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Articles by Curtis Brainard | Email the Author
In the U.K., a Bang; In the U.S., Whimper
There are roughly 3,500 miles between Washington, D.C. and London. For journalists, those miles might as well be light years.
By Curtis Brainard Nov 9, 2006 at 12:56 PM
There are roughly 3,500 miles between Washington, D.C. and London -- for journalists, those miles might as well be light... More
Reporters Turn Ghostbusters for Halloween
Surprising, but true: A smattering of reporters managed to ditch the lame cliches of writing about Halloween to actually do some timely reporting.
By Curtis Brainard Oct 31, 2006 at 12:19 PM
For at least three Octobers now, reporters have littered newspaper pages with stories about the worrisome rise in "sexy" Halloween... More
God Versus Science — Back in the News
A new book about religious belief has been burning up the pages of newspapers and magazines lately, and the outlook for a peaceful solution looks bleak.
By Curtis Brainard Oct 24, 2006 at 01:33 PM
God versus science is back in the news -- again. As sure as Newton's Third Law of Motion, that every... More
Zebra Mussels and Mitten Crabs and Govt. Regs, Oh My!
Perhaps the criticism that the government treats invasive species as a regional, rather than international, problem applies to the press as well.
By Curtis Brainard Oct 20, 2006 at 03:50 PM
If you have ever been to the Far East and eaten a Chinese mitten crab, you will know that they... More
Half Full or Half Empty? U.S. Glass has 300 Million Drops of Water
As the United States population reached 300 million early this morning, reporters took the opportunity to provide a State of the Union address of sorts.
By Curtis Brainard Oct 17, 2006 at 10:49 AM
Look into the melting pot and describe what you see. That was the challenge confronting journalists as the United States... More
SF Chronicle Forecasts Doom, Earth Delivers Early
Every reporter fears the possibility that unforeseen events will somehow render their work obsolete. Sometimes, however, events can also render the work portentous.
By Curtis Brainard Oct 16, 2006 at 05:02 PM
As his or her story goes to press, every reporter fears the possibility that unforeseen events will jump out of... More
The Meandering Life of a Toxic Sludge Story
As American news organizations cut back on foreign coverage, stories like a toxic spill sickening people in the Ivory Coast must travel a strange route stateside.
By Curtis Brainard Oct 12, 2006 at 01:46 PM
Usually, I'm up to date on news from the Ivory Coast. A fragile peace is the only thing between the... More
NG Bites the Hand That Feeds It … and the Hand Bites Back
The row between National Geographic and the Environmental Working Group overlooks a more interesting point about author David Duncan’s approach to covering “The Pollution Within.”
By Curtis Brainard Oct 4, 2006 at 11:57 AM
It's hard to know what to add to the current row between National Geographic and the Environmental Working Group, a... More
Inhofe, Climate Change and Those Alarmist Reporters
On Monday, Sen. James Inhofe railed against climate research and the scientific press. But untangling his arguments about bad science and bad reporting is a difficult task.
By Curtis Brainard Sep 28, 2006 at 03:00 PM
It's hard to tell what Senator James Inhofe loathes more: the scientific consensus that climate change poses serious threats, or... More
The AJC Takes the CDC’s Temperature
On Sunday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution broke yet another solid investigative story about the Centers for Disease Control.
By Curtis Brainard Sep 21, 2006 at 12:56 PM
As Americans pick the spinach out of their salads and sandwiches, and patients contact doctors to ask if there will... More
A Reporting Error Frozen in Time?
Writing about issues such as global warming is complicated, and too few reporters brush up on their science when doing so.
By Curtis Brainard Sep 19, 2006 at 10:23 AM
Science writers often face the same technical difficulty as foreign correspondents -- their sources speak a different language. In the... More
The Economist Wants to Put Greenbacks Behind Green Industry
In presenting the story of global warming, the convention of providing journalistic “balance” runs up against its logical limit.
By Curtis Brainard Sep 14, 2006 at 05:13 PM
"The Heat is On," says The Economist. The warning is emblazoned on the magazine's Sept. 9 cover, over a photograph... More
‘See you on the other side’ - Meet Jessica Lum, a terminally ill 25-year-old who chose to spend what little time she had practicing journalism
#Realtalk: This is the best moment to be in journalism - The old stuff isn’t coming back, but that’s okay
Streams of consciousness - Millennials expect a steady diet of quick-hit, social-media-mediated bits and bytes. What does that mean for journalism?
Sticking with the truth - How ‘balanced’ coverage helped sustain the bogus claim that childhood vaccines can cause autism
An ink-stained stretch - Can Aaron Kushner save the Orange County Register—and the newspaper industry?
This is the best moment to be in journalism (25)
The WSJ editorial page hits rock bottom (19)
Ben Mathis-Lilley’s defense of new media
Take off the nostalgia-tinted lenses
21 questions with David Remnick
What grammar mistake do you find most annoying?
Are you sure that question is grammatical?
After 20 years, the world has finally caught up with Daft Punk, so the helmet-clad retro-futurists are embarking on a new mission: to make music breathe again
What is the single most illuminating interview question to ask someone?
The NYT’s Jodi Kantor answers
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
Uptown Messenger – Hyperlocal news for a neighborhood in New Orleans
Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.
