An Al Jazeera report on Iranian president election outcomes but emphasized much on what the President-elect has said after his victory and the reactions shown by young Iranian public. Other elements of the report are low-key information, and esp. the background is poorly-prepared beause Hasan Rouhani's CV is much much longer, as we know it. The report, also, neither provide any expert opinion nor is analytical. We expected more from Al Jazeera on this particular issue.

Good list, but hard to achieve, provided by Alex Renton of The Observer. The global food security problem is a problem that is highly political. It raises the issues of the abuse of power for oligarchic gain by a global community, which is the mechanism by which resources flow, illegitimately, from those without power to those with power. An international ban on burning food is rated as nine times more difficult to achieve than eliminating all child malnutrition. Isn't it obscene that millions of children die of malnutrition and starvation in poorer countries whilst in richer countries people die of diseases caused by over eating and obesity. Good news. Responsible and courageous journalism

An international top story by Mother Jones filed by Josh Harkinson wherein the protests in Turkey explained. The report has many resources (quotes, references, photos, video clips, twitter and facebook feeds etc.), in-depth, multi-sourced, and authentic. It's a good piece in journalism because, by reading the piece (and viewing the addition resources), readers can have a grasp as to why the protest is happening, and who is one what side and why.

A story on NPR blog 'The Salt' by Maria goody about a case against a Wisconsin farmer who sells raw milk which the prosecution say 'about licensing, not raw milk'. But the writer also wrote: It depends on whom you ask... activists say the case is about raw milk and much, much more.' A detailed and informative story on raw vs. pasteurized milk consumption. The bone of contention is: raw milk aficionados believe their drink of choice has extra nutritional benefits when consumed fresh from the cow, but the FDA says pasteurization is needed to kill microbes that may linger in the milk. The story s well-quoted, referenced, and enterprising.

It's a story on the U.S. immigration bill, which would be the most sweeping change of U.S. immigration laws in a generation, has provided only the information that more than 100 conservative economists will call on Congress to approve the bill. However Lisa informs that the bill has divided the Republicans, thought to be also 'conservative'. The story was by Lisa Mascaro, appeared on the LA Times first, and reposted at Chicago Tribune was very brief; and only focused on that point.

An AlterNet story by Heeten Kalan based on an interview with Danny Kennedy on his new book "Rooftop Revolution: How Solar Power Can Save Our Economy -- and Our Planet" who is a Greenpeace activist decided to apply his organizing skills to harness the sun’s energy. A lengthy interview, in which he told many other things including the future of energy and as to why we should opt to utilize the the sun, he argues, 'is waiting to be tapped for clean, cheap energy if we can get our heads out of the sand.' Interesting interview; many things to learn...

An interesting story by Michaeleen Doucleff that appeared in the NPR blog, 'The Salt.,' which informs readers about the frontiers of vertical farming around the world. He cited examples of Sweden where architects and engineers have come up with a spectacular concepts of a177-foot skyscraper to farm leafy greens at the edge of each floor, and about Caliber Biotherapeutics, a company that have built a 150,000-square-foot "plant factory" in Texas that is completely closed off from the outside world. The story was constructed by interviewing two people: horticulturist Cary Mitchell of Purdue University and Barry Holtz at Caliber Biotherapeutics who is growing a tobacco-like plant to make new drugs and vaccines. However, this can be ... More »

A BBC story that informs readers that a German software company SAP whose executive director Luisa Delgado says it hopes to recruit hundreds of people with autism, saying they have a unique talent for information technology. Really, good-to-know information because while autistic persons are suffering from a developmental disorder that can cause problems with social interaction and physical behavior but can be 'highly intelligent and have a keen attention to detail.' They've field tested it at its office in Bangalore, India where they work as software testers. A short but very important report because autistic spectrum disorders including Asperger's syndrome are thought to affect about 1% of the population worldwide and people ... More »

A BBC story on the grisly murder committed on a street in London by 'Islamist extremists' (one of them was identified as a Muslim Nigerian covert from Christianity) 'known to security services, senior Whitehall sources have confirmed to the BBC.' The report has many quotes, e.g., of the British PM and Mayor of London, Chief of Defence Staff of the UK, of Baroness Warsi, Muslim Council of Britain and BBC Defence correspondent. The report also quoted the Daily Telegraph who published some conversation of a murderer with a woman (Ms Loyau-Kennett ) just after committing the murder; and an analysis of Dominic Casciani, BBC's British Home affairs correspondent. Good presentation on the new frontier of global terrorism.

