The Kicker
Must-reads of the week
Ebola worst case scenarios, PBS and Harper’s quarrel, and feminist writers at Playboy
By The Editors Oct 10, 2014 at 02:45 PM
Culled from CJR’s own stories, plus the frequently updated “Must-reads from around the Web,” our staff recommendations for the best... More
United States Project
Why this news nonprofit is crowdfunding a police shootings database
New Mexico Compass hopes to build a comprehensive resource for a big issue in Albuquerque
By Jonathan Peters Oct 10, 2014 at 11:00 AM
The New Mexico Compass is creating a searchable, interactive database of public records related to fatal police shootings in Albuquerque—and it’s asking... More
The Kicker
Life as a ghostwriter
Hanging out with famous athletes isn’t always fun and games
By Gerald Eskenazi Oct 10, 2014 at 06:50 AM
Willie Mays' agent was on the phone. I was ghostwriting Willie's autobiography, even though we had never met. "Willie likes... More
Behind the News
We still don’t know how to stop misinformation online
But new tools like Emergent could help find the answer
By Alexis Sobel Fitts Oct 9, 2014 at 02:50 PM
From the beginning the story seemed suspect, but that didn't stop the New York Post's report last month of a... More
Behind the News
How polling stories show only part of the picture
When covering their own polls, media outlets often favor good headlines over hard data
By David Uberti Oct 9, 2014 at 10:46 AM
Scott Clement didn’t believe it. In the midst of the government shutdown last year, the Washington Post polling analyst learned... More
United States Project
A TV reporter gets results tackling stories not always made for TV
WTSP’s Noah Pransky sticks with the story
By Susannah Nesmith Oct 9, 2014 at 06:50 AM
MIAMI, FL -- "Being a creep isn't illegal." That's one of investigative reporter Noah Pransky's takeaways from his recent work... More
#Realtalk
Should all journalists be on Twitter?
Reasons to take up or forgo the 140-character platform
By Ann Friedman Oct 9, 2014 at 06:50 AM
Last month a piece in BuzzFeed mocked New York Times' staffers resistance to using Twitter. "[T]he company," Charlie Warzel wrote,... More
The Audit
Simon & Schuster keeps its fabulist on bookshelves
C. David Heymann’s impact on the historical record
By Ryan Chittum Oct 8, 2014 at 03:00 PM
C. David Heymann got his books published by a string of respected publishers, which was quite a feat given his... More
Behind the News
Will feminist writers save Playboy?
As Playboy’s safe-for-work site has passed the one-month mark, a look at the online media’s bedazzled reactions, and how the new image suits the old brand
By Lene Bech Sillesen Oct 8, 2014 at 11:00 AM
Many online readers probably think of Jezebel.com and Playboy.com as opposites. But Sara Benincasa, an LA-based comedian and freelance writer,... More
The Second Opinion
Can I keep my doctor with Obamacare? There’s a database for that, thanks to the LA Times
CA’s health exchange doesn’t have a doctor directory for its narrowing networks. The LA Times used public records requests to create one
By Trudy Lieberman Oct 8, 2014 at 06:50 AM
If I had to pick one story that has the potential to dominate news coverage of the second-year enrollment in... More
United States Project
Colorado Senate debates offer new chance to explain what’s at stake
Personhood is important, but it’s time to be clear about the bigger picture
By Corey Hutchins Oct 7, 2014 at 03:23 PM
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Last month, just before a much-anticipated debate with his Republican challenger, Cory Gardner, US Sen. Mark... More
Language Corner
Beware journo-speak
Only journalists would call a tragedy a “mishap”
By Merrill Perlman Oct 7, 2014 at 02:50 PM
The public editor for The New York Times, Margaret Sullivan, wrote a wonderful piece last month about how word selection... More
Behind the News
Don’t treat worst-case scenarios as facts
How to avoid overhyping Ebola projections
By Damaris Colhoun Oct 7, 2014 at 11:08 AM
On September 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a statistical forecast of how far the Ebola virus... More
Behind the News
Reporters struggle to stay safe covering Ebola
“There is no protocol; people are grasping for information”
By Judith Matloff Oct 7, 2014 at 06:50 AM
Glenna Gordon has worked in West Africa for five years. Visiting Nigerian slums, she knows which streets to avoid. She... More
