The Observatory
After Irene: How a Hyperlocal Is Helping
In the Catskills, the Watershed Post is coordinating relief efforts
By Alysia Santo Aug 30, 2011 at 03:07 PM
In the Catskills region of upstate New York, where flooding from Hurricane Irene wiped out entire towns, a hyperlocal site... More
Gamey Green Jobs Coverage
NYT, others hack off slices of Brookings-Battelle report
By Curtis Brainard Aug 26, 2011 at 11:15 AM
On Tuesday, climate blogger Joseph Romm blasted a New York Times article about green jobs for ignoring “explosive” growth... More
Journalism vs. Activism in Indonesia
Reporters divided over advocacy on the environment beat
By Veby Mega Indah Aug 10, 2011 at 12:00 PM
JAKARTA, INDONESIA—When I ask Indonesian bureaucrats about the latest proclamations from some group concerned about the environment, I often get... More
LifeStraw Coverage Divided
Carbon-credit, health angles illustrate global priorities
By Rachel Cernansky Aug 4, 2011 at 11:30 AM
Kakamega, Kenya—International coverage of a campaign to provide water filters financed by the sale of carbon credits to nearly a... More
A River Runs Through It
Defining news communities through the water they share
By Alysia Santo Jul 27, 2011 at 05:15 PM
While students at Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, Andrew McGlashen and Jeff Gillies started thinking, like so... More
Whose Line Is It, Anyway?
An oil-spill book relies too heavily on cut-and-paste work
By Curtis Brainard Jul 20, 2011 at 12:30 PM
This spring, Amanda Mascarelli, a freelance journalist based in Colorado, was in the process of reviewing A Sea in Flames,... More
Growing Science in the Desert
Several Middle Eastern countries are pouring money into research; will it work?
By James Fahn Jul 11, 2011 at 02:00 PM
Doha, Qatar—“Water flows uphill toward money and power,” said hydrologist Tony Allan, citing a political truism during a talk here... More
Arab Spring to Arab Summer
World Conference showcases science journalism in Middle East
By Curtis Brainard and Cristine Russell Jul 6, 2011 at 05:00 PM
Doha, Qatar—The Arab Spring that toppled governments in North Africa and the Middle East turned into an Arab summer for... More
Climate Questions for the GOP
What to ask candidates so clearly unconcerned?
By Curtis Brainard Jun 21, 2011 at 02:15 PM
During last week’s Republican presidential primary debate in New Hampshire, CNN’s John King, who served as moderator, asked questions about... More
The Potential for Medical Journalism in Kenya
A country that’s aching for quality health reporting
By Justin D. Martin Jun 15, 2011 at 12:45 PM
NAIROBI, Kenya—Before landing in Kenya, my doctor had me get shots for typhoid, tetanus, cholera, yellow fever, and meningitis. He... More
Environmental Journalism Associations Proliferating Worldwide
Members find strength—and challenges—in numbers
By James Fahn Jun 7, 2011 at 10:37 AM
When I was a journalist uncovering how oil and petrochemical companies were dumping mercury into the Gulf of Thailand, I... More
Tornadoes and Climate Change
McKibben is wrong; many reporters are “making connections”
By Curtis Brainard May 26, 2011 at 02:15 PM
On Monday, The Washington Post published an op-ed by Bill McKibben, a writer and environmental activist, under the sarcastic headline,... More
Flame Retardants Raise Undue Alarm
Incomplete risk assessment mars coverage of chemicals in kids’ products
By David Ropeik May 23, 2011 at 11:00 AM
There is a great story in the news right now that illustrates the challenges for journalists who cover environmental risks.... More
A Watershed Moment for the Chesapeake Bay Journal
On its 20th anniversary, the paper is growing and remolding its image
By Curtis Brainard May 13, 2011 at 10:00 AM
The current issue of the Columbia Journalism Review features a short article about the twentieth anniversary of the Chesapeake Bay... More
A Mining Disaster Follow-up Follows the Money
L.A. Times’s revealing report on inaction after the WV coal mine explosion
By Joel Meares May 11, 2011 at 11:49 AM
A belated laurel to the Los Angeles Times team of Kim Geiger, Tom Hamburger, and Doug Smith, of the paper’s... More
‘See you on the other side’ - Meet Jessica Lum, a terminally ill 25-year-old who chose to spend what little time she had practicing journalism
#Realtalk: This is the best moment to be in journalism - The old stuff isn’t coming back, but that’s okay
Streams of consciousness - Millennials expect a steady diet of quick-hit, social-media-mediated bits and bytes. What does that mean for journalism?
Sticking with the truth - How ‘balanced’ coverage helped sustain the bogus claim that childhood vaccines can cause autism
An ink-stained stretch - Can Aaron Kushner save the Orange County Register—and the newspaper industry?
If cable is dying, why is it still making so much money?
The story behind one of the best business models in the country
What TVGuide.com watchlist data reveals about the season’s new dramas
“What was once genre is now the Zeitgeist”
Josh Barro, the loneliest Republican
What to make of the 28-year-old columnist’s contempt for the GOP—and its would-be reformers
Dowd and Fournier and countless others who have launched similar complaints are asking, “Why aren’t we getting what we were promised?”
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.
