Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Last Update: Wed 6:00 PM EST

The Observatory

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Science media centers & the press, part 2

How did the SMCs perform during the Fukushima nuclear crisis?

With a mission to provide the press and the public with high-quality scientific information and sources, the Science Media Centers... More

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Science media centers & the press, part 1

Does the UK model help journalists?

With a mission to provide the press and the public with high-quality scientific information and sources, the Science Media Centers... More

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MRSA MRSA MRSA!

Some recent high points on the “superbug” beat

This is the first installment in an occasional series about antimicrobial resistance, which is one of the planet's most... More

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The fracking story comes closer to home

Tips for covering the energy boom in Colorado and beyond

PROVO, UT -- On Monday, The New York Times wrote about an "unlikely resistance" building in "energy-friendly" Greeley, CO. "As... More

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Don’t pick up!

RFK, Jr. talks journalists’ ears off with his vaccine conspiracy theory

Check your caller ID. If you're a reporter who has criticized Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for spouting nonsense about vaccines... More

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Extreme weather porn

How much tv weather reporting is news, and how much is just non-contextualized drama?

On ABC World News with Diane Sawyer on June 3, she asked a question that many of us are wondering:... More

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Crop cop

Keith Kloor makes a beat out of policing frightful coverage of GMOs

The media have stoked irrational distrust of science in many fields over the years, from vaccines to climate change. But... More

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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

AUSTIN, TX -- As the 83rd Legislature lingers in the state capitol for a special session, lawmakers here have already... More

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Journalistic generalization disorder

David Brooks attacks, then defends, psychiatry’s shortcomings

On Monday, David Brooks weighed in on the debate about the merits of the latest edition of the DSM-5, psychiatry's... More

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When a journalist calls [Updated]

Ed Yong counsels scientists on giving comments to reporters

[Original post, May 28, 5pm] There is no shortage of advice for scientists on talking to journalists. Just look at... More

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Rooting out bad science

Big scandals grab headlines, but journalists can do more to expose misconduct

The extraordinary case of academic fraudster Diederick Stapel followed the typical narrative of a scientific scandal. A professor of social... More

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Under the bridge

Climate Desk tracks down its ‘most pernicious’ troll

Frustrating as they may be, every journalist wonders at some point about the identity of his or her most devoted... More

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Q&A: Shaun McKinnon, veteran water reporter

An Arizona Republic reporter and self-described “water geek” on how to cover western water issues

PROVO, UT -- Water issues may not be the sexy beat to which young journalists first aspire, but here in... More

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A bogus boycott

The GOP hijacks the transparency debate as the EPA calls for a ‘reset’ with reporters

At Gina McCarthy's congressional confirmation hearing in early April, questions about transparency at the Environmental Protection Agency, which she'd been... More

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The WSJ editorial page hits rock bottom

And that’s saying something

I'm still trying to reattach my jaw after reading this op-ed published by The Wall Street Journal today. It's shameful... More

Missing Michael Hastings

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

Snowden versus the dragons

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.”

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