The Observatory

Online and Overseas

Less hand-wringing over state of science journalism

By Robin Lloyd and Cristine Russell   Feb 25, 2010 at 12:22 PM

SAN DIEGO—What a difference a year makes. The intense handwringing over the future of science journalism in the wake of... More

The Upshot of Embargoes

Oransky launches blog examining controversial publishing standard

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 24, 2010 at 04:52 PM

A longstanding and controversial topic of conversation within the science journalism community—news embargoes on peer-reviewed research articles—will now receive regular... More

Better Communication Begets Trust

Experts press for localizing climate coverage

By Robin Lloyd and Cristine Russell   Feb 23, 2010 at 10:18 AM

SAN DIEGO—Amidst growing polarization and public confusion over global climate change, there has been plenty of finger pointing about the... More

Meltdown

By Clint Hendler   Feb 18, 2010 at 02:14 PM

As the Northeast digs and melts its way out from feet of snow, now seems like a fine time to... More

Post Capitol-izes on Snow

Traffic is way up at blog focused on local weather

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 17, 2010 at 01:50 PM

Beneath the snowstorm-induced climate feuding that has pervaded the media for the last few weeks, an interesting thing is happening:... More

Snow Fights

Storm coverage muddles politics and science

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 16, 2010 at 04:19 PM

Last week, in a front-page story, The New York Times responded to the latest instance of global warming skeptics seizing... More

U.S. Press Digs Into IPCC Story

Articles still fall short of ambitious work in the U.K.

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 15, 2010 at 10:04 AM

A couple of America’s leading media outlets finally dug into the recent controversy surrounding the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change... More

The Long View on Green

After 40 years on the job, Joe Hebert reflects on covering energy and environment

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 10, 2010 at 04:45 PM

From Three Mile Island to the cap-and-trade debates on Capitol Hill, H. Josef Hebert spent over half of his forty-year... More

“Waves in a Shallow Pan”

Has climate coverage in the MSM lost its authority?

By Philip J. Hilts   Feb 5, 2010 at 02:59 PM

CAMBRIDGE—Like doctors gathered around the operating table in mid-surgery, a group of media experts at Harvard yesterday offered their diagnoses... More

Dumb Blonde Story

Sunday Times botches the science in piece on the “princess effect”

By Craig Silverman   Feb 5, 2010 at 11:59 AM

Dr. Aaron Sell, a researcher at the Center for Evolutionary Psychology at the University of California, has been hearing from... More

USA Today Wins Oakes Award

“Smokestack Effect” garners another prize for outstanding reporting

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 4, 2010 at 07:00 PM

A USA Today investigation which found that the air outside thousands of schools across the country could be at least... More

WSJ Cancels Energy/Environment Blog

Two years after launch, popular site mysteriously dumped

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 3, 2010 at 03:55 PM

After a mere two-year run, The Wall Street Journal has, for some inexplicable reason—or, rather, for some reason it refuses... More

Criticism of IPCC Continues

American media still missing in action

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 2, 2010 at 07:08 PM

American media are still missing in action on the controversy currently embroiling the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In addition... More

MIA on the IPCC

American press largely ignores latest controversies

By Curtis Brainard   Jan 29, 2010 at 12:26 PM

Almost two weeks ago, the Sunday Times, a British newspaper, “broke” the story that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change... More

Looking for Haiti’s Lost, Online

How information technology can streamline Web searches

By Chris Csikszentmihályi   Jan 26, 2010 at 10:51 AM

As the dust was settling over Haiti, journalists were boarding planes, a response center at the State Department was manning... More