The Observatory
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July 02, 2009 04:43 PM
Some Optimism for the Future of Science Journalism
And especially for international collaboration
LONDON — Amidst the gloomy climate in American science journalism, leading British editors have a decidedly upbeat view about coverage. “I have an enormously sunny outlook for the future of science journalism,” said James Harding, editor of London’s The Times. “Science is absolutely essential to what we do.”
Harding said that last year he saw predictable spikes when...
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July 01, 2009 10:23 AM
NSF “Underwriting” Coverage…
And other controversies from the World Conference of Science Journalists
LONDON — The sixth World Conference of Science Journalists got off to an enjoyably controversial start here on Tuesday afternoon.
The event takes place against the backdrop of concurrent editorials in the world’s leading scientific journals, Science and Nature (the former by CJR contributing editor Cristine Russell), exploring the ongoing “crisis” and potential...
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June 30, 2009 01:16 PM
Health Wealth
Press misses a tipping point in the financing of global health projects
Earlier this month, the Lancet published two studies clarifying some long-standing questions about global health financing and the effectiveness of health programs. One of the studies, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, provided a comprehensive list of sources of public health funding, including—for the first time—non-governmental organizations in the U.S that offer ‘development assistance’...
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June 24, 2009 01:10 PM
Reprimanded Psychiatrist? Bad Advice?
Give that documentary a Peabody!
Last May, a Peabody was awarded to the film Depression: Out of the Shadows, a documentary which aired in 2008 on PBS, was produced by Twin Cities Public Television and WGBH Boston, and was written and directed by Minneapolis-based filmmaker Larkin McPhee.
The documentary profiled a wide variety of patients struggling with depression, including a...
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June 22, 2009 11:41 AM
Climate Change, Crop Catastrophe
California papers ignore the agricultural consequences of climate change
California’s awful fiscal and economic crises—$24 billion budget shortfall, fifth highest level of unemployment in the nation—have been much in the press lately. A common theme of the coverage is California’s economic resiliency—things may be nasty now, but the state still has plenty going for it: Hollywood, Silicon Valley, tourism, an excellent public university system.
But one...
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June 16, 2009 11:00 AM
Gene Randall “Reporting,” Inc.
Will journalists’ flight toward PR mean the end of reportorial integrity?
Former CNN correspondent-turned-PR consultant Gene Randall’s video “report” for oil giant Chevron might be unprecedented for how it blurred the line between public relations and journalism. But the Randall-Chevron production raises not only ethical questions, but also the question of whether a surge of newly pink-slipped reporters might go, as one media critic put it, “over to the...
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June 15, 2009 01:00 PM
Talking Shop: Karen Ravn
The Los Angeles Times freelancer discusses her recent piece on medical dishonesty
In “Body of Lies,” a recent article published in the Los Angeles Times, Karen Ravn reported on the widespread problem of dishonesty among patients when talking to their doctors. Here, Ravn answers a few questions via e-mail about the piece and her thoughts on the future of health journalism.
Sanhita Reddy: “Body of Lies” explores a particular aspect...
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June 10, 2009 05:29 PM
Pregnancy Pounds
A bun in the oven doesn’t mean you should fill up on rolls
Eating for two might not be such good advice for expectant mothers, according to new guidelines for how much weight women should gain during pregnancy, issued The National Institute of Medicine last week.
Most reporters were adept at explaining the new guidelines, as well as relevant studies about pregnancy and weight gain. But many could have done...
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June 05, 2009 12:22 PM
Earth 2100 Sizzles
ABC News’s two-hour special finally out of the frying pan, into the fire
On Tuesday night, ABC News aired a two-hour special called Earth 2100, describing the potentially apocalyptic scene that could await us at the end of the century.
The network abandoned cautious storytelling, opting instead to portray “the worst-case scenario for human civilization… if we fail to seriously address the complex problem of climate change, resource depletion and overpopulation,” as executive...
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June 04, 2009 03:19 PM
Foolish Fusion
Explanatory science journalism is becoming rarer than a nuclear reaction
Coverage of the dedication ceremony for the National Ignition Facility, the world’s largest laser system, may have made it hard to discern how NIF’s work differs from Dr. Octopus’s fusion experiment in Spiderman II.
Media outlets skirted around substantial explanations of NIF, providing cursory information that left readers confused about how the facility will achieve its three main...
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June 02, 2009 05:06 PM
Sotomayor’s “Sweet” Side
Coverage of judicial nominee’s diabetes lacks breadth
Over the past week, members of the news media have talked a lot about SCOTUS nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s race and ethnic background. But they have also devoted a surprising amount of attention to her status as a Type 1 diabetic.
As we learned from the coverage of John McCain’s melanomas during last year’s presidential primary, it is...
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May 27, 2009 10:15 AM
Climate Bill Cacophony
With so much back-and-forth on news pages, papers need more editorials
Last week, the House Energy and Commerce committee approved energy and climate legislation that could put the first national cap on greenhouse-gas emissions. Many news reports called the decision a “landmark” and “historic.”
Indeed it was. But the best adjective for the legislative wrangling—as employed by The Washington Post and the
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May 22, 2009 11:45 AM
Probability Problems
Clumsy numbers in coverage of MIT’s “Greenhouse Gamble” study
A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, which found that end-of-the-century global warming could be twice as severe as previous estimates, drew a limited amount of press attention on Thursday. Few of the resulting articles, unfortunately, are totally satisfying.
One of the most conspicuous
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May 19, 2009 03:31 PM
“The Mediacene Age”
Ancient primate fossil inspires an unusual press blitz, but will it work?
On Tuesday, The New York Times ran its second article about a 47-million-year-old skeleton that is being described as “the most complete fossil primate ever discovered.”
The monkey-like creature, an entirely new genus and species, might be a "missing link" between modern primates—such as monkeys, apes and humans—and the descendants from which they evolved. But that was the...
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Science Picture of the Day
Science Daily
Researchers at the University of Chicago published a study in Nature last week showing that dry granular materials like seeds and sand have liquid-like properties, exhibiting surface tension and forming droplets when poured.
In order to see the nanoscale forces that hold the solid particles together, the physicists used a high-speed camera designed by University of Chicago graduate student John Royer. This is the first time researchers have been able to capture attracting forces of this scale.
The study, which was conducted at the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, is a step towards helping industries use dry materials for mechanical processes like oil refining, plastics manufacturing, and pharmaceutical production.
"Estimates show that we waste 60 percent of the capacity of many of our industrial plants due to problems related to the transport of these materials," said Heinrich Jaeger, an author of the study. "Hence even a small improvement in our understanding of how granular media behave should have a profound impact for industry."
Check out videos of the streams of sand here.
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About The Observatory RSS
The Observatory critiques science, environment, and medical journalism. Our goal is to encourage clarity, accuracy, and accountability in the coverage all things technical and complex.
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Desks
The Audit Business
- Amplifying the Drumbeat on the “Overdraft Protection” Racket The issue picks up momentum in the financial press
- Journal: Wall Street Pay Could Set Records
The Observatory Science
- Some Optimism for the Future of Science Journalism And especially for international collaboration
- NSF “Underwriting” Coverage… And other controversies from the World Conference of Science Journalists
Campaign Desk Politics & Policy
- More PitneyGate Fallout? Press focused on who asked questions at Obama town hall
- The Economy Today: School’s Out With Money Tight, Classes Are Slashed