It’s a shame that readers without access to multimedia like Wired’s podcast may continue to think that the NIF is going to create, in the words of Dr. Octopus, the power of the sun in the palm of their hands.
The Observatory
03:19 PM - June 4, 2009
Foolish Fusion
Explanatory science journalism is becoming rarer than a nuclear reaction
‘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)
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”
Public television’s attempts to placate David Koch
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.
On the nuclear weapons front, keep in mind that that research is classified--if you want to know exactly what questions scientists are trying to answer and what experiments they want to do, it's unlikely that anyone is going to tell a journalist.
#1 Posted by Jill, CJR on Thu 4 Jun 2009 at 04:06 PM
Bravo! Those stories were confusing. They went with the sci-fi hype and dodged the scientific explanation.
#2 Posted by Jeff, CJR on Thu 4 Jun 2009 at 07:51 PM
Classified research is not the problem. All they needed to say was this: the NIF will create fusion in a laboratory setting where it can be studied and measured carefully. The data can then be used to make more accurate models and simulations of fusion, so we can
1. Predict the performance of H-bombs without having to detonate them;
2. Learn more about how stars work;
3. Investigate possible fusion energy technologies for the future.
#3 Posted by D. B., CJR on Fri 5 Jun 2009 at 10:54 AM