The Observatory
Keystone XL Jobs Bewilder Media
Reporters still fumbling numbers in wake of pipeline’s rejection
By Curtis Brainard Jan 24, 2012 at 04:30 PM
God help the poor news consumers of America, especially the would-be voters. President Obama’s decision to reject the Keystone XL... More
Does Big Pharma Pay Your Doctor?
New federal database could be a boon for reporters … but it needs their input
By Curtis Brainard Jan 19, 2012 at 02:30 PM
How useful would a database cataloguing the money that doctors receive from medical drug and device makers—for speaking, research, meals,... More
Critical Juncture for HuffPo Science
With new section, David Freeman has an opportunity to raise the bar
By Curtis Brainard Jan 13, 2012 at 12:00 PM
The Huffington Post’s announcement last week that it had launched a new section intended to be a “one-stop shop for... More
Media Made Hawking Famous
Amid 70th birthday adoration, reporters ignored their role in the physicist’s celebrity
By Declan Fahy Jan 11, 2012 at 10:15 AM
The extensive coverage of Stephen Hawking’s seventieth birthday on January 8 focused on the physicist’s status as the world’s most... More
Down, But Not Out?
A closer look at the quantity of climate coverage in 2011
By Curtis Brainard Jan 10, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Just how scarce was climate-change coverage in 2011? It’s hard to get a fix on the details, but the broad... More
Climate Coverage Crashes
Downward spiral in English-language news media continued in 2011
By Curtis Brainard Jan 4, 2012 at 04:45 PM
Twelve months ago, The Daily Climate, a website that produces and tracks media stories about climate change, declared that 2010... More
Best of 2011: The Observatory
From extreme weather to the crisis in Japan, Curtis Brainard picks the top CJR stories from the past year
By Curtis Brainard Dec 30, 2011 at 06:00 AM
The Hottest Thing in Science Blogging: The hot ticket for science bloggers and online writers this year was ScienceOnline, a... More
Methane Mysteries
Coverage of permafrost melt creates confusion about level of worry
By Curtis Brainard Dec 21, 2011 at 02:00 PM
Methane—a potent greenhouse gas that could be released in vast quantities as climate change melts Arctic permafrost—has received quite a... More
Phone-Hacking Inquiry Eyes Science Journalism
Nature calls on scientists to “fight agenda-driving reporting”
By Curtis Brainard Dec 16, 2011 at 04:00 PM
The Leveson inquiry into the “culture, practice, and ethics” of the British press resulting from the News International phone-hacking scandal... More
Newsweek Fetishizes an “Epidemic”
Voyeuristic sex-addiction cover misses an important debate
By Curtis Brainard Dec 15, 2011 at 03:30 PM
A “sex addiction epidemic” is unfolding like a plague in the US, according a recent Newsweek cover story—but don’t reach... More
Calling Dr. Crowd
News outlets rely on the masses for public health stories
By Alysia Santo Dec 14, 2011 at 03:47 PM
When we feel ourselves coming down with something, we look it up. If you type the words “I think I’m... More
Inside COP17
Why UN climate summits like the one in Durban are challenging, but worth covering
By James Fahn Dec 14, 2011 at 02:45 PM
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA—It’s not easy to be a climate reporter. You have to understand the science of climate change, as... More
Frozen Planet’s Final Episode Will Air in US
Discovery Channel reverses course following wave of criticism, but what will viewers get?
By Curtis Brainard Dec 7, 2011 at 06:00 PM
Discovery Channel reversed course on Tuesday when it announced that it would air all seven parts of a BBC series... More
Besser to Oz: “You Were Right”
Consumer Reports confirms arsenic-in-apple-juice investigation
By Curtis Brainard Dec 6, 2011 at 11:00 AM
After accusing Dr. Mehmet Oz of “fear mongering” for reporting that some brands of apple juice contained high levels of... More
The Landman Cometh
Innovation Trail and other New York outlets help readers prepare for fracking prospectors
By Alysia Santo Dec 1, 2011 at 03:36 PM
Knock, knock. Who’s there? It’s the “landman,” offering quick cash to extract natural gas on your property using a technique... 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 completist guide to Star Trek
Matt Yglesias watched every Star Trek movie and every episode of every TV show in the franchise
The uncomfortable questions not raised by Benghazi
The press and Congress are asking the wrong questions
Rob Ford in ‘crack cocaine’ video scandal
A video that appears to show Toronto’s mayor smoking crack is being shopped around by a group of Somali men involved in the drug trade
Why the underwear-bomber leak infuriated the Obama administration
The threat of even grander leaks
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.
