The Observatory
Climate policy, act two
Reactions to Obama’s second inaugural overlook Skocpol report
By Curtis Brainard Jan 23, 2013 at 11:30 AM
It was great to see The New York Times give front-page treatment to the unexpected weight that President Obama put... More
Science journalism’s great divide
Study finds pessimism in the West, optimism in the Global South
By Curtis Brainard Jan 21, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Science journalists in the West have a bleaker outlook on the future of their profession than their colleagues in the... More
Here? Now?
Media squander rare opportunity to localize climate coverage
By Curtis Brainard Jan 17, 2013 at 03:30 PM
Making climate change a local story isn't easy, but regional newspapers are, by and large, missing what is probably going... More
Faded green
Environment reporters endangered, regardless of exact number
By Curtis Brainard Jan 17, 2013 at 12:00 PM
InsideClimate News's Katherine Bagley, who broke the news last week that The New York Times is dismantling its environment desk,... More
Environment coverage TBD
The Times says it’s committed, but only time will tell
By Curtis Brainard Jan 15, 2013 at 11:00 AM
The New York Times’s decision is to dismantle its four-year-old environment “pod” has been called everything from “an unmitigated disaster”... More
Call in the math club
Science reporters can help ward off a “Big Data bubble”
By Declan Fahy Jan 14, 2013 at 03:15 PM
A reflective piece in The New York Times’s business pages points to a critical future role for science reporters—guarding against... More
Playing the study game
David Freedman responds to critics of his article about bad health reporting
By David H. Freedman Jan 9, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Recently in the pages of the CJR, I took on science journalism's lack of skepticism and misuse of published scientific... More
Climate coverage rebound?
Maybe, but the press has a long way to go
By Curtis Brainard Jan 7, 2013 at 05:45 PM
There are signs that climate-change coverage is poised for a rebound after three years of decline, experts say, but the... More
Coming clean on food safety
The Obama administration’s lack of transparency makes a difficult beat that much harder
By Helena Bottemiller Jan 3, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Editors’ Note: Bottemiller’s bio should have mentioned that her employer, Food Safety News, is published by the law firm Marler... More
Must-reads of 2012: science
Let your dork flag fly
By Curtis Brainard Dec 27, 2012 at 06:50 AM
As 2012 draws to a close, CJR writers brainstormed the year's best reads in their beats. The dream that failed... More
Fronting for fossil fuels
A study says that the media rarely discloses think tanks’ industry funding
By Curtis Brainard Dec 21, 2012 at 02:50 PM
According to a report released in early December by the Checks & Balances Project, a self-avowed “pro-clean energy watchdog group,”... More
Weathercasters on climate
Rolling Stone refuses to let sleeping dogs lie
By Curtis Brainard Dec 19, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Rolling Stone’s Jeff Goodell rang an old bell in early December when he called out TV weathercasters for saying almost... More
Lanza, autism, and violence
Critics try to stem media conjecture after Newtown shooting
By Curtis Brainard Dec 17, 2012 at 01:45 PM
As with so many senseless acts of violence— including the shootings in Aurora, CO, last summer and Tucson, AZ, the... More
Flight of the bloggers
Despite recent departures, Discover is rebuilding fast
By Curtis Brainard Dec 12, 2012 at 06:50 AM
Amidst a move from New York to Wisconsin, Discover magazine has lost some of its most popular science bloggers in... More
‘Synbio’ coverage on the rise
Articles focus on ethics and biosafety, study says
By Curtis Brainard Dec 6, 2012 at 02:45 PM
You know an urban neighborhood is up and coming when it gets an abbreviation like “SoMa,” for the district south... 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?
This is the best moment to be in journalism (25)
The WSJ editorial page hits rock bottom (19)
The New York Times told me to take this down
“If you wouldn’t mind using another publication to advertise your infringement tool, we’d appreciate it”
In AP, Rosen investigations, government makes criminals of reporters
“[A]s flagrant an assault on civil liberties as anything done by George W. Bush’s administration”
Jay Carney press briefing blues
“Reporters are increasingly skeptical about Carney’s demeanor and the veracity of some answers”
Jaron Lanier wants to build a new middle class on micropayments
A future where writers can gain wealth through a “freelance economy”
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.