A discussion on how austerity kills. 'Austerity in health is a false economy. The cliché, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, is really true.' The discussion was highly informative, and shows context. Many references quoted during the interview, and one can grasp it conveniently. The information were also thoroughly explained. Though it is not a reporting, the interview is very detailed and it looks at the overall amount of data, references etc. that went into air. A good piece in journalism.

An analytical story by Noam Levey of LA Times as to how a party's position widens the divide between U.S.'s healthiest and sickest people and states. The story is about Medicaid, which is jointly funded by U.S. states and federal government, requires states to cover only certain vulnerable groups, such as poor children and people with disabilities. Some states have expanded their programs while others have not, contributing to wide differences in health coverage. It's because of the expenditure involved, and business interests of the concerned parties. However, the storywriter's comment is valuable 'growing evidence suggests the program (Medicaid) has real health benefits.'

An analysis of the '60 Minutes' by Richard Eskow, a former Wall Street executive and now a blogger, that tries to define what journalism should be, and what it presents, citing three stories. This part covers 'Counterinsurgency Cops'. Points raised are simply valid but extinct in present-day journalism.

A Reuters story appeared on The Guardian about what President Obama told at Morehouse College, Atlanta. Though the U.S. president didn't mention anything about the strongest challenge he faced last week so far during his presidency, he told something personal that can easily relate what may happen to millions of the underprivileged without a guardian who cares. The report however cited a CNN/ORC International poll released on Sunday showed 53% of Americans approve of the way Obama is doing his job, with 45% saying they disapprove. Good report; readers could be able to connect the dot...

An AP report by Mark Sherman possibly as to why the U.S. government obtains AP phone records in probe to know the sources of their May 7, 2012 story in which reporters Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman with contributions from reporters Kimberly Dozier, Eileen Sullivan and Alan Fram disclose story about a foiled terror plot and details of a CIA operation in Yemen that stopped an al-Qaida plot in the spring of 2012 to detonate a bomb on an airplane bound for the United States. The story is rather complex because while it raises concern about the rights of the news organisations, it also raises the issue as to who ordered the probe, in fact. Highly informative report, has many references and quotes...Certainly provides foods for thought.

A though-provoking story on Mother Jones by Chris Mooney, contributor to MJ, is a science and political journalist, podcaster, and the host of Climate Desk Live. He is also the author of four books, including the New York Times bestselling The Republican War on Science. His story is about a little-known climate scientist named Michael Mann and two of his colleagues who published a paper in 1998 about their famous "hockey stick" climate change graph that climate deniers threw all their might at disproving that, and why they failed. The story is highly informative; has enough links and references, and resources like background papers, graphs etc.

A report by James Gerken on the HuffPost Green that said atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide surpassed a daily average above 400 parts per million for the first time in human history. Based on a NOAA report, the story multimedia content and slides, highly rich in information. The story also has enough links and references, and expert-cited.

A McClatchy Washington Bureau report by Greg Gordon. The report is about an inventor's claim on a stunning solar energy breakthrough that promises to end the planet’s reliance on fossil fuels at a fraction of the current cost. “This is a fundamental scientific and environmental discovery,” said Ronal Ace, a little-known Mariland inventor who said “this invention can meet about 92 percent of the world’s energy needs.” The report is informative and relevant, and has enough references and expert citations.

A photoblog by Paul Byrne of The Associated Press, Images taken on May 6 and 7, 2013 by Natacha Pisarenko/AP. It’s a story about the story of a town Epecuen in Argentina near Buenos Aires that spent a quarter century under water is now coming up for air again. Heavy rainstorm followed a series of wet winters, and the nearby lake overflowed its banks in 1985 causing water burst through a retaining wall and spilled into the lakeside Epecuen. People fled with what they could, and within days their homes were submerged under nearly 33 feet of corrosive saltwater. Now, when the water has mostly receded, exposing what looks like a scene from a movie about the end of the world. Good photos with narration. Interesting journalism!

A Voice of America news by Anjana Pasricha from New Delhi. While she wrote about the woman, Reshma Begum, who was survived even after 17 days in the rubble of the collapsed factory building in Savar, Bangladesh who was rescued today a few hours before, However, while she didn't disclose the news source, wrote mainly about the overall garment sector in Bangladesh and on the international buyers quoting some references of a union leader and a think tank professional. Seems the story is an old one minus the breaking news.

A breaking news from Bangladesh by Ian Johnston and Sohel Uddin of NBC News, in which Associated Press and Reuters also contributed. It's a story about a woman who was still alive after 17 days into the rubbles of the world's one of the worst industrial accidents, in which, as reported by Reuters, the death toll reached, at least, 1,038 on Friday. The story is factual, multi-sourced, expert-cited, and has links for more readership.

