Behind the News
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January 17, 2012 04:28 PM
Stories I’d Like to See
Campaign questions, the world’s worst government agency, and medical lobbies
In his weekly "Stories I'd Like to See" column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion, have received insufficient media attention. This article was originally published on Reuters.com.
1. Mitt’s tax bracket:
Note to television producers or editors about to do interviews with Mitt Romney on the campaign trail: The tax rate for the...
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January 12, 2012 01:04 PM
Two Years Later, Haitian Earthquake Death Toll in Dispute
Journalists can do a better job reporting controversial numbers in disaster zones
Fifteen miles north of the National Palace in Port au Prince, along Haiti’s azure coastline, is a place called Titanyen. From Kreyol, this name translates to something like “less than nothing.” Titanyen feels practically barren, mostly dusty hills with some farmers herding animals. On one of these hills looms a large cross with strips of black cloth tied to it....
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January 2, 2012 05:48 PM
Best of 2011: Trudy Lieberman
CJR's health and entitlements reporter picks her top stories from the past year
Peter G. Peterson Goes to School: Organizations funded by Peter G. Peterson, a former Wall Street investment banker and long-time foe of Social Security, have had a powerful influence in shaping this year’s debate over Social Security. The media have liberally quoted representatives of these Peterson-funded groups. The website Remapping Debate took a deep look at one Peterson-funded activity—the...
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January 2, 2012 06:00 AM
Best of 2011: Lauren Kirchner
From AOL to HuffPo, Kirchner picks her top CJR stories from the past year
Salon and Slate in the Way-Back Machine: When The Daily launched early this year—to great hype and then to great derision, as it turned out—we at CJR thought about previous trail-blazing publications that launched on formats that probably seemed new and risky at the time. I spoke with the founders of Salon and Slate, two of the first...
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December 31, 2011 09:53 PM
Movement Man
Meet Chris Faraone, Occupy reporter for the Boston Phoenix
The week before Occupy Boston changed Chris Faraone's life, grassroots revolution was already on his mind. Faraone, who covers rap music and social injustice for the Boston Phoenix, had filed a 2000-word story about a progressive group called MassUniting, which had organized a series of flamboyant protests against Bank of America; Faraone called the group's efforts "a multilateral...
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December 30, 2011 02:41 PM
What a Year!
A foreign editor looks back in wonder at 2011
On a weekend last January I sent Alex Marquardt, our newly minted Mideast correspondent, to cover a protest in Egypt. Tunisia’s long-time dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, had fallen in stunningly fast fashion a week before, and together Alex and I had wondered whether something similar was stirring in the Egyptian capital.
I really didn’t think so—certainly we didn’t...
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December 29, 2011 08:10 PM
This News Story Is Brought to You By…
Shouldn’t TV news outlets be clearer about offering pay-for-play?
One of the most disturbing trends in local TV news is the persistence of “pay for play”—when local TV newscasts allow sponsors to dictate content.
The Federal Communications Commission has proposed a rule that would make it easier for the public to see which stations are engaging in these and other deceptive or ethically dubious practices. The National Association of...
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December 29, 2011 06:00 AM
Best of 2011: Erika Fry
From Romenesko to rich men, Fry picks her top CJR stories from the past year
Escape from Thailand This was my personal account of fleeing Thailand in 2010—yes, that tropical paradise known as the Land of Smiles—after being jailed and charged with defamation for writing about a Thai government official who plagiarized a dissertation on organic asparagus. Crazy, but true.
The Romenesko Saga: I sure stirred up a media shitstorm! And got around...
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December 28, 2011 06:00 AM
Best of 2011: Joel Meares
From Jerry Brown to James O’Keefe, Meares picks his top CJR stories from the past year
The Cancer Report: I’ve written a fair bit about people who blog through their grief and sickness (not for CJR) and am always intrigued by both their strength and their motivations—to vent their anger, fear, and frustrations, yes, but more than that, to help others by providing a relatable voice or a flow of useful information on how...
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December 27, 2011 01:33 PM
Best of 2011: Dean Starkman
The Audit's head honcho picks his top CJR stories from the past year
Confidence Game: The limited vision of the news gurus: The landmark 8,000-word essay that upended the future-of-news debate.
The Hole in FON Theory: In an exchange on "Confidence Game" with future-of-news thinker Clay Shirky, I argue that FON theory, while meritorious on many levels, has no answers for journalism's main mission.
Bad Parent: Written in the...
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December 23, 2011 02:07 PM
Letters Man
Why the letters-to-the-editor section shouldn’t become a forum for flacks
In May 2011, the alt-weekly New Haven Advocate, which I edit, ran a story about the rising cost of rent in Connecticut and the challenges facing workers earning the minimum wage. Soon thereafter, we received a letter to the editor from a man named Michael Saltsman, who presented himself as a scholarly researcher at something called the Employment Policies Institute....
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December 23, 2011 12:38 PM
Best of 2011: Alysia Santo
Santo picks her top CJR stories from the past year
Occupy Wall Street’s Media Team: I spent the day walking and talking with the bloggers, livestreamers, and tweeters in the early days of Occupy Wall Street. From the donated pizzas pouring into the park, to the internal communication systems (“mic check!”), Zuccotti Park was a collaboration of many, and fueled a conversation that spread around the world. I’m going...
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December 22, 2011 02:42 PM
Protecting Journalists in Worldwide Danger Zones
When international protocols fall short
This month marks the five-year anniversary of the United Nations’ adoption of Security Council Resolution 1738, which obliges nations to safeguard journalists operating in conflict zones. The international community hailed the passage as a landmark for protecting our colleagues and defending free speech. Yet journalists around the world continue to work under threat, and in many countries, impunity reigns.
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December 21, 2011 11:00 AM
The Hole In FON Theory
Continuing the discussion about the future of news with Clay Shirky
I thank Clay Shirky and other posters for their responses to “Confidence Game: the limited vision of the news gurus.” Since Clay and I are going to differ on a few things, I’ll start with a sentiment worthy of a faculty club cocktail hour, namely, that I’m pleased with how the debate has unfolded.I...
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Desks
The Audit Business
- Audit Notes: Bloomberg’s BW Investment, Jobs For Robots, NCAA Injustice
- Paywalls: Maybe Not So Complicated After All Thinking over Clay Shirky’s piece on the success of the NYT model
The Observatory Science
- Critical Juncture for HuffPo Science With new section, David Freeman has an opportunity to raise the bar
- Media Made Hawking Famous Amid 70th birthday adoration, reporters ignored their role in the physicist’s celebrity
Campaign Desk Politics & Policy
- The Out-of-Context Quote as Gaffe A closer look at coverage of “I like being able to fire people who provide services to me’”
- Legal Immigrants Win in Massachusetts But the political press misses the story