http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs daily 1 2008-08-19T15:42:58Z http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/2012-0515-daily-mail-atrazine-gastroschisis-lacks-science The lack of scientific information in a Daily Mail article undermines the credibility of a possible link between a cluster of birth defects and the widely used herbicide atrazine. Readers will find it hard to understand the issue based on the incomplete coverage. No publisher gwebster 2012-05-15T22:55:20Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/2012-0514-research-new-flame-retardants-missing A story in the Windsor Star is one of the first to cover a new type of flame retardant that has contaminated the air of U.S. cities and remote areas of the world. The story, though, doesn't mention research that shows these chemicals already have accumulated in mammals and household dust. No publisher lalcala 2012-05-14T11:49:50Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/the-rise-of-chemophobia-in-the-news If we, as journalists, are going to demand meticulous standards for the study and oversight of chemical compounds then we should try to be meticulous ourselves in making the case. And I don’t see enough of that in Kristof’s chemical columns. We need to do a much better job as journalists in communicating risk. Deborah Blum, Knight Science Journalism Tracker. No publisher bisrael 2012-05-11T19:47:06Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/2012-0511-autism-stats-research-well-covered Newly released statistics show that one in 88 children has autism. An article in the San Antonio Current candidly explains the numbers without overstating conclusions and places them in context of current contributing factors. No publisher vguidry 2012-05-11T11:43:33Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/pants-on-fire-the-chicago-tribune-looks-at-flame-retardants The Chicago Tribune launched its four-part series on the science and pseudoscience of flame retardants on Sunday and it’s a superb example of investigative science journalism. Deborah Blum, Knight Science Journalism Tracker. No publisher phayes 2012-05-09T16:00:33Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/science-and-truth-we2019re-all-in-it-together Almost any article worth reading these days generates some version of long tail commentary online. Depending on whether they are moderated, these comments can range from blistering flameouts to smart factual corrections. So how should journalists and scientists handle this running commentary? Jack Hitt, New York Times. No publisher bisrael 2012-05-08T18:46:25Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/high-fructose-corn-syrup-and-autism-the-paper2019s-authors-respond In the wake of Grist.org's original report on a paper exploring a possible link between high-fructose corn syrup and autism, and the ensuing criticism, the authors of the paper asked for a chance to respond. Grist has now published the response by Renee Dufault and David Wallinga, M.D., and then a reply from science writer Emily Willingham, one of the critics of the report. Scott Rosenberg, Grist. No publisher bisrael 2012-05-04T14:45:33Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/time-to-stop-worrying-and-learn-to-love-industrial-agriculture Like a good buffet, Nature's recent analysis comparing productivity of industrial and organic agriculture offered something for every taste. It was interesting to see how this played around the web. Time's Bryan Walsh, who has been a critic of Big Food, saw the study as the occasion to stop worrying and learn to love industrial agriculture—or at least marvel at its efficiency. Tom Philpott, Mother Jones. No publisher bisrael 2012-05-03T16:36:41Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/5-ways-grist-turned-critics-into-fans-after-publishing-controversial-autism-story A study that suggests a link between food and autism is bound to kick up controversy. It’s no surprise, then, that environmental news website Grist found itself facing strong, informed criticism after it published an article about a recent scientific paper that suggested a link between high-fructose corn syrup and autism. Craig Silverman, Poynter Institute. No publisher bisrael 2012-05-02T19:06:52Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/book-review-steve-colls-private-empire. Did Exxon pervert the debate on climate change? Yes, successfully. Does Exxon involve itself with distasteful governments? Yes, with Uncle Sam's collusion. Does Exxon mint money? Yes, it is the most successful corporation in history. But I am nagged by the question of why: Could it be that we need Exxon as much as it needs us? David Biello, Foreign Policy. No publisher phayes 2012-05-02T14:06:03Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/journalists-urged-to-report-on-climate-change-with-passion-compassion Researchers, editors and communications experts have advised journalists attending a workshop in Bangkok to report on climate change issues with passion and compassion. “Journalists are missionaries of communication. We have to have that passion to communicate,” said Kunda Dixit, editor and publisher of the Nepali Times. Dixit said Asian and Southeast Asian journalists must write powerful stories about climate change because the region is feeling the brunt of its impact. Bong D. Fabe, Business Mirror. No publisher phayes 2012-05-02T13:55:12Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/2012-0427-complicated-food-safety-regulations A Washington Post article nicely frames the important issues surrounding the FDA's regulation of chemicals from plastic packaging that contaminate food. No publisher jwolstenholme 2012-04-27T13:14:36Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/book-review-detroit-a-biography-gives-life-story-of-a-gritty-city Detroit, more so than perhaps any other American city, embodies one distinct side of contemporary America: Blue collar union-fueled prosperity long since fallen into decrepitude, decay, and broken dreams. In other words, it's an easy target for romanticization. In "Detroit: A Biography," journalist Scott Martelle manages deftly to depict Detroit rising as a microcosm of the country during its industrial heyday as well as Detroit fading on the same terms. He's crafted an account of a once great American city that manages to be both compelling and highly informative. By Benjamin Taylor, bookslut.com No publisher phayes 2012-04-27T17:07:23Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/nyt-obscures-wal-mart-edf-link A recent New York Times article about the Environmental Defense Fund’s efforts to help Wal-Mart “cut waste” painted an incomplete picture of the group’s relationship with the retail giant, offering an instructive lesson in “green business” coverage in the process. What the article didn’t mention is that the Walton Family Foundation gave the EDF almost $39.5 million - and the funding ramped up around the time Wal-Mart launched its sustainability initiative. The Walton family, which created Wal-Mart, still owns a majority stake in the corporation. By Curtis Brainard, Columbia Journalism Review No publisher phayes 2012-04-25T15:27:57Z Blog Entry http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/blog/science-denial-in-the-21st-century The arc of science has faced roadblocks for centuries, but the pattern of denying the weight of evidence has taken on new virulence recently. Highly motivated people openly cast doubt on well-established evidence — the theory of evolution, the human effects on climate change, the value of vaccines and other findings that have achieved an overwhelming consensus in the scientific community. By Nathan Seppa, Science News No publisher phayes 2012-04-25T15:05:18Z Blog Entry