The voice of journalismJanuary 15, 2021This week, as the headlines of major media outlets fixated on the threat to American democracy, the coronavirus pandemic continued to rage. Every day, the United States reported more than two-hundred-thousand confirmed new cases of COVID-19; according to data from Johns Hopkins University, , with more than four-thousand reported. Public health experts ; on Tuesday, and pledged to release all its available doses immediately, rather than hold back second doses for people who already had their first. The economic toll is intensifying, too: yesterday, ....…The voice of journalismJanuary 15, 2021This week, as the headlines of major media outlets fixated on the threat to American democracy, the coronavirus pandemic continued to rage. Every day, the United States reported more than two-hundred-thousand confirmed new cases of COVID-19; according to data from Johns Hopkins University, , with more than four-thousand reported. Public health experts ; on Tuesday, and pledged to release all its available doses immediately, rather than hold back second doses for people who already had their first. The economic toll is intensifying, too: yesterday, ....WW…

December 22, 2020Credit: Library of CongressA photograph of Julia Ann Jackson, taken as part of the Federal Writers’ Project’s ex-slave narratives. Credit: Library of Congress  Henry Alsberg, director of the Federal Writers’ Project, speaks to the House Un-American Activities Committee. Credit: Library of Congress Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJR’s newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter .TOP IMAGE: Credit: Library of Congress    …December 22, 2020Credit: Library of CongressA photograph of Julia Ann Jackson, taken as part of the Federal Writers’ Project’s ex-slave narratives. Credit: Library of Congress  Henry Alsberg, director of the Federal Writers’ Project, speaks to the House Un-American Activities Committee. Credit: Library of Congress Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJR’s newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter .TOP IMAGE: Credit: Library of Congress    WW…

The voice of journalismJanuary 7, 2021 Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Feven Merid is a CJR fellow.Last week, a British judge ruled that Julian Assange could not be extradited to the United States, finding that he would likely be subjected to conditions of confinement so harsh he’d be at grave risk of taking his own life....…The voice of journalismJanuary 7, 2021 Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Feven Merid is a CJR fellow.Last week, a British judge ruled that Julian Assange could not be extradited to the United States, finding that he would likely be subjected to conditions of confinement so harsh he’d be at grave risk of taking his own life....WW…

The voice of journalismJanuary 12, 2021  Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Kim Kelly is a freelance writer and organizer whose work on labor, politics, and culture has appeared in The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Baffler, The New York Times, and many others. She is the labor columnist for Teen Vogue, and currently resides in Philadelphia. Follow her on Twitter .TOP IMAGE: Jake Angeli, a QAnon believer who was part of the attack on the Capitol, was taken into custody Saturday. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)Last week, a British judge ruled that...…The voice of journalismJanuary 12, 2021  Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Kim Kelly is a freelance writer and organizer whose work on labor, politics, and culture has appeared in The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Baffler, The New York Times, and many others. She is the labor columnist for Teen Vogue, and currently resides in Philadelphia. Follow her on Twitter .TOP IMAGE: Jake Angeli, a QAnon believer who was part of the attack on the Capitol, was taken into custody Saturday. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)Last week, a British judge ruled that...WW…

The voice of journalismNovember 2, 2020On Friday,New from CJR: Other notable stories:ICYMI:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJR’s newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter .Oversize laminated press pass, rumpled shirttail, yarmulke askew. In Borough Park, Brooklyn—a Haredi, traditional Orthodox, Jewish enclave that exists a world apart from secular New York—Harold “Heshy” Tischler is a media sensation. The host of The Just Enough Heshy Show,...…The voice of journalismNovember 2, 2020On Friday,New from CJR: Other notable stories:ICYMI:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJR’s newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter .Oversize laminated press pass, rumpled shirttail, yarmulke askew. In Borough Park, Brooklyn—a Haredi, traditional Orthodox, Jewish enclave that exists a world apart from secular New York—Harold “Heshy” Tischler is a media sensation. The host of The Just Enough Heshy Show,...WW…

