Public

The Washington Post, which over the years has set a standard for good science journalism, may be falling on hard times now that it has let so many of its reporters go. While still strong in original science reporting compared to many other daily newspapers in the U.S., the Post has taken to reprinting press releases from universities and science organizations. This has spawned questions about the transparency of the practice and the objectivity of what Post readers are reading.

"CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Cleanup crews at Freedom Industries are still several weeks away from emptying all of the site's chemical storage tanks, and still don't have a clear idea of how much of which materials could have contaminated soil at the site."

"SEATTLE -- Washington state fishery managers unveiled surprisingly large Columbia River chinook forecasts Friday, yet another indication that there could be a landmark return of nearly 3 million chinook and coho."

"Across the southeastern United States a battle is raging -- ant against ant."

"Electronic cigarettes are often billed as a safe way for smokers to try to kick their habit. But it's not just smokers who are getting their fix this way. According to published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 5 middle school students who've tried one say they've never smoked a 'real' cigarette. And between 2011 and 2012, e-cigarettes doubled in popularity among middle and high school students."

"British scientists have developed genetically modified potatoes that are resistant to the vegetable's biggest threat -- blight."

"MEXICO CITY -- The annual migration to Mexico of millions of orange-and-black monarch butterflies is one of the nation's cherished rituals. But it could come to a virtual halt if the insect's natural habitat is not urgently salvaged."

"In delivering aid to drought-stricken California last week, President Obama and his aides cited the state as an example of what could be in store for much of the rest of the country as human-caused climate change intensifies. But in doing so, they were pushing at the boundaries of scientific knowledge about the relationship between climate change and drought."

"FRESNO, Calif. — President Obama arrived in the heart of California’s parched farmland on Friday afternoon to offer tens of millions of dollars in federal assistance to the state, where the lack of rain and snow this winter has led to the severest drought in its modern history."

"U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Indonesians on Sunday that man-made climate change could threaten their entire way of life, deriding those who doubted the existence of 'perhaps the world's most fearsome weapon of mass destruction'."