The Observatory
From Hudson to 9/11
Times smartly pairs two lower-Manhattan anniversaries
By Curtis Brainard Sep 11, 2009 at 04:26 PM
Remember remember the month of September. So says a smart tribute in today’s New York Times, pairing the eighth anniversary... More
Research, Not Relations…
Why scientists should leave communications to the pros
By Earle Holland Sep 9, 2009 at 04:58 PM
A piece in The Observatory last week lamented the fact that Rajenda Pachauri, the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on... More
EPA Targets Major Emitters
Journal sees an admission that limiting carbon will be costly
By Curtis Brainard Sep 4, 2009 at 11:41 AM
The Environmental Protection Agency sent a “tailoring rule” to the White House for consideration on Saturday that would limit regulation... More
When Kennedy Didn’t Compromise
Lessons from the senator’s early health reform failure
By Cristine Russell Sep 1, 2009 at 10:17 AM
I join the chorus of those who have long admired Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s remarkable Senate career and his persistence... More
Can Science Be “Humanized?”
Or is democracy doomed, Harper’s wonders
By Curtis Brainard Aug 31, 2009 at 09:38 AM
There is a hauntingly dystopian headline in the September issue of Harper’s Magazine: “Dehumanized: When math and science rule the... More
Media Hype Swine Flu Report
Coverage of possible death toll ranges from wrong to remedial
By Curtis Brainard Aug 26, 2009 at 12:58 PM
On Monday, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology released a report (pdf) about the possible impact of... More
Forbes on ExxonMobil: “Green Company of the Year”
Really?
By Curtis Brainard Aug 24, 2009 at 12:57 PM
What an eye-grabber! “ExxonMobil: Green Company of Year.” I mean, who woulda thunk it? Too bad the provocative headline of... More
March of the Politicians
Journal calls out Congress’s climate-change junket Down Under
By Curtis Brainard Aug 12, 2009 at 04:35 PM
On Saturday, The Wall Street Journal fronted an article about a trip that ten members of Congress took last year... More
Writing Wrongs
Journals’ call to publish scientific setbacks is an opportunity for journalists
By Sanhita Reddy Aug 11, 2009 at 11:49 AM
For journalists, some scientific flops are just too good to pass up. Think of the Large Hadron Collider’s failure to... More
It’s Tanking; I’m Teaching…
And other current events in the tumultuous world of science journalism
By Curtis Brainard Aug 7, 2009 at 04:27 PM
Following the fiftieth fortieth anniversary of the first moon landing two weeks ago, The Observatory ran a short round-up of... More
Clunkers, the Economy, and the Environment
When it comes to “green,” reporters focus on the pocketbook
By Curtis Brainard Aug 5, 2009 at 02:12 PM
Since the Department of Transportation announced last Thursday that new-car buyers had bankrupted the “cash for clunkers” rebate initiative in... More
Fuel for Thought
Once credulous, biofuels coverage grows skeptical
By Sanhita Reddy Jul 31, 2009 at 12:24 PM
Fuel from corn. Fuel from coffee grounds. Fuel from chicken feathers. Whatever the recipe, the search for a replacement for... More
(E)mission Impossible?
Blogs, Web sites provide climate policy analysis lacking elsewhere
By Sanhita Reddy Jul 29, 2009 at 11:15 AM
After the recent Group 8 meeting in Italy, news outlets released a flood of reports about certain developing countries—led by... More
The DEA, Michael Jackson, and Me
How the agency’s press office cost our magazine the propofol scoop
By Adam Marcus Jul 23, 2009 at 04:22 PM
Scoops are won through hard work, luck and even, in the case of Evelyn Waugh’s William Boot, mistaken identity. They... More
Media on the Moon
Anniversary of Apollo landing inspires stories both quirky and critical
By Sanhita Reddy Jul 23, 2009 at 03:35 PM
The media loves to commemorate space-age milestones. In 2007, it was Sputnik’s fiftieth birthday. In 2008, it was NASA’s. This... 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”
In one tweet
Luke Russert is the Golden Boy of DC
And it drives young journalists crazy
It’s official: We never need to worry about the future of journalism again!
The NYT shows us why
Why does Florida produce so much weird news? Experts explain
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.
