The Observatory

Mass Transit and the Stimulus

National media show mixed feelings, presenting an opportunity for local and regional follow-ups

By Katherine Bagley   Mar 3, 2009 at 08:00 AM

As journalists and members of Congress continued to sift through the nearly 1000-page stimulus package last Tuesday night, President Obama... More

The George Will Affair

Post stands by climate column despite widespread criticism; clamor spills over to The New York Times

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 26, 2009 at 07:24 PM

Thought the dust kicked up by George Will’s February 15 column in The Washington Post, “Dark Green Doomsayers,” had settled?... More

From Fly Ash to “Clean” Coal

National media slow to expand excellent local coverage after sludge spills

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 20, 2009 at 05:50 PM

Both the American and Canadian press took a ‘Well, we’ll see,’ attitude toward the announcement yesterday that President Barack Obama... More

Salmonella Detective Story Leaves Stone Unturned

Reporters get the whodunnit, but miss the how-they-dunnit

By Katherine Bagley   Feb 19, 2009 at 03:46 PM

Sifting through the hundreds of news reports on the current salmonella outbreak is like flipping the pages of a Sherlock... More

Lingering Denial

The unfortunate case of a few pundits with too much influence

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 18, 2009 at 11:15 AM

Last week at the Huffington Post, John Delicath, the director of the Media Matters Action Network, quoted an article of... More

Science Journalism Growing Overseas

AAAS meeting highlights dwindling American coverage

By Cristine Russell   Feb 17, 2009 at 03:07 PM

CHICAGO — The story was too good to miss. When cosmologist Paul Davies proposed launching a “mission to earth” to... More

Science Journalism’s Hope and Despair

‘Niche’ pubs growing as MSM circles the drain

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 13, 2009 at 12:47 PM

About a year and a half ago, I began reporting on a story about the “state” of science journalism, which... More

Darwin Mania!

Journalists devote reams to his 200th birthday – does he deserve it?

By Eric Simons   Feb 12, 2009 at 09:53 AM

The problem with Barack Obama, as I’ve been telling friends in the Bay Area for the last few weeks, is... More

What Have We Learned?

Climate journalists discuss lessons of the past at AMNH

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 11, 2009 at 04:37 PM

Last night, a panel of distinguished science journalists and one social scientist discussed shifting norms in climate-change coverage at the... More

One More Science Journalism Event…

For the road

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 11, 2009 at 04:07 PM

Yesterday, I wrote a short post about a few all-star science journalism events taking place this week in New York... More

Slate V Puts Weekly Science Roundup On Hold

“Grand Unified Weekly” shelved despite positive response from audiences

By Katherine Bagley   Feb 11, 2009 at 02:21 PM

Last November, Slate V started hosting a snappy, weekly screencast that served as a “science news roundup for the rest... More

Science Journalism Events at AMNH, AAAS

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 10, 2009 at 12:33 PM

I don’t generally announce upcoming science journalism events, mostly because my readership is spread out across the country. I might... More

NYT: “Boron Moron”

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 9, 2009 at 03:33 PM

My thanks to the Knight Science Journalism Tracker for pointing out a "mea culpa" posted today by The New York... More

National Geographic Launches New Energy Team

Reaffirms editorial, educational commitment to environmental issues

By Megan McGinley   Feb 5, 2009 at 09:00 AM

Last week, National Geographic magazine announced the formation of a new, specialized editorial team that will focus on “deepening” and... More

Global vs. Regional Trends

A common problem in climate coverage

By Curtis Brainard   Feb 4, 2009 at 07:00 AM

On January 1, the Daily Tech, an online magazine, published a somewhat misleading blog post about the “rapid recovery” of... More