The Observatory
Science media centers & the press, part 2
How did the SMCs perform during the Fukushima nuclear crisis?
By Susannah Eliott, Peter Griffin, and Kate Kelland Jun 19, 2013 at 06:50 AM
With a mission to provide the press and the public with high-quality scientific information and sources, the Science Media Centers... More
Science media centers & the press, part 1
Does the UK model help journalists?
By Fiona Fox and Connie St. Louis Jun 17, 2013 at 06:50 AM
With a mission to provide the press and the public with high-quality scientific information and sources, the Science Media Centers... More
MRSA MRSA MRSA!
Some recent high points on the “superbug” beat
By Sibyl Shalo Wilmont Jun 13, 2013 at 02:52 PM
This is the first installment in an occasional series about antimicrobial resistance, which is one of the planet's most... More
The fracking story comes closer to home
Tips for covering the energy boom in Colorado and beyond
By Joel Campbell Jun 12, 2013 at 02:50 PM
PROVO, UT -- On Monday, The New York Times wrote about an "unlikely resistance" building in "energy-friendly" Greeley, CO. "As... More
Don’t pick up!
RFK, Jr. talks journalists’ ears off with his vaccine conspiracy theory
By Curtis Brainard Jun 12, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Check your caller ID. If you're a reporter who has criticized Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for spouting nonsense about vaccines... More
Extreme weather porn
How much tv weather reporting is news, and how much is just non-contextualized drama?
By Steven Rosenbaum Jun 11, 2013 at 02:00 PM
On ABC World News with Diane Sawyer on June 3, she asked a question that many of us are wondering:... More
Crop cop
Keith Kloor makes a beat out of policing frightful coverage of GMOs
By Curtis Brainard Jun 5, 2013 at 11:15 AM
The media have stoked irrational distrust of science in many fields over the years, from vaccines to climate change. But... More
Still, water
The battle to control water in Texas may be even more defining than the battle to control oil here 100 years ago, and it needs to be covered with an urgency to match
By Richard Parker Jun 4, 2013 at 11:10 AM
AUSTIN, TX -- As the 83rd Legislature lingers in the state capitol for a special session, lawmakers here have already... More
Journalistic generalization disorder
David Brooks attacks, then defends, psychiatry’s shortcomings
By Curtis Brainard May 30, 2013 at 03:00 PM
On Monday, David Brooks weighed in on the debate about the merits of the latest edition of the DSM-5, psychiatry's... More
When a journalist calls [Updated]
Ed Yong counsels scientists on giving comments to reporters
By Curtis Brainard May 29, 2013 at 12:15 PM
[Original post, May 28, 5pm] There is no shortage of advice for scientists on talking to journalists. Just look at... More
Rooting out bad science
Big scandals grab headlines, but journalists can do more to expose misconduct
By Declan Fahy May 23, 2013 at 04:17 PM
The extraordinary case of academic fraudster Diederick Stapel followed the typical narrative of a scientific scandal. A professor of social... More
Under the bridge
Climate Desk tracks down its ‘most pernicious’ troll
By Curtis Brainard May 21, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Frustrating as they may be, every journalist wonders at some point about the identity of his or her most devoted... More
Q&A: Shaun McKinnon, veteran water reporter
An Arizona Republic reporter and self-described “water geek” on how to cover western water issues
By Joel Campbell May 16, 2013 at 11:00 AM
PROVO, UT -- Water issues may not be the sexy beat to which young journalists first aspire, but here in... More
A bogus boycott
The GOP hijacks the transparency debate as the EPA calls for a ‘reset’ with reporters
By Curtis Brainard May 10, 2013 at 03:00 PM
At Gina McCarthy's congressional confirmation hearing in early April, questions about transparency at the Environmental Protection Agency, which she'd been... More
The WSJ editorial page hits rock bottom
And that’s saying something
By Ryan Chittum May 9, 2013 at 01:14 PM
I'm still trying to reattach my jaw after reading this op-ed published by The Wall Street Journal today. It's shameful... More
#Realtalk: This isn’t another ‘golden age’ for print - But it is one for media
Social media in smaller markets - How three social media managers deal with smaller markets and more local coverage.
A rally for laid-off Sun-Times photogs - A protest Thursday morning drew about 150 picketers to the newspaper’s headquarters
Reporting, or illegal hacking - Scripps reporters are accused of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
Exchange Watch: California Dreaming - Low healthcare premiums on the West Coast were trumpeted as a big, good-news Obamacare story. But: “Compared to what?”
One of the great reporters of his generation died Tuesday at 33. The stories he wrote, and the ones he didn’t live to write
Michael Hastings: my friend and his enemies
Hastings was fearless and shook things up - especially with his McChrystal expose. The haters in the media couldn’t forgive him
Journalism is about finding flaws and magnifying them, and surely someone who would spill massive loads of state secrets must contain a few broken parts, right?
Call it the Politico rhetorical crutch
The inside-the-beltway publication’s go-to phrase
Rachel Maddow’s tribute to Michael Hastings
“Michael was angry … he was angry about things that weren’t right in the world. He was angry with war and with loss, and that drove his reporting.”
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.
