The Observatory
Pregnancy Pounds
A bun in the oven doesn’t mean you should fill up on rolls
By Sanhita Reddy Jun 10, 2009 at 05:29 PM
Eating for two might not be such good advice for expectant mothers, according to new guidelines for how much weight... More
Earth 2100 Sizzles
ABC News’s two-hour special finally out of the frying pan, into the fire
By Katherine Bagley Jun 5, 2009 at 12:22 PM
On Tuesday night, ABC News aired a two-hour special called Earth 2100, describing the potentially apocalyptic scene that could await... More
Foolish Fusion
Explanatory science journalism is becoming rarer than a nuclear reaction
By Sanhita Reddy Jun 4, 2009 at 03:19 PM
Coverage of the dedication ceremony for the National Ignition Facility, the world’s largest laser system, may have made it hard... More
Sotomayor’s “Sweet” Side
Coverage of judicial nominee’s diabetes lacks breadth
By Sanhita Reddy Jun 2, 2009 at 05:06 PM
Over the past week, members of the news media have talked a lot about SCOTUS nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s race and... More
Climate Bill Cacophony
With so much back-and-forth on news pages, papers need more editorials
By Curtis Brainard May 27, 2009 at 10:15 AM
Last week, the House Energy and Commerce committee approved energy and climate legislation that could put the first national cap... More
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
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.
