Author Archive

Articles by Curtis Brainard | Email the Author

 

1. The Observatory

   Media Obstruction in Galveston

   September 18, 2008 09:07 AM

   It was a rough week for the Galveston County Daily News. On Saturday, Hurricane Ike tore off its roof and left reporters with a single cell phone from which to operate, according to the Houston Chronicle: [Editor Heber]... Continue reading

2. The Observatory

   “Clean Coal” and the Campaigns

   September 16, 2008 12:21 PM

   When the world’s most powerful particle accelerator opened along the French-Swiss border last week, it drew reams of press. But it wasn’t the only controversial piece of technology to host a grand opening. A day before, the first... Continue reading

3. The Observatory

   The Black Hole of Publicity

   September 11, 2008 02:59 PM

   The biggest bang to come out of the Large Hadron Collider, which began operating in Europe yesterday, was the media coverage itself. There are thousands of articles and blog posts available online comprising reams of text, videos, photo slideshows, audio... Continue reading

4. The Observatory

   Obama and McCain on Energy

   September 8, 2008 03:00 PM

   On Sunday, The Washington Post published an editorial criticizing Sen. John McCain’s decision, carried out over the last few months, to reframe his energy policy around the idea of boosting the domestic production of oil: We’re happy that... Continue reading

5. The Observatory

   “The Killa from Wasilla”…

   September 4, 2008 01:41 PM

   Yesterday, I posted a column arguing that Sarah Palin’s record on energy and environmental issues is perhaps the best place for reporters to begin analyzing her ability to govern nationally. My column rounded up some of the coverage... Continue reading

6. The Observatory

   Palin and the Environment

   September 3, 2008 04:08 PM

   Yesterday, New York Times columnist Bob Herbert advised Democrats to “Take the High Road” with Sarah Palin and focus on “the great issues of this campaign.” It’s good advice for journalists, too. One route to higher ground would... Continue reading

7. The Observatory

   Public Opinion and Climate: Part II

   August 27, 2008 11:09 AM

   Last week, a reader, Jeff Huggins, asked me to address why the media have failed to explain climate change in a way the public “gets.” Yesterday, I published the first installment of my response, discussing one... Continue reading

8. The Observatory

   Public Opinion and Climate: Part I

   August 26, 2008 01:29 PM

   Last week, a reader, Jeff Huggins, asked me to address why the media have failed to explain climate change in a way the public “gets.” Getting it basically involves two things: an understanding of the basic scientific evidence... Continue reading

9. The Observatory

   The Future of Science Journalism Fellowships

   August 18, 2008 10:29 AM

   On Friday, the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships' class of 2009 arrived for orientation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the program's home base. Leading the pack is a new director, Philip Hilts, author of six books... Continue reading

10. The Observatory

    Quashing Climate Dissent?

    August 14, 2008 10:47 AM

    Last week, Slate columnist Ron Rosenbaum criticized the July/August issue of Columbia Journalism Review for what he perceived as an ironic contradiction between our editorial and a feature about the future of climate-change coverage.... Continue reading

11. The Observatory

    Engineering Body and Earth

    August 12, 2008 04:12 PM

    The cover of today's New York Times Science Times section carries two stories, a feature and a column, concerning the ultimate limitation of science: that it can tell us what our options are (or might be) in the face of... Continue reading

12. The Observatory

    Missing the Bottom Line

    August 1, 2008 03:14 PM

    This week, campaign trail chatter has been all about ads—John McCain's ads, and their accuracy, to be specific. On Monday, we criticized the media for not thoroughly dissecting a McCain ad implying that Barack Obama had snubbed U.S.... Continue reading

13. The Observatory

    “Whiplash” Climate Journalism

    July 29, 2008 03:34 PM

    Anybody who has been following Andrew Revkin's New York Times blog, Dot Earth, closely may have already heard of "whiplash" journalism. Revkin regularly engages in climate-change media criticism at the sustainability-oriented site. Today, however, Revkin broke... Continue reading

14. The Observatory

    Can GM Crops Solve the Food Crisis?

    July 21, 2008 03:41 PM

    With global food prices up eighty-three percent over the last three years, world leaders are looking for any means available to ease the burden on consumers, especially in developing countries. Potential policy-oriented solutions, such as relaxing the U.S. ethanol... Continue reading

15. The Observatory

    The Shallow Coverage of Candidates’ Energy Policies

    July 15, 2008 03:45 PM

    Last week, energy issues made their way back to the forefront of presidential campaign coverage with a pair of "dueling energy ads" from Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. Obama’s ad was a direct response to one the Republican... Continue reading

16. The Observatory

    How Much Are You Worth?

    July 11, 2008 01:23 PM

    Last month, I wrote a column about the challenges journalists face in covering the ethical decisions that affect humanity's response to global climate change. Well here's a doozie: What is a human life worth — not in any abstract,... Continue reading

17. The Kicker

    All Grown Up!

    June 30, 2008 02:07 PM

    Over at Grist, the popular online environment magazine, David Roberts has a spot-on takedown of a recent Newsweek column by Michael Hirsh. Hirsh's piece is all about the McCain campaign's efforts to cast its candidate (who would be... Continue reading

18. The Observatory

    The Prediction Predicament

    June 30, 2008 11:53 AM

    New York Times environment reporter Andrew Revkin posted an interesting bit of media criticism (or perhaps context) on his Dot Earth blog Friday. The post was a quick response to an article, published earlier that day in The... Continue reading

19. The Observatory

    Consider the “Carbon Footprint”

    June 25, 2008 11:44 AM

    In the December/November issue of Columbia Journalism Review's magazine, our managing editor, Brent Cunningham, made the case for a rhetoric beat in journalism. His argument focused on the American response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks — which... Continue reading

20. Campaign Desk

    Beyond Energy Stump Speeches

    June 24, 2008 10:16 AM

    In a series of speeches since the beginning of May, Senator John McCain has effectively grabbed control of the media spotlight—at least where energy is concerned. First it was the "gas-tax holiday," then global warming, then offshore... Continue reading

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