Campaign Desk

Other Than That, Mrs. Lincoln…

Recent profiles of Blanche Lincoln say little about her policy priorities

By Greg Marx   Nov 23, 2009 at 03:42 PM

What does Blanche Lincoln want, and why does she want it? The question is, at the moment, more consequential than... More

Ron Wyden Speaks Out

Straight talk on affordability from Oregon’s senior senator

By Trudy Lieberman   Nov 23, 2009 at 09:22 AM

On Friday, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden got the Senate health care duo, Max Baucus and Harry Reid, to agree that... More

Greg Craig and Transparency

By Clint Hendler   Nov 20, 2009 at 04:43 PM

Time’s Massimo Calabresi and Michael Weisskopf have a months long tick-tock chronicling the steps and missteps of soon-to-be-former White House... More

Not For All the News in China, Part I

Former NYT Shanghai bureau chief Howard French on the coverage of Obama’s trip to Asia

By Alexandra Fenwick   Nov 20, 2009 at 12:01 PM

The past week’s flurry of stories and opinion pieces chronicling President Barack Obama’s fortunes in the Far East made much... More

Let’s Get this Party Organized

Strong Politico story takes a close look at the Tea Party movement

By Greg Marx   Nov 20, 2009 at 11:44 AM

In Politico today, Ken Vogel has a very interesting and worthwhile article about the emerging internal conflicts—both philosophical and personal—within... More

Popular Diplomacy

The press pretends to be surprised that Obama’s charm didn’t work wonders in Asia

By Greg Marx   Nov 19, 2009 at 04:52 PM

As media narratives go, this whole “Barack Obama is a popular individual and a gifted speaker with a compelling personal... More

Thoughts on the Gelman/Silver Op-Ed

By Greg Marx   Nov 19, 2009 at 02:24 PM

As anyone who’s read my writing can probably tell, I think political journalism should pay more attention to what political... More

Laurel to the Missoulian

For telling the human story of health reform

By Trudy Lieberman   Nov 18, 2009 at 04:10 PM

Last Sunday, the Missoulian in Missoula, Montana did what Campaign Desk has been urging papers to do--it showed how its... More

Straying from the Facts

AP’s fact check of Palin reaches too far

By Greg Marx   Nov 17, 2009 at 01:33 PM

Over the weekend, there was a bit of a dust-up between the Associated Press, Sarah Palin, and their respective supporters... More

What Money Can’t Buy

Times story offers a unique picture of lobbyists at work

By Greg Marx   Nov 17, 2009 at 08:00 AM

Robert Pear’s excellent story in Sunday’s New York Times, about how lobbyists framed the health care debate in Congress, probably... More

Missing Persons

How will reform affect ordinary folks?

By Trudy Lieberman   Nov 16, 2009 at 10:48 AM

Come on now. We’ve heard enough about the political horserace of health reform—way too much of Nancy, Max, and Olympia.... More

Strike a Pose—Rogue (Rogue, Rogue…)

Sarah Palin’s Newsweek cover isn’t sexist. It’s actually kind of empowering.

By Megan Garber   Nov 16, 2009 at 09:50 AM

Move over, third-wave feminism. Second-wave Palinism is upon us. Yep: Sarah Barracuda is back. (Or, to be more accurate: she’s... More

Do Doctors Always Tell the Truth?

No, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Trudy Lieberman   Nov 13, 2009 at 02:38 PM

Kudos to the Journal Sentinel and reporter John Fauber for digging up the difference between fact and fiction when it... More

Sarah Palin: Just Not That Popular

Continetti’s unpersuasive pitch for a Palin comeback

By Greg Marx   Nov 13, 2009 at 02:24 PM

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page takes a break from running Sarah Palin-authored op-eds today and instead runs a piece... More

A Shield for Bloggers?

Just who is a journalist today?

By Clint Hendler   Nov 12, 2009 at 09:28 AM

It’s been a long, winding journey for the shield law. But the bill, which would provide journalists with some protection... More