Month: September 2013
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New at CJR: Don’t blame Obama’s problems on Syria
My new CJR column points out how journalists are overestimating the effects of Syria on the Obama administration. Here’s how it begins: The media love simple narratives based on dramatic events, so it’s no surprise that many journalists have suggested that President Obama’s fortunes hinge on Syria. In pursuing this line of reasoning, reporters have
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New at CJR: The costs of scandal/conspiracy coverage
My new piece for CJR summarizes new research on how media coverage of conspiracy theories and scandal can reduce trust in government and promote misperceptions. Here’s how it begins: We often speculate about how media coverage could make people cynical about politics and government. But new political science research suggests just how significant those effects
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New at CJR: The failures of campaign coverage
I wrote a column for CJR yesterday on the limits of traditional approaches to campaign reporting. Here’s the lede: CNN’s Peter Hamby has written a must-read retrospective on coverage of the 2012 Romney campaign. His report, “Did Twitter Kill the Boys on the Bus? Searching for a better way to cover a campaign”, which weighs