All the major news organizations have gone eclipse crazy. The Atlantic launched a special project, Two Minutes of Darkness, for coverage of the total solar eclipse, writing about everything from offbeat ways to enjoy the eclipse to Annie Dillard’s classic essay about eclipses. BuzzFeed published this handy guide on everything you should know about today’s eclipse. And NPR has big plans for its coverage with a team of 22 videographers, kid reporters, and local newsrooms.
Here’s how else you can enjoy the eclipse. CNN is live streaming it from seven different locations and in virtual reality. Time is letting readers watch the eclipse 360 degrees. All the major networks, like NBC, ABC, and CBS, will televise special reports from 1 to 3pm ET. Plus, the PBS program “NOVA” will produce a prime time special about the eclipse (they’ve been prepping for the event for two years).
The last total solar eclipse visible in the US happened on February 26, 1979. ABC’s Frank Reynolds wrapped up coverage of it on a hopeful note: “May the shadow of the moon fall on a world at peace.” Thirty-eight years later, Reynolds’s words hit a bit too close to home given last weekend’s events in Charlottesville. The world (and this country) may not be at peace, but today’s total solar eclipse offers an escape, albeit a brief one, for both the media and its consumers. So, grab your special eclipse glasses, and take a break from your newsroom to enjoy the beauty of the universe. More on the eclipse below.
- Could the “Great American Eclipse” turn out to be a great American bummer? Rebecca Boyle explains why in The Atlantic.
- Are there benefits to looking directly at the sun? Sam Kriss answers that question for The Outline.
- Here’s how some newsrooms are planning to cover the big event.
- What to expect with today’s total solar eclipse.
Other notable stories
- The president goes primetime: Trump will lay out his strategy on Afghanistan at 9 pm tonight.
- A loose Bannon: The former White House strategist, Steve Bannon, is returning to Breitbart, and he’s not going down quietly.
- For The New York Times, Jim Rutenberg says Bannon’s got a long list of targets.
- Also in the Times: How the media captured Charlottesville and its aftermath (CJR’s editor and publisher Kyle Pope is quoted in the piece).
- Chris Christie won’t be on the radio anytime soon. According to NorthJersey.com, he’s pulled himself out of the running for a job as a sports radio host on WFAN.
- What’s the best way to fight bigotry? The Washington Post’s Margaret Sullivan explains why we shouldn’t muzzle free speech in her latest column.
- On CNN, Tanzina Vega and Nikole Hannah-Jones discuss how newsrooms are missing the mark on race coverage.
- The Los Angeles Times published the seventh part of its series, “Our Dishonest President,” this weekend: “This is no time for neutrality, equivocation or silence.”
- In Bloomberg, Mark Bergen writes about Google’s forthcoming subscription tool for publishers.
Meg Dalton is a freelance journalist and audio producer based in Connecticut. She's reported and edited for CJR, PBS NewsHour, Energy News Network, Architectural Digest, MediaShift, Hearst Connecticut newspapers, and more. Follow her on Twitter: @megdalts. Find her on Twitter @megdalts.
