The Observatory
‘I don’t bluff’
Michael Mann’s lawyer says National Review must retract and apologize
By Curtis Brainard Jul 25, 2012 at 02:45 PM
Penn State climate scientist Michael Mann is demanding that National Review retract and apologize for a July 15 post that... More
Quest for science debate continues
15 top science organizations press Obama, Romney for answers
By Curtis Brainard Jul 23, 2012 at 03:15 PM
The quest for a scientific tête-à-tête between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney continues. On Thursday, 15 top science and engineering... More
ABC News: armchair psychologist
The network offers irresponsible speculation about the Colorado shooter
By Curtis Brainard Jul 20, 2012 at 05:30 PM
Here we go again. A gunman fires on an unsuspecting crowd and the American media leap to conclusions about the... More
Flames, causes and context
As Western wildfires rage, reporters grapple with stories beyond acreage burned and homes destroyed
By Tom Yulsman Jul 18, 2012 at 11:00 AM
When faced with the explosive fury of multiple wildfires torching hundreds of homes like so many Roman candles, journalists can... More
The heatwave debate
How the science of probability affects science coverage
By Hazel Sheffield Jul 12, 2012 at 12:56 PM
We can all agree that the weather has been unseasonably warm this summer. But fewer people, including media types, agree... More
The Palm Beach Post exposes a hidden menace
Government cutbacks and the worst TB epidemic in 20 years
By Trudy Lieberman Jul 11, 2012 at 11:01 AM
Reporting on tuberculosis is not most reporters’ idea of a glamor assignment. It’s an ancient disease, drug companies aren’t keen... More
Like steam, ping-pong balls, and Omar Sharif
The media has an entertaining struggle trying to explain the Higgs boson
By The Editors Jul 6, 2012 at 06:50 AM
On Wednesday, scientists at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, which runs the world’s largest particle accelerator and collider... More
The expectations game
Blogs drive MSM speculation about Higgs announcement
By Curtis Brainard Jul 3, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Excited speculation about the discovery of one of physics’ most sought-after particles is coming in waves now, with media outlets... More
Press war Down Under
A mining mogul’s battle with an Australian media group shakes the industry
By Curtis Brainard Jun 29, 2012 at 04:50 PM
Fairfax Limited, one of Australia’s largest media conglomerates, is at war with its largest individual shareholder, the world’s richest woman.... More
Our polar backyard
Economist explores what a melting Arctic means to the world
By Curtis Brainard Jun 26, 2012 at 08:00 AM
The Arctic is not under-covered. Some might even say the opposite is true. The polar bear has been “the poster... More
Rio+20 side events become the main event
Does the summit deserve the scorn and indifference it has received from the media?
By James Fahn Jun 22, 2012 at 03:15 PM
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Tragedy and farce. Those are the two general impressions conveyed by much of the world’s... More
“Prophet of Katrina” stays put
Times-Picayune’s ace environment reporter sticks with Nola Media Group
By Curtis Brainard Jun 22, 2012 at 06:50 AM
The man The New York Times called “a prophet of Katrina’s wrath” for his prescient coverage of New Orleans’ vulnerability... More
How creativity works? Not like that.
Science writer Jonah Lehrer accused of self-plagiarism
By Curtis Brainard Jun 20, 2012 at 10:45 AM
The author of a recent book about how creativity works is finding out the hard way that the answer is... More
Rio+20 roundup
Coverage of the UN sustainable development summit revs up, or not
By Curtis Brainard Jun 18, 2012 at 05:45 PM
Big, international summits geared toward protecting the environment and promoting sustainability just don’t have the cachet that they used to.... More
Adrift in a sea of (no) coverage
For two years, little in the news about battle over National Ocean Policy
By Curtis Brainard Jun 15, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Last October, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar called on the press to pay more attention to the Obama administration’s... More
#Realtalk: This isn’t another ‘golden age’ for print - But it is one for media
Social media in smaller markets - How three social media managers deal with smaller markets and more local coverage.
A rally for laid-off Sun-Times photogs - A protest Thursday morning drew about 150 picketers to the newspaper’s headquarters
Reporting, or illegal hacking - Scripps reporters are accused of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
Exchange Watch: California Dreaming - Low healthcare premiums on the West Coast were trumpeted as a big, good-news Obamacare story. But: “Compared to what?”
The disappearance of ‘Sports of the Times’
We’re the Uber of organ transplants
“Millennials need organ transplants that fit easily into their always-connected lifestyles”
‘What part of “Politico” do you not understand?’
A conversation about the dark art of driving the conversation
Julian Assange’s asylum stalemate no nearer resolution one year on
The Ecuadorean embassy’s celebrity refugee is used to living in what Assange likens to a space station as he battles extradition
CJR’s panel discussion on coverage of gay marriage
On the eve of two related SCOTUS decisions, how should journalists be covering the issue?
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.
