as good a time as any to begin because there are a... Continue reading

5. The Observatory

   NYT: “Boron Moron”

   February 9, 2009 03:33 PM

   My thanks to the Knight Science Journalism Tracker for pointing out a "mea culpa" posted today by The New York Times's Kenneth Chang regarding an error he made in an article last week about... Continue reading

6. The Observatory

   Global vs. Regional Trends

   February 4, 2009 07:00 AM

   On January 1, the Daily Tech, an online magazine, published a somewhat misleading blog post about the “rapid recovery” of global sea ice, based on research released by the University of Illinois's polar research group. The... Continue reading

7. The Observatory

   The Language and Culture of Climate

   January 29, 2009 12:45 PM

   One of the things that history will remember about the coverage of climate change is that, not unlike the Iraq War, the press itself became an important part of the story, largely due to faulty reporting at its outset. Over... Continue reading

8. The Observatory

   The Price is Right, Energy Edition

   January 26, 2009 03:53 PM

   Monday morning, President Barack Obama signed two executive orders to spur an economic recovery plan founded upon clean energy and environmental protection. It is a move that is sure to please the many journalists who long ago realized... Continue reading

9. The Observatory

   Environmental S.W.A.T. Team

   January 13, 2009 09:12 AM

   On Thursday, The New York Times will launch a new, crack environmental reporting unit that will pull in eight specialized reporters from the Science, National, Metro, Foreign, and Business desks in a bid for richer, more prominent coverage. CJR received... Continue reading

10. Behind the News

    We (Heart) Bag Fees!?

    January 9, 2009 09:14 AM

    The week before Christmas, I wrote a column about the poor state of consumer reporting in the United States. Imagine my reaction, then, as I read a December 23 New York Times article aboard a... Continue reading

11. The Observatory

    Gupta for Surgeon General

    January 6, 2009 05:22 PM

    The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz broke the story today that President-elect Barack Obama has offered the job of surgeon general to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent and a practicing neurosurgeon. Kurtz reported that Gupta... Continue reading

12. Behind the News

    Consumer Revolution on the Web: Overview

    December 23, 2008 03:03 PM

    On November 20th 2008, nearly 100 participants from several regions of the United States and from Denmark, Norway and Ireland as well attended a one-day conference at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism focused on the pressing topic: "Consumer... Continue reading

13. The Observatory

    The Year in Science Journalism

    December 22, 2008 01:54 PM

    Over at the Knight Science Journalism Tracker, Charlie Petit has a fun roundup of over half a dozen publications and organizations’ lists of the best science stories, photos, and discoveries of the year. Cellular reprogramming, exoplanets, the Large... Continue reading

14. The Observatory

    Science Groups Protest CNN Cuts

    December 22, 2008 01:36 PM

    Four of the world’s largest science and environmental journalism groups issued their first-ever joint statement today in a letter sent to CNN protesting the network’s decision to cut its entire science team this month. The presidents of the... Continue reading

15. Behind the News

    Everybody’s a Critic

    December 19, 2008 11:49 AM

    What is a professional consumer reporter do to when the Internet has empowered anybody to be a critic of everything from cars, to credit cards, to healthcare plans? Worse still, at a time when government and industry have diminished the... Continue reading

16. The Observatory

    Q&A: Andrew Revkin

    December 16, 2008 04:13 PM

    Last month, New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin received Columbia University’s prestigious John Chancellor Award, along with New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer. A video of his acceptance speech is below. The award is... Continue reading

17. The Observatory

    A One-Stop Shop for Climate Information?

    December 8, 2008 06:30 AM

    When it comes to improving the coverage of climate change, critics often suggest some variant of the idea that journalists and scientists should do a better job "communicating" with each other. Over the last few years, a fairly large... Continue reading

18. The Observatory

    CNN Cuts Entire Science, Tech Team

    December 4, 2008 06:30 AM

    CNN, the Cable News Network, announced yesterday that it will cut its entire science, technology, and environment news staff, including Miles O'Brien, its chief technology and environment correspondent, as well as six executive producers. Mediabistro's TVNewser <a href=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cnn/miles_obrien_to_leave_cnn_network_shutters_science_space_and_tech_unit_102312.asp... Continue reading

19. The Observatory

    The Local Climate

    December 3, 2008 12:31 PM

    Last week, the Yale Forum on Climate Change and the Media posted an interesting column by Tom Henry, environment reporter for the Toledo Blade in Ohio, about being sent to Greenland to write a four-part series on global... Continue reading

20. The Observatory

    Global Cooling, Confused Coverage

    November 26, 2008 09:38 AM

    Proving that old misunderstandings are not easily resolved, Politico published an anachronistically bad article about climate science yesterday. The piece, by Erika Lovley, began by stating that: Climate change skeptics on Capitol Hill are quietly watching a growing... Continue reading

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