The New York Times landed this era’s biggest prize in investigative journalism when it obtained Donald Trump’s tax returns. No set of documents has been more eagerly sought after by reporters since the reality TV star announced his candidacy for president in 2015. The Times did it against great opposition. Trump first defied the political norm of releasing personal tax returns that dates back to Nixon, then employed a cadre of lawyers and the US Justice Department to avoid court orders to produce them for prosecutors and congressional committees. Not only was the Times the first to...…The New York Times landed this era’s biggest prize in investigative journalism when it obtained Donald Trump’s tax returns. No set of documents has been more eagerly sought after by reporters since the reality TV star announced his candidacy for president in 2015. The Times did it against great opposition. Trump first defied the political norm of releasing personal tax returns that dates back to Nixon, then employed a cadre of lawyers and the US Justice Department to avoid court orders to produce them for prosecutors and congressional committees. Not only was the Times the first to...WW…

The voice of journalismMarch 3, 2017The 2016 Presidential election shook the foundations of American politics. Media reports immediately looked for external disruption to explain the unanticipated victory—with theories ranging from Russian hacking to “fake news.”We have a less exotic, but perhaps more disconcerting explanation: Our own study of over 1.25 million stories published online between April 1, 2015 and Election Day shows that a right-wing media network anchored around Breitbart developed as a distinct and insulated media system, using social media as a backbone to transmit a...…The voice of journalismMarch 3, 2017The 2016 Presidential election shook the foundations of American politics. Media reports immediately looked for external disruption to explain the unanticipated victory—with theories ranging from Russian hacking to “fake news.”We have a less exotic, but perhaps more disconcerting explanation: Our own study of over 1.25 million stories published online between April 1, 2015 and Election Day shows that a right-wing media network anchored around Breitbart developed as a distinct and insulated media system, using social media as a backbone to transmit a...WW…

The voice of journalismOctober 31, 2018ICYMI: DON’T commit or condone violence against journalists. DON’T make it personal. DO know that feedback is essential to journalism. DO read/watch/listen to the full article before responding. DO be as specific as possible. DO remember that journalists are human beings acting in good faith. DO support us, if you appreciate our work.ICYMI: Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Philip Eil is a freelance journalist based in Providence, Rhode Island. He , with help from the Rhode Island ACLU and two pro-bono attorneys, Neal...…The voice of journalismOctober 31, 2018ICYMI: DON’T commit or condone violence against journalists. DON’T make it personal. DO know that feedback is essential to journalism. DO read/watch/listen to the full article before responding. DO be as specific as possible. DO remember that journalists are human beings acting in good faith. DO support us, if you appreciate our work.ICYMI: Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Philip Eil is a freelance journalist based in Providence, Rhode Island. He , with help from the Rhode Island ACLU and two pro-bono attorneys, Neal...WW…

The voice of journalismOctober 26, 2020Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Ariana Pekary is the CJR public editor for CNN. She was an award-winning public radio and MSNBC journalist for two decades. Now she focuses on the systemic flaws of commercial broadcast news. She can be contacted atTOP IMAGE: Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty ImagesOn September 8, I received a press release from the city of Ashland, Oregon, a small college town not far from the California border. It said a grass fire had started near the dog park, and advised those living in...…The voice of journalismOctober 26, 2020Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Ariana Pekary is the CJR public editor for CNN. She was an award-winning public radio and MSNBC journalist for two decades. Now she focuses on the systemic flaws of commercial broadcast news. She can be contacted atTOP IMAGE: Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty ImagesOn September 8, I received a press release from the city of Ashland, Oregon, a small college town not far from the California border. It said a grass fire had started near the dog park, and advised those living in...WW…

The voice of journalismOctober 20, 2020Trump’s incredible accumulation of power in the face of countless well-documented scandal stories is a proof of concept that will surely be used by smarter characters in the future.Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Hamilton Nolan is CJR's public editor for the Washington Post.TOP IMAGE: Adobe StockIn 2016, television networks claimed ignorance about how their imbalanced and overly simplistic coverage, which essentially treated Donald Trump as the star of a reality show, influenced the presidential election. At the...…The voice of journalismOctober 20, 2020Trump’s incredible accumulation of power in the face of countless well-documented scandal stories is a proof of concept that will surely be used by smarter characters in the future.Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Hamilton Nolan is CJR's public editor for the Washington Post.TOP IMAGE: Adobe StockIn 2016, television networks claimed ignorance about how their imbalanced and overly simplistic coverage, which essentially treated Donald Trump as the star of a reality show, influenced the presidential election. At the...WW…

