The Observatory
Reuters’s global warming about-face
A survey shows the newswire ran 50 percent fewer stories on climate change after hiring a “skeptic”
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Jul 26, 2013 at 06:55 AM
Reuters has long been one of the most prolific producers of climate change journalism, leading The New York Times and... More
Keystone fatigue? Get over it
Many in media are saying enough already on pipeline debate, but the story is far from over
By Deron Lee Jul 22, 2013 at 03:00 PM
FAIRWAY, KS -- A palpable exhaustion seems to have set in this year among some journalists when it comes to... More
Discover’s New Look
If a cross country move and a new staff weren’t enough change for Discover, the science magazine unveils a redesign
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Jul 19, 2013 at 12:42 PM
It's been a tumultuous year for Discover magazine, after uprooting its offices from New York to Wisconsin, hiring an almost... More
When ‘he said,’ ‘she said’ is dangerous
Media errs in giving “balanced” coverage to McCarthy’s discredited views
By Brendan Nyhan Jul 16, 2013 at 02:15 PM
ABC's announcement yesterday that actress/comedian Jenny McCarthy will become a co-host of The View brought forth a torrent of condemnation... More
Beyond San Onofre’s closure
The LA Times and U-T San Diego thoroughly covered the local nuclear power plant’s closing, but the wider energy story is still waiting to be told
By John Mecklin Jul 15, 2013 at 03:00 PM
SANTA BARBARA, CA -- Nuclear power plants are complex, interdependent systems of systems, and the state and federal bureaucracies that... More
Your fertility, checked
An Atlantic cover story uncovering a decade of botched reporting should sound as a warning to journalists to examine the fine print of scientific studies
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Jul 12, 2013 at 11:12 AM
In 2002 Sylvia Ann Hewlett terrified career-oriented women when she hit them with a cold truth: Regardless of advances in... More
Assignment Desk: Four stories on the Western energy beat
What’s the future of coal? What about water? And is that really a united front?
By Joel Campbell Jul 3, 2013 at 11:50 AM
PROVO, UT -- At a posh resort near Park City last weekend, the chief executives of seven Western states gathered... More
Science media centers & the press, part 3
Can a SMC work in the US?
By Curtis Brainard and Ron Winslow Jun 21, 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 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
Woman’s work - The twisted reality of an Italian freelancer in Syria
Sourcing Trayvon Martin ‘photos’ from stormfront - Not a good idea, Business Insider
Elizabeth Warren, the antidote to CNBC - The senator schools the talking heads on bank regulation
Art Laffer + PR blitz = press failure - The media types up the retail lobby’s propaganda
Reuters’s global warming about-face - A survey shows the newswire ran 50 percent fewer stories on climate change after hiring a “skeptic”
Barack Obama: ‘those old times aren’t coming back’
“It used to be there were local newspapers everywhere. If you wanted to be a journalist, you could really make a good living working for your hometown paper”
The Guardian’s editor opens up on Reddit
Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian, answered questions in an Ask Me Anything
The (almost) lost speech of Justice Anthony Kennedy
How his insightful remarks about the Constitution inadvertently make the case for a Supreme Court “media pool”
Fox News sues TVEyes for copyright infringement
Says subscription service sells access to its content without permission nor compensation
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
ACEsTooHigh.com – Reporting on the science, education, and policy surrounding childhood trauma
Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.
