In-depth report on Major Nidal M. Hasan, suspected murdering 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas. This article reaches out to family members and colleagues to paint an informative profile of this quiet, religious man - whose actions surprised many who knew him.

Interesting report about how many jobs were created by the Obama administration's stimulus program. This story seems factual and definitely shows enterprise on the part of the reporters. But it also lacks context by making a mountain out of a molehill and failing to report on what has been accomplished by the 97% of stimulus funds for which no errors were reported. Overall, this is a reasonable work of journalism that holds truth to power by focusing on facts, not just opinions.

Thoughtful report on why people tend to cling to the status quo, as seen recently in the health care reform debate. This story cites a study from New York University, which suggests that most people share a "motivation to perceive the status quo as the way things should be." This blog post could have benefited from presenting other viewpoints and different studies from more sources, but its main point is important and explained clearly.

Informative report about criticisms that former Vice-President Al Gore is profiteering from environmental government policies he support. This short article presents known facts and perspectives from all sides of this controversy, to provide reasonable context on this topic.

Factual report about the confirmation of Hamid Karzai as elected President of Afghanistan for a second term. This short article gives useful context from a number of Afghan sources to help interpret the impact of that new development.

Insightful story about the impact of multitasking on our daily lives. This short article cites recent examples and studies showing of how our attention spans are increasingly derailed by new media technology, from text messages on our cell phones to distractions on our computers.

Thoughtful perspective on America's role in Afghanistan, from a former CIA analyst for thirty years. The author reports on a recent RAND-sponsored discussion of Afghanistan, featuring speakers such as Zbigniew Brzezinski, James Dobbins and Sen. Carl Levin. This provides a wide range of viewpoints about the tough decision faced by the Obama Adminstration about the U.S. presence in Afghanistan - including a timely quote from Kipling about 'The White Man's Burden'.

Partisan report about challenges facing the Republican party. This blog post fails to attribute the source of the poll, and makes some pretty bold assertions that are not substantiated by facts. But the biggest issue from my standpoint is that the author doesn't fairly or respectfully present opposing viewpoints, offering instead a distorted view of the real world to match her viewpoint. For example, there is no evidence that Anita Dunn's reference sto Mao and Mother Teresa were ... More »

Thorough report on the withdrawal by Afghan President's rival, Abdullah Abdullah, from the runoff elections in Afghanistan. This story provides a factual overview, along with a comprehensive roundup of reactions from a wide range of stakeholders, from Afgan farmers and tribal elders from both camps, as well as members of the Obama administration and other Western officials.