The Observatory
Science Blogs “Win a Place at the Table”
Zimmer and Yong on the evolution of online science coverage
By Curtis Brainard May 6, 2011 at 01:00 PM
According to “techy historians,” there were around twenty-three blogs in 1998. As of mid-February, there were 156 million, Phil Hilts,... More
Red Alert on the Green Beat
Violence and threats severely restrain environmental coverage in much of the world
By James Fahn May 3, 2011 at 08:45 AM
In 2007, Cherelle Jackson started publishing a three-part series of investigative reports that examined plans to develop tourism on an... More
Coverage of New Chernobyl Analysis Fails Risk Reporting Basics
Includes absolute risk, but not relative
By David Ropeik May 2, 2011 at 12:24 PM
The nuclear crisis in Japan keeps on revealing how the news media struggle to report accurately and thoroughly about risk.... More
Critics Slam PBS, NYT Autism Reports
Mnookin: “A reckless and irresponsible coda to Robert MacNeil’s career”
By Curtis Brainard Apr 28, 2011 at 12:15 PM
A PBS Newshour series about autism that drew former host Robert MacNeil back to the show for the first time... More
National Geographic Taking the Wheel at Scienceblogs.com
Report of merger prompts campfire history tale on Twitter
By Curtis Brainard Apr 26, 2011 at 11:00 AM
“My baby's all grown up,” mused Christopher Mims, retweeting an unconfirmed announcement posted nineteen minutes earlier that Scienceblogs.com, the site... More
Mixed Grades for Medical Coverage
Analysis of nearly 1,500 articles over five years finds pluses and minuses
By Curtis Brainard Apr 22, 2011 at 12:29 PM
A review of nearly 1,500 health-medical articles over the last five years has found that while journalists are nailing a... More
CU-Boulder to Shutter J-School
Journalism education remains a priority, administrators claim
By Curtis Brainard Apr 19, 2011 at 09:30 AM
The University of Colorado’s Board of Regents voted last week to close the journalism school at its Boulder campus, marking... More
California Watch is Watching
Investigation reveals lax oversight of seismic standards in schools
By Curtis Brainard Apr 15, 2011 at 10:30 AM
California Watch’s Corey Johnson was scanning the website of the state architect’s office one evening in December 2009 when he... More
The Importance of Energy Reporters
A Q&A with the NYT’s Matthew Wald about Japan’s nuclear crisis
By Cristine Russell Apr 8, 2011 at 11:02 AM
The crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan has underscored the importance of specialized energy reporters. Unfortunately,... More
Japan’s Other Environmental Woes
The Wall Street Journal breaks from the pack with article on non-nuclear fallout
By Curtis Brainard Apr 7, 2011 at 10:45 AM
The Wall Street Journal distinguished itself on Monday with an article that examined some of the non-nuclear environmental impacts... More
The Climate Context in Japan
Crisis tests media’s ability to frame nuclear debate in a world beset by energy risks
By James Fahn Apr 5, 2011 at 02:56 PM
When I was a young journalist working as the environment editor for a Thai newspaper back in the 1990s, one... More
Another Cozy TV-Hospital Partnership
Will the practice ever end?
By Trudy Lieberman Apr 1, 2011 at 11:14 AM
Once more, a large hospital system has climbed in bed with a friendly TV station to promote high-end services, using... More
Covering “Crazy”
“Goldwater rule” overlooked in articles about Qaddafi, Sheen, and Loughner
By Curtis Brainard Mar 30, 2011 at 12:57 PM
The media has a penchant for psychoanalysis that often gets news outlets into trouble. From killers to celebrities to dictators,... More
Misinformation Clouds Much Japan Coverage
International media’s output enters the “Journalistic Hall of Shame”
By Craig Silverman Mar 25, 2011 at 11:59 AM
Andrew Woolner’s Yokohama residence was left without power shortly after the recent major earthquake struck Japan. But his laptop and... More
Quaking in California
Articles about the “big one” short on science
By Curtis Brainard Mar 22, 2011 at 02:15 PM
The 9.0 earthquake that struck Japan on March 11 not only sent a tsunami barreling across the Pacific, but also... 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.
