Author Archive
Articles by Curtis Brainard | Email the Author
Debunking the ‘war on coal,’ take two
The AP gets it right the second time around
By Curtis Brainard Oct 23, 2012 at 11:00 AM
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Such was The Associated Press’s approach this month to explaining the... More
Turner’s turnaround
LA Times columnist learns that evaluating electric vehicles is harder than it seems
By Curtis Brainard Oct 19, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Twice in the past six months, the media have gotten carried away with stories portraying electric vehicles as unreservedly bad... More
The vilification of electric vehicles
Media botch full explanation of the latest research
By Curtis Brainard Oct 18, 2012 at 11:00 AM
When comparing electric vehicles (EVs) to gas-powered vehicles, most studies have focused on the electricity or fuel consumed while driving,... More
The good news about organics
And why the media tend to ignore it
By Curtis Brainard Oct 16, 2012 at 04:00 PM
In the long-running debate about whether organic food is more healthy and nutritious than the conventional variety, the press has... More
TNR causes trouble for coal baron
Exposé on pressuring employees to make campaign contributions stirs inquiry
By Curtis Brainard Oct 12, 2012 at 03:00 PM
The New Republic stirred up a bit of trouble for coal baron Robert Murray by revealing the aggressiveness with which... More
Jackpot lost
Is a $75K prize or better training more likely to improve environmental coverage?
By Curtis Brainard Oct 11, 2012 at 03:00 PM
The backers of one of journalism’s richest awards are bringing the prize to an end, betting that professional development, rather... More
The value of skepticism
Why science reporters should question research
By Curtis Brainard Oct 9, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Skepticism has earned a bad name in recent years thanks to those who doubt the consensus that human industry is... More
No debate about environment
Hopes for questions about climate, public lands fall flat
By Curtis Brainard Oct 4, 2012 at 04:00 PM
The presidential candidates didn’t talk about the environment during their first debate on Wednesday. Nobody really expected them to; they... More
BPI’s beef with ABC News
‘Pink slime’ defamation suit a long shot, media report
By Curtis Brainard Oct 3, 2012 at 12:00 PM
The maker of “lean, finely textured beef,” which critics call “pink slime,” is unlikely to prevail in a defamation lawsuit... More
Press digs into anti-GMO study
Reporters thwart scientists’ attempt to prevent scrutiny
By Curtis Brainard Oct 1, 2012 at 11:00 AM
A paper claiming that a diet of genetically modified corn and/or a widely used weed killer increased the likelihood of... More
Shoddy TV science coverage
CNN’s Gupta promises cancer cure, while PBS’s Michels delivers false balance on climate
By Curtis Brainard Sep 27, 2012 at 03:00 PM
It’s been a bad week and a half for coverage of science on television. Stories about cancer at CNN and... More
What does ‘healthier’ mean?
Coverage of organic-food study plays loose with the term
By Curtis Brainard Sep 11, 2012 at 11:30 AM
“Healthier” is a word the media often use without enough care, and that shortcoming was on full display during last... More
Yao Ming and the elephant massacre
Recent coverage of the African poaching crisis strikes at supply and demand
By Curtis Brainard Sep 6, 2012 at 04:45 PM
After weeks of the media mostly failing to realize why basketball star Yao Ming’s trip to Kenya was fairly important... More
Conventions create climate coverage
While ScienceDebate.org gets some answers
By Curtis Brainard Sep 5, 2012 at 06:00 PM
The presidential candidates are still treating it like a back-burner issue, but the Republican and Democratic national conventions incited a... More
Water woes
Regional papers turn out series on sea level, drought
By Curtis Brainard Aug 30, 2012 at 04:30 PM
Exposés about the changing climate in the polar north are great, and all the more important in light of reports... More
Required skimming: fossil fuels
Drill, baby, drill
By Curtis Brainard Aug 24, 2012 at 06:50 AM
This month, CJR presents “Required Skimming,” a daily miniguide to our staffers’ beats and obsessions, ranging from finance to food.... More
CBS goofs up the green beat
Network fails to disclose M. Sanjayan’s affiliation and ties to source
By Curtis Brainard Aug 23, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Only two months after hiring him, CBS News has already botched a report from its new science and environment contributor,... More
Candidates clam up on climate
Reporters call out Obama and Romney’s silence
By Curtis Brainard Aug 21, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Nary a word has been spoken about climate change on the presidential campaign trail, and it’s a silence that some... More
UPI shirks responsibility
Raeburn takes wire to task for cribbing from Science News
By Curtis Brainard Aug 17, 2012 at 04:10 PM
The plagiarism, or problematic paraphrasing, parade continued on Thursday as several reporters from Science News complained on Facebook that the... More
Ryan re-energizes coverage
VP candidate brings fossil fuels, alternatives back into focus
By Curtis Brainard Aug 16, 2012 at 04:30 PM
Paul Ryan’s selection as the GOP’s candidate for vice president has renewed debate about, and coverage of, the stark differences... 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.
