The Observatory
BP’s aggressive PR strategy obfuscates facts
The company’s flack blurs lines between journalism and company mission
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Oct 29, 2014 at 01:05 PM
.@MorrellGeoff's piece in @Politico is no different than any other op-ed by any other company in any other publication— State... More
Why media probably shouldn’t name Ebola victims
Ebola’s made its American sufferers famous—but what do we gain with personal details?
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Oct 21, 2014 at 06:50 AM
By the time the video of Nina Pham was released last week, most Americans were likely familiar with her name--and... More
Here’s how to produce strong Ebola stories
The most effective coverage of the first American case has stemmed from the steady hands of experienced—and highly credible—federal medical leaders as well as health and science specialty beat reporters
By Cristine Russell Oct 6, 2014 at 05:00 PM
The first American case of Ebola, diagnosed last week in Dallas, TX, was a real-time test for government officials seeking... More
Has climate change become a business story?
The cost of brushing science aside
By Robert S. Eshelman Sep 2, 2014 at 12:00 AM
One of the more robust periods of study in the modern history of climate change has taken place this... More
The media’s growing interest in how animals think
The more divorced we become from animals in our daily lives, the more we want to look at them online
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Aug 19, 2014 at 06:50 AM
Tip the elephant arrived in New York to accolades and fanfare--until things went wrong. A few years into his stay... More
A long-time science reporter wrote a questionable book on genetics. Can we trust his other work?
The case of Nicholas Wade and reporting on a lively field with a dishonorable past
By Chris Ip Jul 17, 2014 at 06:53 AM
In the 10 weeks since veteran science journalist Nicholas Wade penned a book claiming that genetic difference between the races... More
The newest tool in teaching about climate change: the weatherman
A South Carolina pilot project expands
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Jul 2, 2014 at 11:00 AM
In March of 2013, CJR awarded a laurel to a meteorologist in the midst of a promising project: Jim Gandy,... More
As Congress scolded him, Dr. Oz launched a magazine
The Good Life is less inflammatory than the doctor’s television show, but the line between ad and editorial is murky
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Jun 26, 2014 at 03:00 PM
Journalists have delighted in tearing into Dr. Mehmet Oz this week, after a Senate hearing shamed the daytime television personality... More
Narrating climate change
Incremental journalism isn’t driving home the dire state of the climate to the public, so researchers and outlets are trying to reach them through a shift in storytelling
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Jun 19, 2014 at 03:00 PM
In late April, the Yale Forum on Climate and the Media, an independent group publishing reported stories, analysis, and opinion... More
Women science writers conference about changing the ratio
A summit last weekend presented actions to address systemic gender inequities in science journalism
By Cristine Russell Jun 18, 2014 at 11:00 AM
Image credit: Perrin Ireland CAMBRIDGE, MA—Science writers take a “show me the numbers” approach when tackling a tough topic.... More
The EPA goes on background, and journalists revolt
For some reporters, having the call ‘on background’ rather than ‘on the record’ meant that the material was essentially unusable
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Jun 12, 2014 at 11:18 AM
When the Environmental Protection Agency released the Clean Power Plant Proposal last week, which some are suggesting may signify a... More
New York launches social science vertical
“Like a Jehovah’s witness, if you show up at their door and say, ‘Can I interest you in some behavioral economics,’ they’ll say no”
By Alexis Sobel Fitts May 15, 2014 at 10:48 AM
When news broke this January that New York magazine was expanding its trademark brand of psychology-backed cultural analysis--played out in... More
Climate scientist’s privacy victory may prove a loss for journalists
Court ruling limits access to public information in Virginia
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Apr 23, 2014 at 03:00 PM
After deliberating for months, late last week the Virginia Supreme Court ruled in favor of climate scientist Michael Mann in... More
Walking the public opinion tightrope
Early reception of a celebrity-packed Showtime documentary demonstrates the difficulty of engaging audiences on climate change
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Apr 17, 2014 at 03:00 PM
The first episode of Years of Living Dangerously, Showtime's mammoth documentary series on climate change that premiered Sunday night, is... More
OnEarth eliminates print
The science mag’s editors say sticking to digital will allow them to devote more resources to environmental journalism
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Apr 11, 2014 at 11:31 AM
Back in February we praised OnEarth, the editorial arm of the Natural Resources Defense Council, for using its website to... More
The ethics of The Guardian’s Whisper bombshell - It would have been a journalistic lapse not to have told readers
Gawker: The internet bully - Nick Denton’s media empire is an intellectual online fraternity that invites people to their parties only to make them buy the booze
The Washington Post short-sells a reporter’s integrity - Steven Pearlstein smears TheStreet’s Adam Feuerstein for criticizing a biotech firm
Former Sun-Times staffers react to top reporter’s resignation - “Whereas we don’t have all the answers, we have way too many questions about what happened here”
Stop trolling your readers - We know you’re only doing it for clicks
Email blasts from CJR writers and editors
Which news org is the most trusted? (Pew)
The answer is complicated
An American journalist on his two-year kidnapping in Syria
FBI faked an AP story, in Seattle Times style, to catch a suspect (Seattle Times)
“‘We are outraged that the FBI, with the apparent assistance of the US Attorney’s Office, misappropriated the name of The Seattle Times to secretly install spyware on the computer of a crime suspect,’ said Seattle Times Editor Kathy Best”
How one reporter copes inside the ‘Ebola bubble’ (BuzzFeed)
“Bring gloves to give nurses you meet at clinics, even if you’re there for a story. Get small change to give to the kids who have been out of school for months and are selling ground nuts for pitiful sums on the side of road. Hell, give them candy. Violate all the principles of ostensibly good aid stewardship, because the good stewardship of the developed world didn’t get help here in time, and now everyone is dying around you.”
Greg Marx discusses democracy and news with Tom Rosenstiel of the American Press Institute
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
ACEsTooHigh.com – Reporting on the science, education, and policy surrounding childhood trauma
Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.
