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'Dot Earth' Science Blog Wins Journalism Prize For Global Warming Focus

September 22, 2008

New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin honored for his "sustained examination of the science and politics of global warming, from the North Pole to the White House"

By Dan Bloom

NEW YORK (RUSHPRNEWS)09/22/2008 -- A year ago or so, veteran science reporter Andrew Revkin of the New York Times started a science blog on the newspaper's website that he calls "Dot Earth". It began small, but with posts almost every day for a year now, word has spread through the Blogosphere worldwide, and Revkin's public blog gets hundreds of hits a day, with many readers leaving their comments, both pro and con climate change.

Recently, Revkin was honored with one of this year's annual John Chancellor Awards for Excellence in Journalism. "The award, named for the famous NBC TV correspondent and news anchor who died in 1996, is given to journalists operating pretty much below the radar, on stories that simmer instead of explode," Revkin noted on his blog the other day.

According to the prize committee's website, the award is special, because "it recognizes what .... members of the [journalistic] infantry -- reporters who do the heavy lifting, even though they don't personally have the high public profile that some journalists in print and broadcast media attain. Their commitment to reporting difficult stories over the long haul, often against the conventional grain, is a tremendous public service, and the example of endurance and honor that they bring to the profession is a reminder of what journalism is about at its best."

"Dot Earth" is must reading for anyone concerned about the environment. Revkin is one of the top reporters in his field, and his reporting is always fair and balanced. While many climate change denialists post comments on his blog, proclaiming that global warming is a hoax, hundreds of other comments by people who take the threat of climate change and global warming seriously are also posted every day.

How to start? Go to Revkin's website at http://nytimes.com/dotearth and start reading. Once you have become acclimated, so to speak, to the ways of his blog, plunge in the sometimes icy waters (sometimes boiling hot, too) and add your own comments about the science of climate change, pro or con. Everyone is welcome.

"By 2050 [A.D.] or so, the world population is expected to reach nine billion, essentially adding two Chinas to the number of people alive today," Revkins says in introducing his blog to readers. "Those billions will be seeking food, water and other resources on a planet where, scientists say, humans are already shaping climate and the web of life. In Dot Earth, [the blog] examines efforts to balance human affairs with the planet's limits. Supported in part by a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, [the blog] tracks relevant news from suburbia to Siberia, and conducts an interactive exploration of trends and ideas with readers and experts."

Expect Revkin to win a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting one day. And make his blog part of your daily reading. With a degree in biology from Brown University in RHode Island, Revkin also received a masters degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York. He lives in the Hudson River Valley with his wife and two sons, and in addition to his day job, he's also a performing songwriter and musician and often plays in a "roots-blues" band called Uncle Wade. Check his myspace page to hear a few of his tunes.

The prize committee said of Revkin, in presenting him with this year's award: "He has reported on the environment for The New York Times since 1995, a job that has taken him to the Arctic three times since 2003. That year, he became one of the first journalists to file stories and photos from the floating sea ice around the North Pole. He conceived a three-part Times series and award-winning one-hour documentary on the transforming Arctic. He recently exposed efforts by political appointees to rewrite government climate reports in the White House and prevent NASA scientists from conveying their views on warming. He has been a pioneer in multimedia journalism, blogging, podcasting, and shooting stills and imagery for stories from far-flung places."

Dot Earth. An image, a symbol, a blog. Stay tuned.

 Congratulations Andrew from a job well-done, from everyone at Rush PR News.

About the Author: Dan Bloom is a Rush PR News political and environmental news columnist/reporter and a freelance writer from Boston, who has been based in Asia since 1991. He graduated from Tufts University in 1971 and has worked in media, public relations and education in several countries. He is currently doing research on climate change and global warming as the founder of the Polar Cities Research Institute.  Write him at danbloom@RushPRnews.com

 

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