The voice of journalismOctober 19, 2020New from CJR:Other notable stories: ICYMI:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJR’s newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter .Most sexual assault coverage in America is told from the attacker’s perspective. Survivors’ physical appearance is described in detail, and the actual assault is sexualized. But in E. Jean Carroll’s masterly series for The Atlantic, “I Moved on Her Very...…The voice of journalismOctober 19, 2020New from CJR:Other notable stories: ICYMI:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJR’s newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter .Most sexual assault coverage in America is told from the attacker’s perspective. Survivors’ physical appearance is described in detail, and the actual assault is sexualized. But in E. Jean Carroll’s masterly series for The Atlantic, “I Moved on Her Very...WW…

October 1, 2020illary Clinton was ready to bare her soul, ollywood took time hereas Fred Friendly owadays, everyone stars pathyICYMI:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Danny Funt is a senior editor at The Week and a former CJR Delacorte Fellow. Follow him on Twitter at    …October 1, 2020illary Clinton was ready to bare her soul, ollywood took time hereas Fred Friendly owadays, everyone stars pathyICYMI:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Danny Funt is a senior editor at The Week and a former CJR Delacorte Fellow. Follow him on Twitter at    WW…

The voice of journalismOctober 5, 2020Drop 432RELATED:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Alice Marwick and William Partin are the authors. Alice Marwick is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she researches the social, political, and cultural implications of popular social media technologies. She is the author of Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Attention in the Social Media Age, and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, and The...…The voice of journalismOctober 5, 2020Drop 432RELATED:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Alice Marwick and William Partin are the authors. Alice Marwick is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she researches the social, political, and cultural implications of popular social media technologies. She is the author of Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Attention in the Social Media Age, and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, and The...WW…

The voice of journalismOctober 5, 2020NEW:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Bill Grueskin is on the faculty at Columbia Journalism School. He has previously worked as founding editor of a newspaper on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, city editor of the Miami Herald, deputy managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, and an executive editor at Bloomberg News. He is a graduate of Stanford University (Classics) and Johns Hopkins’s School of Advanced International Studies (US Foreign Policy and International Economics).Last November, Trump made a...…The voice of journalismOctober 5, 2020NEW:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Bill Grueskin is on the faculty at Columbia Journalism School. He has previously worked as founding editor of a newspaper on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, city editor of the Miami Herald, deputy managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, and an executive editor at Bloomberg News. He is a graduate of Stanford University (Classics) and Johns Hopkins’s School of Advanced International Studies (US Foreign Policy and International Economics).Last November, Trump made a...WW…

The voice of journalismSeptember 29, 2020On Sunday, President Trump demanded that Joe Biden, his Democratic opponent, take a drug test ahead of (or just after) their first debate, which is tonight. “His Debate performances have been record setting UNEVEN, to put it mildly,” . “Only drugs could have caused this discrepancy???” Biden initially declined to respond, but his campaign subsequently did decide to clap back. “Vice President Biden intends to deliver his debate answers in words. If the president thinks his best case is made in urine he can have at it,” a spokesperson said. “We’d...…The voice of journalismSeptember 29, 2020On Sunday, President Trump demanded that Joe Biden, his Democratic opponent, take a drug test ahead of (or just after) their first debate, which is tonight. “His Debate performances have been record setting UNEVEN, to put it mildly,” . “Only drugs could have caused this discrepancy???” Biden initially declined to respond, but his campaign subsequently did decide to clap back. “Vice President Biden intends to deliver his debate answers in words. If the president thinks his best case is made in urine he can have at it,” a spokesperson said. “We’d...WW…

