tag:www.cjr.org,2011-09-12://4 2012-02-08T19:41:31Z Columbia Journalism Review: Strong Press, Strong Democracy Movable Type Pro 4.34-en tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29789 2012-02-08T19:37:43Z 2012-02-08T19:41:31Z

A little more homework needed on Social Security, please

Trudy Lieberman A recent CBS MoneyWatch piece titled “Social Insecurity” was one of those breezy, glib stories that seemed to telegraph important stuff, especially to the younger set, but actually typified the kind of shallow, incomplete coverage of Social Security we’ve seen in the last two years. That kind of reportage does a disservice to audiences and leaves them with misleading information. tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29783 2012-02-08T03:46:23Z 2012-02-08T04:31:14Z

Campaign presented as theater in the Denver Post

Mary Winter COLORADO — It’s caucus day here in Colorado, and recent campaign coverage from the state’s largest paper has been disappointingly content-free. And it’s not for lack of potential content. The Republican Party is chomping at the bit to reclaim this once-reliably red state in November after President Obama’s nine-point victory here in 2008. GOP presidential-nominee hopefuls Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29777 2012-02-07T15:28:42Z 2012-02-07T15:30:15Z

Confusion, “clueless media policies,” day-late results

Jay Jones NEVADA — Political reporters here—after clearing some hurdles placed in their paths—have seized on two essential elements following Mitt Romney’s sizable win in Saturday’s GOP caucuses in the Silver State. First, a strong, cohesive organization is vital for victory. Second, Nevada’s Republican leadership is neither strong nor organized. And, as at least one journalist observed, that could presage poorly for tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29770 2012-02-06T16:57:17Z 2012-02-06T20:32:02Z

But was it the full story?

Trudy Lieberman A few days ago USA Today trumpeted some health policy news: enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans is up and premiums are down. The paper reported that premiums for the controversial Medicare Advantage plans, which provide private benefits for Medicare seniors through managed care arrangements, had dropped an average of seven percent during 2011, while enrollment had grown on average by tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29768 2012-02-06T11:00:00Z 2012-02-05T17:43:17Z

Follow the money. Check the facts. And grow a pair.

T.C. Brown OHIO — As the GOP presidential primary extravaganza continues to roll along, disenchantment has infected some observers—a.k.a., the voters. With the Ohio press ramping up campaign coverage in anticipation of the state’s March 6 primary, I thought it would be interesting to ask some people here what the state’s journalists are doing right, and how they might improve coverage. So tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29764 2012-02-03T17:50:54Z 2012-02-03T17:57:33Z

In advance of Nevada caucus, tough questions for the candidates

Jay Jones NEVADA — It’s always refreshing to see a journalist who’s not afraid to ask the tough questions—especially the tough follow-up questions. And when that journalist is appearing on television, instead of in print, it’s even more of a treat. Nevadans who’ve watched Jon Ralston’s “Face to Face” TV program for years know of his rapid-fire delivery and his take-no-prisoners style. tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29756 2012-02-02T17:52:42Z 2012-02-02T17:52:25Z

Protecting Social Security and Medicare

Trudy Lieberman It’s hard to say if Mitt Romney’s declaration the other night in Florida that Republicans “will never go after Medicare or Social Security, we will protect those programs” helped him win big in the state’s primary. But it signaled that the skirmish over those programs is over, and the battle is on. Trying to calm the fears of Floridians about tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29755 2012-02-02T17:29:26Z 2012-02-02T21:09:42Z

Journalists are suddenly eager to admit the media is biased in favor of an extended campaign. Will they do anything about it?

Erika Fry http://www.cjr.org In a column earlier this week, The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank penned a public love letter—to Newt Gingrich. Taking on the mantle of spurned lover for the entire political press corps, Milbank pleaded with the candidate who loves to pose as the media’s victim: I speak for many colleagues when I say that we in the news media are great tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29751 2012-02-01T22:07:29Z 2012-02-02T16:26:49Z

What makes for a gaffe, what Medicaid really does, and what lame questions!

Greg Marx Admin4B! Herewith, a trio of thoughts on the political-media story that won the day on February 1: Mitt Romney’s statement on CNN this morning that he’s focused on the middle class but “not concerned about the very poor,” because they have access to a “very ample safety net.” Thought #1: We need a better typology of "gaffes". One of the media tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29750 2012-02-01T19:57:56Z 2012-02-01T19:46:18Z

Because you know you need to get up to speed

Liz Cox Barrett http://www.cjr.org Maybe you know someone—a friend—who keeps hearing about Super PACs, knows he should know more about what they are, where they come from, and what they’re doing, but hasn’t quite kept up? You’re in luck, my friend, your friend: There’s been some solid reporting on the topic of late—from news outlets and other resources—much of it prompted by yesterday’s FEC tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29743 2012-01-31T17:19:09Z 2012-01-31T17:20:41Z

Reporters must tell readers about polls’ shortcomings

Brian E. Crowley http://www.cjr.org FLORIDA—Late Saturday night, the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald released the results of a new Mason-Dixon survey of Florida Republicans. One didn’t need to see the poll numbers to know the newspapers believed the results were dramatic. Times political editor Adam Smith wrote: Mitt Romney needed Florida to resuscitate his campaign after a South Carolina routing, and on tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29741 2012-01-31T16:15:18Z 2012-01-31T16:16:00Z

For a disturbing tale of sickness and medical expense

Trudy Lieberman Lindy Washburn’s piece in the Bergen Record about medical debt and how it can cripple even those people with health insurance offers a troubling preview of the future. The story should be required reading for health reporters and anyone else interested in the likely health care casualties even after the health reform law takes full effect in 2014. Washburn, who tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29740 2012-01-31T14:34:12Z 2012-01-31T15:13:04Z

…But doesn’t help readers evaluate candidates’ answers

Jay Jones NEVADA — “Is it safe?” It’s the short question a former Nazi dentist asks of a grad student (Dustin Hoffman) in the 1976 movie, Marathon Man, before ramming a metal pick into an exposed nerve in Hoffman’s mouth. For years now, Yucca Mountain—the federal government’s choice for a nuclear waste depository—has been the collective raw nerve of Nevadans who repeatedly tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29732 2012-01-30T17:22:57Z 2012-01-30T22:23:10Z

The fight begins in Florida

Trudy Lieberman In the last few days, three mainstream news outlets elevated “Medicare: The Political Story” into the headlines. It was good to see that The New York Times, PBS’s Need To Know, and Reuters, all of which reach large audiences, have realized Medicare may be the most important health story of the campaign. (Yes, perhaps more important than the Supreme Court’s tag:www.cjr.org,2012://4.29729 2012-01-27T22:30:34Z 2012-02-02T22:01:52Z

Campaign coverage takes on a green hue

Curtis Brainard In the last week, President Obama has rejected the Keystone XL pipeline, focused his first campaign ad on clean energy, visited the Environmental Protection Agency for the first time, devoted seven minutes to energy in his State of the Union speech, and touted fossil fuels and renewables out west. It was an environmentally charged stretch for a president setting out