Missing the Bottom Line

Celebrity status and race distract from campaign ads’ real message: energy and the economy

By Curtis Brainard   Aug 1, 2008 at 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,... More

“Whiplash” Climate Journalism

Revkin investigates the media’s tendency to ricochet from one global-warming study to another

By Curtis Brainard   Jul 29, 2008 at 03:34 PM

Anybody who has been following Andrew Revkin's New York Times blog, Dot Earth, closely may have already heard of "whiplash"... More

Can GM Crops Solve the Food Crisis?

UCS says journalists overstate potential for higher yields

By Curtis Brainard   Jul 21, 2008 at 03:41 PM

With global food prices up eighty-three percent over the last three years, world leaders are looking for any means available... More

The Shallow Coverage of Candidates’ Energy Policies

Reporters must use events, not ads, to leverage information

By Curtis Brainard   Jul 15, 2008 at 03:45 PM

Last week, energy issues made their way back to the forefront of presidential campaign coverage with a pair of "dueling... More

How Much Are You Worth?

The AP gets the scoop on the EPA’s decision to devalue a “statistical life”

By Curtis Brainard   Jul 11, 2008 at 01:23 PM

Last month, I wrote a column about the challenges journalists face in covering the ethical decisions that affect humanity's response... More

All Grown Up!

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 30, 2008 at 02:07 PM

Over at Grist, the popular online environment magazine, David Roberts has a spot-on takedown of a recent Newsweek column by... More

The Prediction Predicament

The risks in reporting long-range weather forecasts

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 30, 2008 at 11:53 AM

New York Times environment reporter Andrew Revkin posted an interesting bit of media criticism (or perhaps context) on his Dot... More

Consider the “Carbon Footprint”

Thinking through a metaphor

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 25, 2008 at 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... More

Beyond Energy Stump Speeches

Two articles retake control of the media spotlight

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 24, 2008 at 10:16 AM

In a series of speeches since the beginning of May, Senator John McCain has effectively grabbed control of the media... More

The Volatile Coverage of Phthalates

Scare tactics prevent reporters from following more useful angles

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 16, 2008 at 09:37 AM

Anybody that has bought one of the cheap, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic shower curtains, which are nearly ubiquitous in American... More

Reuters connects mortgage crisis to environment

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 13, 2008 at 04:16 PM

The U.S. mortgage crisis has been a staple of American news budgets since it began last fall and reporters have... More

Covering Candidates’ Medical Records

Larry Altman talks about access and interest

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 12, 2008 at 01:18 PM

Three weeks ago, John McCain, who would be the oldest president in history if elected, released 1,173 pages of his... More

Turning Point: Energy

Finally, real differences between the candidates for the press to explore

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 10, 2008 at 10:50 AM

This is part four of a series on the start of the 2008 presidential election’s general campaign. Links to the... More

Environmental Photographer of the Year

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 9, 2008 at 04:53 PM

The Times of London has an intriguing photo slideshow on its Web site right now headlined, "Environmental Photographer of the... More

Credit Where Credit is Due

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 6, 2008 at 04:12 PM

Yesterday, The Scientific Activist blog (part of the ScienceBlogs.com community) carried a keen-eyed piece of media criticism, turning the rating... More

Climate, Ethics, and the News

The role of morality in global warming coverage

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 5, 2008 at 11:01 AM

Last week, I attended a dinner with twenty-eight other reporters where the evening's speaker argued that the media have inadequately... More

Covering Climate

Journalists and scientists discuss the media’s treatment of global warming

By Curtis Brainard   May 19, 2008 at 10:37 AM

Earlier this month, I moderated a panel at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism about the press coverage of... More

Defining Green Jobs

By Curtis Brainard   May 19, 2008 at 10:28 AM

A couple weeks ago, Observatory freelancer Russ Juskalian wrote an excellent column about the proliferation of the term "green-collar jobs"... More

Daylight on Climate

Mac gives the press room to work

By Curtis Brainard   May 13, 2008 at 02:30 PM

It's nice how the situation changes so quickly. Well, maybe not changes, but at least presents the opportunity for change.... More

Covering Climate

Journalists and scientists discuss the media’s treatment of global warming

By Curtis Brainard   May 10, 2008 at 10:37 AM

Earlier this month, I moderated a panel at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism about the press coverage of... More