A highly informative and analytical post by Jeffrey Young and Chris Kirkham with contribution from Jay Boice, Aaron Bycoffe and Andrei Scheinkman. However, the story was only possible because a database released a week ago by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that enabled American public to know what hospitals charges them vs. what insurance companies or Medicaid paid them the 'actual' cost. I was also possible because the administration shared the data in advance with The Huffington Post, The New York Times and The Washington Post. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released also an enormous data file on May 8 that reveals the list or “chargemaster”—prices of all hospitals across ... More »

A great opinion piece by Prof. Paul Krugman. He wrote the core of everything else as to why austerity policy is preferred by many states rather than following Keynesian economics because 'austerity policies serve the interests of wealthy creditors; partly it reflects the unwillingness of influential people to admit being wrong. But there is, I believe, a further obstacle to change: widespread, deep-seated cynicism about the ability of democratic governments, once engaged in stimulus, to change course in the future.' Excellent article, many important observations.

A relevant story on Bangladesh written in Bengali by Pantha Rahman Reza, translated by Rezwan, posted on Global Voices. The story rather presents a partial background of the present political maneuverings in Bangladesh (Liberals vs. the Religious Rights), in the form of a conflict between the radical Islamist parties in Bangladesh, and the State as the country tries its 'war criminals' that they themselves have killed, or helped the occupied Pakistan Army personnel to kill freedom-loving Bengalis, raped women, looting their properties etc. during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The story has enough links and references so that readers can understand and verify what was written.

An interview in between Charlie Kernaghan in Pittsburgh, director of the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, and Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! (with a brief introductory notes (and comments) from Bangladesh by Nermeen Shaikh, Amirul Hoque (labour leader), a factory manager (who said their factory is open on May Day), Taufiq, (a Red Crescent volunteer), a Bangladeshi unnamed minor girl (who lost her mother and her sister) etc. The interview reveals many details and tidbits of the recent deadly factory collapse in Bangladesh that causes '421 confirmed dead and according to police and the universities, a thousand people missing.' It's landmark journalism because it provides reliable facts, which is the most important and ... More »

An informative story by Mark Gongloff appeared on the HuffPost that updates how Harvard economist Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff keep getting embarrassed by some young scholars. After University of Massachusetts-Amherst grad student Thomas Herndon found error, now, two more PhD students, Matthew Berg and Brian Hartley, at the University of Missouri-Kansas City have a new paper that they say finds another flaw in that same research. The story has enough links and references, factual, fair, in-depth and highly contextual.

A video conversation (transcript provided) in between political scholars Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann and Bill Moyers appeared on Bill Moyers.com that explained how the U.S. Congress failed to make progress on gun control despite support for background checks from 90% of the American public. The conversation is highly informative and interpretive, putting enough background to explain how this relates to some issues. They looked in depth, and made it meaningful by its context.

A detailed, lenthgy and informative piece by David de Jong & Robert LaFranco published on Bloomberg at the 'Bloomberg Opinion', that has, in fact, provided a very important news. The story reveals the offshore structures and secrecy jurisdictions the world’s richest people use to manage, preserve and conceal their assets after a lawsuit filed by Billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev's wife, Elena Rybolovleva in the British Virgin Islands, England, Wales, the U.S., Cyprus, Singapore and Switzerland, and is seeking $6 billion. The story also reveals how (and where) the global billionaires hide their assets from tax authorities or provide legal protection from government seizure and lawsuits. The story is well-documented, highly ... More »

A relevant news by Al Jazeera on the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict. The report is factual, well-sourced, informative, and original. The downside is: it's 'somewhat fair and balanced' (because it didn't present the Syrian viewpoints); and the upside of it is that it has some important quotes that helps the readers to comprehend the story's 'hidden story'. The quotes gave us an intelligent perspective on the fiasco as to who did what for what purpose, and helps readers to connects the dots to understand things that aren't immediately obvious.

An updated news on Bangladesh building collapse by CNN's Farid Ahmed reported from Dhaka, Bangladesh; Lateef Mungin reported from Atlanta; and contribution from Jethro Mullen, Greg Botelho and Sumnima Udas. By now, the death toll rises, and the missing people, 800 plus, feared also dead; and the owner of the building. Sohel Rana, has been arrested near the Indian border while he was trying to flee abroad. The title of the report however is confusing because that piece of information is missing in the mainstream news here (as the report also mentioned).It's really 'unclear how the mother and the baby were doing a day after they were rescued.'