The Observatory
Snow Job
Just what constitutes a “record”?
By Merrill Perlman Feb 8, 2011 at 12:36 PM
The snowstorm that hit much of the United States last week was one for the books. In Chicago, the 20.2... More
The Cost of Living, Part IV
Digital mammograms in the medical marketplace
By Trudy Lieberman Feb 2, 2011 at 02:01 PM
Containing the runaway costs of medical care is perhaps the thorniest of health care issues. Despite the rhetoric about getting... More
Introducing ‘Earth Journalism’
A global view of a local beat
By James Fahn Feb 1, 2011 at 09:00 AM
In the grand scheme of environmental affairs, journalism is almost always an afterthought. The media world seems to return the... More
Science Faltering?
Obama wants more R&D, but few willing to discuss research productivity
By Robert Fortner Jan 31, 2011 at 12:45 PM
President Obama wants “to reach a level of research and development we haven’t seen since the height of the Space... More
Blogging from Biology Class
Staten Island high school students team up with Nature Education
By Cristine Russell Jan 27, 2011 at 04:39 PM
If you’re worried about the future of science journalism, take solace in two fourteen-year-old students named Sam and Naseem who... More
In Deep Water
Reporters explore socio-economic complexity underlying floods in Brazil, Australia
By Sanhita Reddy Jan 26, 2011 at 12:33 PM
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — No one is singing in the rain. The mudslides here and the floods in Australia... More
Add It Up
Bad math mars coverage of penguin banding, climate change
By Curtis Brainard Jan 24, 2011 at 06:03 PM
In the last two weeks, reporters have repeated false numbers provided by a study and a report (and by their... More
The Hottest Thing in Science Blogging
ScienceOnline2011 conference puts convergence of old and new media on display
By Cristine Russell Jan 18, 2011 at 05:22 PM
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, North Carolina — The hot ticket for science bloggers and online writers this year was a once-obscure... More
Giffords’ Medical Care
Healthy dose of science coverage adds context
By Curtis Brainard Jan 12, 2011 at 08:30 AM
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords remained in critical condition on Tuesday afternoon after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head on Saturday,... More
Climate Conundrums
Slack coverage, quality issues stir debate
By Curtis Brainard Jan 10, 2011 at 01:16 PM
2010 was “the year climate coverage ‘fell off the map,’” The Daily Climate, a website that tracks related news and... More
Tele-what?
Reporters must embrace the future with coverage of remote health monitoring
By Neil Versel Jan 6, 2011 at 01:20 PM
As a journalist who for the last decade has covered the use of information technology in health care, I’m rather... More
Bye, Bye Blackbirds
Bizarre reports of dead birds and fish enliven a slow news week
By Cristine Russell Jan 5, 2011 at 04:01 PM
With remakes of classic films all the rage, it may be time for Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller The Birds to be... More
Best of 2010: The Observatory
Curtis Brainard picks the top stories from 2010
By Curtis Brainard Dec 29, 2010 at 01:11 PM
1. “New” Media Crucial in Aftermath of Haitian Earthquake With standard telephone, radio, and television communications disabled, “new” media platforms... More
Climate Change 101
Trio of articles re-cover some global warming basics
By Curtis Brainard Dec 23, 2010 at 04:45 PM
A little more than a year ago, there was a feeling among many editors and reporters that the climate-change story... More
The U.N. Climate Caravan
Author of report criticizing coverage of Copenhagen summit reflects on Cancun meeting
By Richelle Seton-Rogers Dec 21, 2010 at 01:14 PM
CANCĂN, MEXICO—There is no doubt that the United Nations climate-change negotiations here, which concluded just over a week ago, were... 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)
Ben Mathis-Lilley’s defense of new media
Take off the nostalgia-tinted lenses
21 questions with David Remnick
What grammar mistake do you find most annoying?
Are you sure that question is grammatical?
After 20 years, the world has finally caught up with Daft Punk, so the helmet-clad retro-futurists are embarking on a new mission: to make music breathe again
What is the single most illuminating interview question to ask someone?
The NYT’s Jodi Kantor answers
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.