The Observatory
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
The Second Opinion
How one Massachusetts reporter provides a clear view on the healthcare market
WBUR’s Martha Bebinger focuses on the consumer angle
By Trudy Lieberman Oct 6, 2014 at 11:05 AM
As goes Massachusetts, so goes the nation—at least when it comes to healthcare. In the midst of the debate on... More
Behind the News
PBS pulls ads from Harper’s Magazine after critical essay
Piece argues public broadcaster has fallen under the sway of political influence and outside money
By David Uberti Oct 6, 2014 at 06:55 AM
After a sales representative at Harper’s Magazine received a phone call on September 18 from a disgruntled advertiser, the subject... More
The Kicker
Must-reads of the week
The upside of newsroom cuts at The New York Times, the thin line between business and editorial operations at Vice, and a new study questioning whether the internet is really killing newspapers
By The Editors Oct 3, 2014 at 02:55 PM
Culled from CJR's own stories, plus the frequently updated "Must-reads from around the Web," our staff recommendations for the best... More
The Audit
Scary numbers in Moody’s public pension report, sans context
Media coverage of ‘$2 trillion’ gap is incomplete at best
By Ryan Chittum Oct 3, 2014 at 11:45 AM
A Moody's report last week warning that top US public pensions are underfunded by $2 trillion got wide coverage in... More
United States Project
How a business reporter started covering the pot beat
With Florida voters likely to approve medical marijuana, Michael Pollick is reporting on what comes next
By Susannah Nesmith Oct 3, 2014 at 11:00 AM
Business reporter Michael Pollick covers Florida’s medical marijuana ballot initiative for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Courtesy Michael Pollick) MIAMI, FL... More
Behind the News
Explanatory news startup aims to build a new type of online community
Dutch website De Correspondent responds to negative comments sections with a new kind of quality engagement
By Lene Bech Sillesen Oct 3, 2014 at 06:50 AM
In April 2013, Nieman Lab covered the story of an amazingly successful crowdfunding campaign run by Dutch startup De Correspondent,... More
The Audit
The upside of yesterday’s New York Times news
Paywall 2.0 flop triggers layoffs, but digital ads and digital circulation surge
By Ryan Chittum Oct 2, 2014 at 10:31 AM
The New York Times is cutting 100 jobs from its newsroom, and you'd get the impression from the reaction that... More
United States Project
Colorado’s elections seem boring, but they shouldn’t
As candidates control the message, these campaigns deserve more enterprise coverage
By Corey Hutchins Oct 2, 2014 at 06:50 AM
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — If you've been paying attention at all to American politics and the 2014 midterms, you know... More
PBS pulls ads from Harper’s Magazine after critical essay - Piece argues public broadcaster has fallen under the sway of political influence and outside money
The upside of yesterday’s New York Times news - Paywall 2.0 flop triggers layoffs, but digital ads and digital circulation surge
Explanatory news startup aims to build a new type of online community - Dutch website De Correspondent responds to negative comments sections with a new kind of quality engagement
Why one editor won’t run any more op-eds by the Heritage Foundation’s top economist - A reply to Paul Krugman on state taxes and job growth made some incorrect claims
Shakespeare didn’t say that - Lines that are (mis)attributed to the Bard
Email blasts from CJR writers and editors
Newspapers prefer lesbians (Bloomberg)
In five states that just got gay marriage, the vast majority of local papers covered it with photos of women getting hitched
Adverbs flourish in legal writing (WSJ)
“The grammatical equivalent of cheap cologne or trans fat, the adverb is supposed to be used sparingly, if at all, to modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs”
Apparently The New York Times invented the listicle (The Morning News)
“There are precious few facts about the ballet of the 1912 article ‘Some Facts About the Ballet,’ for example, but there are lots about John Tiller’s famous “Tiller Girls,” who were on a tour of American cities at the time”
Remembering parents lost to AIDS
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.
