The Observatory

Pachauri Revises IPCC Media Plan

Chairman apologies to scientists for previous letter

By Curtis Brainard   Jul 19, 2010 at 11:58 AM

Rajendra Pachauri, the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has sent a letter to the 831 lead authors... More

“Two Stories” of Gulf Seafood

News reports tread the line between confidence and caution

By Curtis Brainard   Jul 16, 2010 at 11:40 AM

BP has apparently stopped the flow of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico for the first time since the... More

Inside BP’s Media Blockade

Contractor who obstructed WDSU reporter’s access to beach cleanup decides to talk

By Curtis Brainard   Jul 14, 2010 at 03:00 PM

A former BP contractor who blocked a New Orleans TV news reporter from talking to cleanup crews working on a... More

I’ll Have the Climate Coverage, Please

Kurtz wants some; so does the Times, though it doesn’t deliver

By Curtis Brainard   Jul 13, 2010 at 10:09 AM

On Sunday night, CNN’s Howard Kurtz seconded CJR’s call for more coverage of the series of inquiries and investigations rebutting... More

Mediaphobia at the IPCC

Letter steers scientists away from the press, despite recent calls for transparency

By Curtis Brainard   Jul 12, 2010 at 03:44 PM

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change seems to have caught a touch of mediaphobia from last year’s largely debunked controversies... More

Meet the AP’s New Oil Spill Editor

A Q&A with Steve Gutkin

By Curtis Brainard   Jul 9, 2010 at 10:40 AM

At the end of June, the Associated Press announced that it had named an oil spill editor, Steve Gutkin, to... More

Shameful Obstinacy at The Sunday Times

Paper finally retracts Amazongate, aggressive-blondes articles

By Curtis Brainard   Jul 8, 2010 at 04:00 PM

On Wednesday, I argued that the mounting rebuttal of the recent controversies related to the so-called “Climategate” e-mails and alleged... More

Uproar at ScienceBlogs.com

Protesting Pepsi’s new nutrition blog, writers defect from respected site

By Curtis Brainard   Jul 8, 2010 at 08:00 AM

At least two well-respected science journalists and a handful of scientists have canceled their blogs at the popular and heretofore... More

Wanted: Climate Front-Pager

Reviews vindicating scientists get strong blog coverage, but more high-profile stories are needed

By Curtis Brainard   Jul 7, 2010 at 04:30 PM

Over the last two days, two reports have, respectively, reaffirmed the integrity of the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on... More

ProPublica and Frontline with a Save on BP

Another giant toxic emission from the oil giant goes undernoticed until now

By Ryan Chittum   Jul 6, 2010 at 08:27 AM

That one almost slipped through the cracks. A month ago, the Galveston Daily News's T.J. Aulds broke a big story... More

Get Out of Her Hair

Sadly, NPR profile focuses on Fiorina’s coiffure rather than climate gaffe

By Sam Kornell   Jul 1, 2010 at 03:42 PM

Earlier this week, NPR profiled California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina. The former Hewlett Packard CEO unexpectedly won the state’s Republican... More

Finding the Right Expert

How reporters should use a controversial new study categorizing scientists’ stances on global warming

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 29, 2010 at 02:15 PM

A controversial new study that categorizes climate scientists as either “convinced” or “unconvinced” by the basic tenets of manmade global... More

BizWeek: BP Has Us Over a Barrel

By Ryan Chittum   Jun 29, 2010 at 09:22 AM

We've been on the watch for BP's PR line, and it's been popping up at an alarming rate in the... More

Bringing Energy Home

Can local reporting help break the cycle of inaction?

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 23, 2010 at 05:32 PM

The vast majority of Americans want a “fundamental overhaul” of the country’s energy policies, according to the latest nationwide New... More

BP, Government Still Thwarting Press Access

Despite promises to facilitate oil spill coverage, limited transparency persists in the Gulf

By Curtis Brainard   Jun 17, 2010 at 12:38 PM

Despite repeated promises to improve transparency, BP, the United States government, and their contractors are still inhibiting the media’s ability... More