Author Archive
-
The Observatory
Astill on Covering Forests
October 14, 2011 11:55 AMIt’s often hard for reporters to see the forest for the trees, said James Astill, the newly anointed energy and environment editor for The Economist. Astill won this year’s $75,000 Grantham Prize for an eight-part special report... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
An Empty Seat
October 12, 2011 04:30 PMFederal officials invited to participate in a public forum at the National Press Club last week about a lack transparency and media access under the Obama administration declined the invitation, further disappointing already frustrated journalists. The October... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
The Scientist Closes
October 7, 2011 04:00 PMHaving just published a special twenty-fifth anniversary issue in October, employees of the The Scientist, a venerable monthly magazine and website focused on the life sciences, learned Thursday that it would be their last. [Update: Following... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
Plant Food: Does Carbon Count?
October 6, 2011 11:30 AMOn Saturday, The New York Times ran a front page story about the state of the world’s forests, their role in mitigating climate change, and the ways in which climate change will, in turn, affect them. It was... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
CJR Event: Science News and Government Transparency
October 3, 2011 11:03 AMHas the Obama administration lived up to its promise to make science more transparent and accessible to the public? An investigation in the current issue of the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) finds that despite President Obama’s early promise... Continue reading
-
Feature
Transparency Watch: A Closed Door
September 14, 2011 01:44 PMIn July 2009, just months after President Obama took office promising to revolutionize government transparency, leaders of the Society of Environmental Journalists participated in an hour-long conference call with public-affairs staffers working for Lisa Jackson, the new head... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
Why the Sun Set on Solyndra
September 2, 2011 08:00 AMWith Labor Day on the horizon, it was another grim week in green-job news, as a solar panel manufacturer in California’s Silicon Valley shut down and laid off 1,100 workers. Fremont-based Solyndra, which received a controversial $535-million Energy Department loan... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
Media Hurricane Hype?
August 31, 2011 10:00 AMAnderson Cooper and a CNN crew covering Irene on Sunday, August 28. Photo by Sean Hemmerle. “An Epic Deluge,” read the banner the headline on the front page of Tuesday’s Burlington Free... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
Gamey Green Jobs Coverage
August 26, 2011 11:15 AMOn Tuesday, climate blogger Joseph Romm blasted a New York Times article about green jobs for ignoring “explosive” growth in that sector. It was valid criticism even though Romm, in turn, had some distortions of his own.... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
Whose Line Is It, Anyway?
July 20, 2011 12:30 PMThis spring, Amanda Mascarelli, a freelance journalist based in Colorado, was in the process of reviewing A Sea in Flames, a book about the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico by ecologist and marine conservationist <a... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
Climate Questions for the GOP
June 21, 2011 02:15 PMDuring last week’s Republican presidential primary debate in New Hampshire, CNN’s John King, who served as moderator, asked questions about jobs and taxes, but not climate change. CJR reader and helpful heckler Jeff Huggins pointed out the omission... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
Tornadoes and Climate Change
May 26, 2011 02:15 PMOn Monday, The Washington Post published an op-ed by Bill McKibben, a writer and environmental activist, under the sarcastic headline, “A link between climate change and Joplin tornadoes? Never!” McKibben mockingly chastises… well, the world, apparently.... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
A Watershed Moment for the Chesapeake Bay Journal
May 13, 2011 10:00 AMThe current issue of the Columbia Journalism Review features a short article about the twentieth anniversary of the Chesapeake Bay Journal, a free monthly newspaper that covers environmental issues affecting the bay and its environs. Over... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
Science Blogs “Win a Place at the Table”
May 6, 2011 01:00 PMAccording to “techy historians,” there were around twenty-three blogs in 1998. As of mid-February, there were 156 million, Phil Hilts, the director of the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships at MIT, pointed out at a... Continue reading
-
Currents
Tide Change at Bay Journal
May 1, 2011 08:00 AMThe twentieth anniversary of the Chesapeake Bay Journal marks a watershed moment for a publication that knows something about watersheds. Over the last five years, the free monthly newspaper, which covers environmental issues affecting the bay and... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
Critics Slam PBS, NYT Autism Reports
April 28, 2011 12:15 PMA PBS Newshour series about autism that drew former host Robert MacNeil back to the show for the first time in sixteen years is also drawing heavy criticism. Parts of the six-part “Autism Now” series, which launched on... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
National Geographic Taking the Wheel at Scienceblogs.com
April 26, 2011 11:00 AM“My baby's all grown up,” mused Christopher Mims, retweeting an unconfirmed announcement posted nineteen minutes earlier that Scienceblogs.com, the site he helped create and launch for the Seed Media Group in January 2006, would be sold... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
Mixed Grades for Medical Coverage
April 22, 2011 12:29 PMA review of nearly 1,500 health-medical articles over the last five years has found that while journalists are nailing a few key categories of quality reporting, they’ve been falling down on the most important ones, like the costs, harms, and... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
CU-Boulder to Shutter J-School
April 19, 2011 09:30 AMThe University of Colorado’s Board of Regents voted last week to close the journalism school at its Boulder campus, marking the first time that the university has shuttered an entire college. While the decision has come as a disappointment to... Continue reading
-
The Observatory
California Watch is Watching
April 15, 2011 10:30 AMCalifornia Watch’s Corey Johnson was scanning the website of the state architect’s office one evening in December 2009 when he noticed something strange. The state was changing the status of schools with building projects lacking seismic safety certification, downgrading the... Continue reading
—advertisement—
Desks
The Audit Business
- Audit Notes: pyramid people, Disney and ABC, no USA Today paywall Roddy Boyd digs into a diet-shake pyramid scheme
- Hot air Rises Above on CNBC An anchor pins a minor dip in stocks on the TV appearance of a minor politician
The Observatory Science
- Dull news from Doha UN climate summit a ho-hum affair for the press
- Highway to the danger zone Following Sandy, HuffPo and NYT dig into the folly of coastal development
Campaign Desk Politics & Policy
- NBC News sets good example for Medicare reporting People perspective leads to clear explanation of impact of proposed changes
- In Pennsylvania, a niche site with wide reach PoliticsPA drives political conversation in Keystone State
Behind the News The Media
Blog
The Kicker last updated: Fri 3:00 PM
- Must-reads of the week
- The media news cycle is bananas
- Pass the #popcorn
- Must-reads of the week
- Tom Rosenstiel leaving Pew
The Future of Media
News Startups Guide last updated: Thu 10:24 AM
- TRVL A free iPad travel magazine
- TheDigitel A small chain of local news sites/ aggregators in South Carolina
