The Observatory
Probability Problems
Clumsy numbers in coverage of MIT’s “Greenhouse Gamble” study
By Curtis Brainard May 22, 2009 at 11:45 AM
A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, which found... More
“The Mediacene Age”
Ancient primate fossil inspires an unusual press blitz, but will it work?
By Curtis Brainard May 19, 2009 at 03:31 PM
On Tuesday, The New York Times ran its second article about a 47-million-year-old skeleton that is being described as “the... More
Trek Tech
Reporters use mega-movie release to explore innovations
By Katherine Bagley May 14, 2009 at 05:13 PM
I am not a Trekkie, despite my older brothers’ countless attempts to make me one. But the first time I... More
The Science of Art…
And other reflections on the fiftieth anniversary of “The Two Cultures”
By Curtis Brainard May 13, 2009 at 11:38 AM
Last Thursday was the fiftieth anniversary of C.P. Snow’s famous lecture, “The Two Cultures,” which described a divide between scientists... More
To Report or Repeat?
Finding that press releases hype research does not diminish journalists’ responsibility
By Earle Holland May 12, 2009 at 04:31 PM
It’s hard to agree with a study last week that claimed academic medical centers hype their research through their press... More
Facebook and Procrastination
Runaway coverage mistakes correlation for causation
By Earle Holland May 8, 2009 at 10:00 AM
From the start, we knew that the news release we were distributing had a chance for ample news coverage. After... More
Science Journalism’s Crystal Ball
Whither the expertly reported content of yore?
By Cristine Russell May 7, 2009 at 10:58 AM
In covering a crisis, it is crucial to quickly separate reliable information from speculation and hype—or, in the case of... More
The Flu Formerly Known As Swine
Coverage of naming controversy has wasted time
By Katherine Bagley May 6, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Over the past week, media reports cycled through various names for the 2009 A(H1N1) influenza—swine flu, Mexico flu, North American... More
Magazine Mayhem
SciAm and ACS cut staff, reposition for the long haul
By Curtis Brainard May 5, 2009 at 02:40 PM
Last week was yet another turbulent one for science journalism. Scientific American, the United States’s oldest magazine, and the American... More
Swine Flu and CAFOs?
Blogs call for more coverage; MSM hesitant
By Curtis Brainard Apr 29, 2009 at 04:45 PM
In the search for the swine flu outbreak’s “ground zero,” blogs have called upon mainstream media to investigate the potential... More
Learning from Perlman and Maddox
Press salutes two pioneers of science journalism
By Katherine Bagley Apr 28, 2009 at 02:08 PM
Many of us in science journalism today know (or should know) that our careers are vastly different because of two... More
Toying with Climate Information
Media last week rife with stories of misdirection
By Curtis Brainard Apr 27, 2009 at 05:59 PM
The news media and blogs were rife with stories last week about politicians and journalists alike manipulating information related to... More
Green Issues Fade
Several magazines cancel, cutback annual environment editions
By Katherine Bagley Apr 22, 2009 at 07:21 PM
Another year, another Earth Day, another wave of “Green Issues” on newsstands… or not. After three years, the springtime fad... More
Capturing Conversation
Press finally digs into CCS both nationally and locally
By Curtis Brainard Apr 21, 2009 at 10:38 AM
On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency formally announced that heat-trapping greenhouse gases are a danger to human health and welfare,... More
Wish He Was a Baller
Friedman fumbles with last-minute call for a carbon tax
By Daniel Luzer Apr 16, 2009 at 08:39 AM
As virtually all of America knows by now, Tom Friedman is a big environmentalist. He loves nature, green things, responsible... 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)
Public television’s attempts to placate David Koch
One journalist took matters into his own hands when a fellow audience member wouldn’t stop using her smartphone during a theater performance
Purchasing Tumblr is Yahoo’s flashy bet on a shift in social media
The shift from Facebook to more creative social networks
Gay Talese’s outline for ‘Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,’ 1966
Handwritten on a shirt board
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.