September 28, 2020 “People become numb to Black death in part because of cold coverage,” says Mia Santiago, an organizer with Community Freedom Coalition. ICYMI: I spoke with former interns of color—a half dozen, all eager to share what it was like to work in a “white as heck” newsroom RECENTLY:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Marion Renault is a science journalist and former newspaper reporter whose work has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Popular Science, and numerous other publications.    …September 28, 2020 “People become numb to Black death in part because of cold coverage,” says Mia Santiago, an organizer with Community Freedom Coalition. ICYMI: I spoke with former interns of color—a half dozen, all eager to share what it was like to work in a “white as heck” newsroom RECENTLY:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Marion Renault is a science journalist and former newspaper reporter whose work has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Popular Science, and numerous other publications.    WW…

The voice of journalismSeptember 10, 2020the link to political incitement was clear.Though there’s no sign of incitement as direct as in the Giffords attack Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified the location of the June 2017 shooting in Alexandria as taking place in Arlington. CJR regrets the error.Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Bill Grueskin is on the faculty at Columbia Journalism School. He has previously worked as founding editor of a newspaper on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, city editor of the Miami Herald, deputy...…The voice of journalismSeptember 10, 2020the link to political incitement was clear.Though there’s no sign of incitement as direct as in the Giffords attack Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified the location of the June 2017 shooting in Alexandria as taking place in Arlington. CJR regrets the error.Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Bill Grueskin is on the faculty at Columbia Journalism School. He has previously worked as founding editor of a newspaper on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, city editor of the Miami Herald, deputy...WW…

Not that long ago, the jumble of conspiracy theories and magical thinking known as QAnon was seen by many—if they knew of it at all—as a sideshow confined to the dark corners of the internet, alternative communities like 4chan and 8chan, where people with a screw loose muttered to each other about the deep state. Fast forward a few years and there are more than a dozen people running for Congress who have expressed some form of support for QAnon theories. The president and members of his family have retweeted Twitter accounts that are part of the QAnon ecosystem. How did we get here, and...…Not that long ago, the jumble of conspiracy theories and magical thinking known as QAnon was seen by many—if they knew of it at all—as a sideshow confined to the dark corners of the internet, alternative communities like 4chan and 8chan, where people with a screw loose muttered to each other about the deep state. Fast forward a few years and there are more than a dozen people running for Congress who have expressed some form of support for QAnon theories. The president and members of his family have retweeted Twitter accounts that are part of the QAnon ecosystem. How did we get here, and...WW…

The voice of journalismAugust 21, 2020Last August,RELATED: In the same way that the news media has given Gates an outsize voice in the pandemic, the foundation has long used its charitable giving to shape the public discourse on everything from global health to education to agriculture..ICYMI:Correction: An earlier version of this story referred to an investment the foundation had made in a company, CureVax. It is, in fact, CureVac. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Tim Schwab is a freelance journalist based in Washington, DC.The coronavirus pandemic...…The voice of journalismAugust 21, 2020Last August,RELATED: In the same way that the news media has given Gates an outsize voice in the pandemic, the foundation has long used its charitable giving to shape the public discourse on everything from global health to education to agriculture..ICYMI:Correction: An earlier version of this story referred to an investment the foundation had made in a company, CureVax. It is, in fact, CureVac. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Tim Schwab is a freelance journalist based in Washington, DC.The coronavirus pandemic...WW…

The voice of journalismSeptember 8, 2020THE MEDIA TODAY: win the fallout from Trump’s ‘losers’ comment?Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Musa al-Gharbi is a Paul F. Lazarsfeld Fellow in Sociology at Columbia University. His website is .The coronavirus pandemic touches every corner of the earth. In two hundred thirteen countries, more than eight hundred thousand people have died, and there have been nearly twenty-five million cases confirmed. Everywhere, the public health crisis has brought economic suffering;...…The voice of journalismSeptember 8, 2020THE MEDIA TODAY: win the fallout from Trump’s ‘losers’ comment?Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Musa al-Gharbi is a Paul F. Lazarsfeld Fellow in Sociology at Columbia University. His website is .The coronavirus pandemic touches every corner of the earth. In two hundred thirteen countries, more than eight hundred thousand people have died, and there have been nearly twenty-five million cases confirmed. Everywhere, the public health crisis has brought economic suffering;...WW…

