The Breaking News Consumer's Handbook
This week's shooting at the DC Navy Yard was the latest in a long string of breaking news reporting to get many of the essential facts wrong. In fact, the rampant misreporting that follows shootings...
View ArticleBreaking News Consumer's Handbook: Tectonic Edition
The post-disaster media coverage of last month's earthquake in Nepal followed a trajectory we'd seen repeated after other earth-shaking events. We put together a template to help a discerning news...
View ArticleBreaking News Consumer's Handbook: Airline Edition
When a commercial plane goes down, media speculation ensues. With the help of The Atlantic's James Fallows, we give you some tips that can help you comb through the coverage.
View ArticleBreaking News Consumer's Handbook: Infectious Disease Edition
Panic over the Ebola virus in the U.S. has dominated headlines and cable news. So, we put together a template to help the discerning news consumer see through the media's over-the-top coverage. It's...
View ArticleBreaking News Consumer's Handbook: Bearing Witness Edition
As another disturbing video of police action goes viral, we provide a handbook for filming police encounters as a bystander. Brooke speaks with journalist Carlos Miller of Photography is Not A Crime,...
View ArticleBreaking News Consumer's Handbook: Data Breach Edition
On June 4th the federal government revealed that it had been hit with one of the largest data breaches in its history. A week later, amid great speculation, very little is known for certain. Bob speaks...
View ArticleTake the OTM Health News Consumer Quiz
On this week's show, we feature a segment on the rampant exaggerations, deceptions, and outright lies flourishing across the health media landscape. Take our quiz and find out how smart a health news...
View ArticleA Skeptic's Guide to Health News and Diet Fads
Brooke Gladstone takes a deep dive into media misdirection on health and diet news, and puts together two Breaking News Consumer's Handbooks to help you navigate the din. First, an object lesson on...
View ArticleBreaking News Consumer's Handbook: Stock Market Volatility Edition
When stock markets are volatile, the media careen from mass panic to euphoric relief to speaking in tongues. With the help of Fusion's Felix Salmon, we offer you another one of our Breaking News...
View ArticleBreaking News Consumer's Handbook: SCOTUS Edition
Understanding the Supreme Court is difficult for myriad reasons. So, with the expertise of seasoned SCOTUS reporters, we've put together a handy guide for the discerning news consumer to make sense of...
View ArticleThe Language of Terror
Amidst the emotion, fear, and confusion following an attack, a Breaking News Consumer's Handbook for the coverage of terrorism. Plus, a look at the semantics surrounding acts of war and terror and a...
View ArticleBreaking News Consumer's Handbook: Terrorism Edition
The last week has seen terrorist attacks in France, Lebanon, Nigeria, and Mali. And while every terrorist attack is unique in its horror, the coverage tends to follow predictable, not always admirable,...
View ArticleBreaking News Consumer's Handbook: Infectious Disease Edition
When diseases like Swine Flu and Ebola infect cable news, panic takes over. We put together a template to help the discerning news consumer see through the media's over-the-top coverage.Breaking News...
View ArticleBreaking News Consumer's Handbook: Election Polls Edition
Polls tracking the 2016 election have been making headlines since before candidates had even announced. But as the primaries get closer, some polls will be getting more and more accurate. How, then, to...
View ArticleBreaking News Consumer's Handbook: Migration Edition (Abroad)
Migration and refugees have been in the news a lot in the last two years; a deeper understanding of migration and refugees, unfortunately, has not. From misleading language to distorted facts to the...
View ArticleBreaking News Consumer's Handbook: Migration Edition (At Home)
At their respective conventions, the Democrats and Republicans presented wildly different narratives about immigrants and immigration in the United States. But the coverage this fall will almost...
View ArticleKids These Days
A University of Chicago welcome letter criticizing political correctness on college campuses reignited vigorous debate. An examination of the value of tools like trigger warnings and safe spaces. Plus,...
View ArticleBreaking News Consumer's Handbook: Election Polls Edition, Part 2
We've warned before against taking general election polls too seriously, too early. In fact, earlier this year we worked with our colleagues at the data news site FiveThirtyEight to produce Part 1 of...
View ArticleAfter The Facts
Critics have long viewed Hillary Clinton as untrustworthy and dishonest. This week, we revisit a crucial moment nearly 25 years ago that helped set that narrative in motion. Also, pundits say this...
View Article#5: Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: Poverty in America Edition
When reporting on poverty, the media fall into familiar traps and pundits make prescriptions that disregard the facts. So, in the fifth and final installment of our series, "Busted: America's Poverty...
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