Behind the News

Launch Pad: Portland, Oregon

Two news entrepeneurs explain why they struck out on their own

By Michael Andersen and Barry Johnson   Nov 9, 2010 at 02:10 PM

CJR’s “Launch Pad” feature invites new media publishers to blog about their experiences on the news frontier. All of Michael... More

Q&A: Former Detroit News Reporter Charlie LeDuff

“The point is if there’s something calamitous, let’s point it out.”

By Joel Meares   Nov 9, 2010 at 12:23 PM

Charlie LeDuff left The Detroit News last month after a two-year stint in which he reported stories, wrote a regular... More

Olbermann Isn’t Alone

By Lauren Kirchner   Nov 5, 2010 at 03:30 PM

Countdown host Keith Olbermann has just been indefinitely suspended for donating money to three Democratic campaigns, and thereby violating MSNBC... More

Star Trek Insurrection

Commenters force news site to admit “Patrick Stewart is a handsome man”

By Craig Silverman   Nov 5, 2010 at 11:23 AM

“We're sorry for claiming Captain Kirk was in command of Captain Picard's starship,” reads the headline on a rather remarkable... More

Olbermann Suspends “Worst Person” Segment

What other segments, programs, or people should be cut from cable news?

By The Editors   Nov 2, 2010 at 11:54 AM

After accusing Jon Stewart of jumping the shark on Twitter over the weekend, Keith Olbermann last night gave in to... More

Leading Questions

How some journalism terms were born

By Merrill Perlman   Nov 1, 2010 at 01:52 PM

The Associated Press recently said it would stop using some wire-service jargon as instructions on its stories. Among them were... More

Q&A: UFO Journalist Leslie Kean

Is the truth out there?

By Clint Hendler   Oct 31, 2010 at 12:12 PM

Leslie Kean has written an unusual book on an unusual subject: Unidentified flying objects. But this Halloween weekend, Kean would... More

CMJ: Curmudgeons of Music Journalism

A panel of rock critics talk about negativity in music reviewing

By Dylan DePice   Oct 29, 2010 at 03:47 PM

Once a year, CMJ (College Music Journal) puts on a weeklong “Music Marathon” in NYC. It’s sort of an urban... More

Don’t Forget the Facts About NPR Funding

Federal funding accounts for less than readers may realize

By Lauren Kirchner   Oct 28, 2010 at 11:42 AM

Juan William’s abrupt firing from NPR and hiring by Fox News seems to have kicked up an old debate over... More

Waiting for Substance

A high-profile documentary shortchanges the education debate

By LynNell Hancock   Oct 27, 2010 at 02:55 PM

I sobbed alongside my graduate students as we watched the ending of Waiting for Superman, the heat-seeking documentary that has... More

The Future of Journalism?

How a computer program generates a sports story

By Janet Paskin   Oct 27, 2010 at 01:14 PM

This fall, the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference offered college football fans more original content than ever, posting preview... More

A Fact Check Box on Every Page

The Register Citizen continues its digital transformation

By Craig Silverman   Oct 25, 2010 at 03:20 PM

The Register Citizen is an 8,000-circulation paper serving Litchfield County, Conn. It’s owned by the Journal Register Company, which is... More

Launch Pad: Remapping Debate

Why we’re taking in some articles from major outlets for “story repair”

By Craig Gurian   Oct 21, 2010 at 10:39 AM

CJR’s “Launch Pad” feature invites new media publishers to blog about their experiences on the news frontier. Craig Gurian’s previous... More

A Prince Beyond Reproach

Kuwait’s emir should build on his country’s considerable press freedom and decriminalize criticism in his direction

By Justin D. Martin   Oct 20, 2010 at 11:33 AM

KUWAIT CITY—Emir Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah’s small Arab nation isn’t generally known as the most open society. Homosexuality is illegal.... More

Hope Deferred

Will Obama save American liberalism—or bury it?

By Greg Marx   Oct 18, 2010 at 12:22 PM

The Mendacity of Hope: Barack Obama and the Betrayal of American Liberalism | By Roger Hodge | Harper | 272... More