The voice of journalismAugust 18, 2020President Trump told reporters he had “heard” rumors that Sen. Harris, a Black woman and U.S.-born citizen, does not meet the requirement to serve in the White House. The president said he considered the rumors “very serious.”Screenshot via Bill Grueskin/TwitterHow often, and under what circumstances, should journalists openly criticize their organizations or support colleagues who’ve been disciplined?THE MEDIA TODAY:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Bill Grueskin is on the faculty of Columbia Journalism School. He has...…The voice of journalismAugust 18, 2020President Trump told reporters he had “heard” rumors that Sen. Harris, a Black woman and U.S.-born citizen, does not meet the requirement to serve in the White House. The president said he considered the rumors “very serious.”Screenshot via Bill Grueskin/TwitterHow often, and under what circumstances, should journalists openly criticize their organizations or support colleagues who’ve been disciplined?THE MEDIA TODAY:Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Bill Grueskin is on the faculty of Columbia Journalism School. He has...WW…

The voice of journalismAugust 13, 2020It is August of 2020, in an alternate and more predictable reality. We are closing in on the second full year of presidential campaign coverage. The headlines of the Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN, and any magazines that remain in business are dominated by horse race coverage of political pettiness. “Trump Names Eighth Campaign Manager.” “Biden Confuses Snickers Bar for Cell Phone.” Pundits briefly acknowledge the latest plan to imprison or humiliate refugees before droning on at excruciating length about upcoming debates and strategic vice...…The voice of journalismAugust 13, 2020It is August of 2020, in an alternate and more predictable reality. We are closing in on the second full year of presidential campaign coverage. The headlines of the Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN, and any magazines that remain in business are dominated by horse race coverage of political pettiness. “Trump Names Eighth Campaign Manager.” “Biden Confuses Snickers Bar for Cell Phone.” Pundits briefly acknowledge the latest plan to imprison or humiliate refugees before droning on at excruciating length about upcoming debates and strategic vice...WW…

The voice of journalismAugust 12, 2020 Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Kyle Pope is the editor in chief and publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review.The run-up to the 2020 November elections in the US has produced new networks of shadowy, politically backed “local news websites” designed to promote partisan talking points and collect user data. In December 2019, the Tow Center for Digital Journalism...…The voice of journalismAugust 12, 2020 Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Kyle Pope is the editor in chief and publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review.The run-up to the 2020 November elections in the US has produced new networks of shadowy, politically backed “local news websites” designed to promote partisan talking points and collect user data. In December 2019, the Tow Center for Digital Journalism...WW…

The voice of journalismAugust 10, 2020 Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Maria Bustillos is the founding editor of Popula, an alternative news and culture magazine. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper’s, and The Guardian.Yesterday, shortly after Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate for president, picked Kamala Harris, the senator for California, as his running mate, Peter Doocy, a Fox News correspondent, tweeted, “But… you told me on Saturday…” That day, Doocy asked Biden—who was...…The voice of journalismAugust 10, 2020 Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Maria Bustillos is the founding editor of Popula, an alternative news and culture magazine. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper’s, and The Guardian.Yesterday, shortly after Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate for president, picked Kamala Harris, the senator for California, as his running mate, Peter Doocy, a Fox News correspondent, tweeted, “But… you told me on Saturday…” That day, Doocy asked Biden—who was...WW…

The voice of journalismAugust 7, 2020FROM THE ARCHIVES:  Months into this profound reckoning, news outlets still reflexively use ‘officer-involved shooting.’We don't have a style rule on officer-involved shooting yet but we are discussing it.— APStylebook (@APStylebook) RECENTLY:This story has been updated to clarify the publication date of Assar’s column.Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Mya Frazier is a business and investigative journalist based in Columbus, Ohio.This week, Jonathan Swan’s interview with Trump bucked the traditions of deference and White...…The voice of journalismAugust 7, 2020FROM THE ARCHIVES:  Months into this profound reckoning, news outlets still reflexively use ‘officer-involved shooting.’We don't have a style rule on officer-involved shooting yet but we are discussing it.— APStylebook (@APStylebook) RECENTLY:This story has been updated to clarify the publication date of Assar’s column.Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by .Mya Frazier is a business and investigative journalist based in Columbus, Ohio.This week, Jonathan Swan’s interview with Trump bucked the traditions of deference and White...WW…