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Chris Mooney

@chriscmooney.bsky.social
1.1K followers 273 following 181 posts

Climate and science journalist and Julia G. and Alfred G. Hill Chair of Excellence in Science, Technology, and Medical Writing at @utknoxville.bsky.social. Former WaPo climate writer. Views are my own. For my latest: reportearth.substack.com

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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I made a map, showing a pretty fascinating phenomenon -- what appears to be dam driven fog in my region of East Tennessee. More details in my latest Substack post reportearth.substack.com/p/the-unexpe...
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
At long last, was able to provide a more substantive response to @jacksonwryan.com, who had written at length about two of my prior Substack posts re AI, science journalism, and the rapid growth of scientific studies. reportearth.substack.com/p/nearly-two...
reportearth.substack.com
Nearly two centuries of U.S. science magazines, and the lessons they teach
And a response about the future of the science journalism field.
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Last week I shared a graphic (from a story in the Conversation co-authored with Cornell's Bruce Lewenstein) depicting the struggles of U.S. science magazines. See below. Here, I want to share another way of viewing the data.....(/1)
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 23/09/2026
Appreciate @chriscmooney.bsky.social's look at science magazines, including the role of societies and the history of Science 79-86. One thing to add: @science.org, AAAS still has the world's largest (?) science-focused newsroom. We're in print, every week. Editorially independent. And a nonprofit!
reportearth.substack.com
Nearly two centuries of U.S. science magazines, and the lessons they teach
And a response about the future of the science journalism field.
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Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Many things to think about in here. I'm sure @chriscmooney.bsky.social and Lewenstein could have used another 10,000 words to unpack it all. Some thoughts: 1. The most popular science voices HAVE ALWAYS BEEN communicators. Not journalists. theconversation.com/is-science-j...
theconversation.com
Is science journalism dying? Comparing a ‘science crash’ 40 years ago to today
While science journalism layoffs pile up and publications shutter, more science communication than ever is available via other online venues.
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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 17/09/2026
While science journalism layoffs pile up and publications shutter, more science communication than ever is available via other online venues. Scholars of science journalism have the glass half-full view:
theconversation.com
Is science journalism dying? Comparing a ‘science crash’ 40 years ago to today
While science journalism layoffs pile up and publications shutter, more science communication than ever is available via other online venues.
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
It's a tough era for science magazines -- especially in print. Pulled some data on this for a piece in the Conversation co-authored with Cornell prof Bruce Lewenstein. By these lights, we've lost a lot of pubs, a truly painful change in the technology of #scicomm theconversation.com/is-science-j...
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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Interesting article cowritten by my friend @chriscmooney.bsky.social about the decline of science journalism. theconversation.com/is-science-j...
theconversation.com
Is science journalism dying? Comparing a ‘science crash’ 40 years ago to today
While science journalism layoffs pile up and publications shutter, more science communication than ever is available via other online venues.
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Sally James @jamesian.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The collapse of #journalism (about #science)? @chriscmooney.bsky.social and Bruce Lewenstein try to measure it. #SciWri26 theconversation.com/is-science-j...
theconversation.com
Is science journalism dying? Comparing a ‘science crash’ 40 years ago to today
While science journalism layoffs pile up and publications shutter, more science communication than ever is available via other online venues.
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Mark Parrington @mparrington.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Smoke from Canadian #wildfires affecting Great Lakes/NE US in recent days predicted to continue out to the N Atlantic in the #CopernicusAtmosphere aerosol optical depth forecast from 16 July 00z atmosphere.copernicus.eu/charts/packa... @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social @ecmwf.int
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Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution @whoi.edu · 12/07/2026
Underrated? A little. Essential? Absolutely. The Brazil Current is the South Atlantic's western boundary current, carrying warm water southward and driving circulation across an entire ocean basin. It doesn't have Gulf Stream's PR team, but WHOI scientists know it's doing the same critical work.
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Jack Ryan 🙏🧪 @jacksonwryan.com · 07/07/2026
🧪 If science journalism is going to survive and thrive, it has to reorient itself and rethink the incentives that currently drive it. Reflecting here on some great @chriscmooney.bsky.social pieces about where we might be headed. nobreakthroughs.com/adrift-in-a-...
nobreakthroughs.com
Adrift in a Sea of Similar Science Stories
For six months in 2025, I spent my days working from a small office on the bottom floor at the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies. My window was almost roof to ceiling, looked out onto the I...
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Elise Cutts @elisecutts.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
There are more papers being published than ever before but at the same time it increasing seems like the whole paper thing isn't working so well — I've literally never talked to a scientist ready to praise the state of publishing. (Chart by @chriscmooney.bsky.social, www.datawrapper.de/_/8Fd8M/)
A graph of publications through time, showing growth from about 1 million globally per year in 2002 to more than 3.5 million globally per year in 2024.
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Mark A. Hanson @hansonmark.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
"And the army of PhDs (sic PhD holders) will groan, but not know what to do about it, except complain on their BlueSky accounts." @chriscmooney.bsky.social this is too real.
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Scott Robeson @indianaclimate.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Amazing graphic that says a lot of about many things science- and publication-wise, including why it's so difficult to find good peer reviewers. 🧪
Graph of the increase in the number of scientific publications over time, more than tripling in the last 23 year period from 2002 to 2024.
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Mark A. Hanson @hansonmark.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
A timely piece on scientific overload reportearth.substack.com/p/how-mega-s...
reportearth.substack.com
How ‘mega-science’ helps explain the plight of science communicators right now
How do we communicate about -- or as journalists, cover -- 3.5 million scientific studies per year?
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Elise Cutts @elisecutts.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
"The period over which a tripling of research publications has occurred ... is also a period of convulsive media change... Simply put, even as there are more scientific papers than ever, there are fewer journalists covering science." 🧪 From @chriscmooney.bsky.social:
reportearth.substack.com
How ‘mega-science’ helps explain the plight of science communicators right now
How do we communicate about -- or as journalists, cover -- 3.5 million scientific studies per year?
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Newspaper jobs are showing a noticeable fall in early 2026, continuing a longstanding pattern of decline, based on preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (1/3) (Data source: www.bls.gov/web/empsit/c...)
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Glenn Branch @glennbranch.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
ICYMI: climate journalists Andy Revkin (@revkin.bsky.social sky.social) and Chris Mooney (@chriscmooney.bsky.social) in conversation.
youtube.com
Meet Chris Mooney, a Climate Journalist Now Exploring the Turbulent News Climate
YouTube video by Andrew Revkin
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Andy Revkin 🌎 ✍🏼 🪕 ☮️ revkin.substack.com @revkin.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Talking LIVE with @chriscmooney.bsky.social at 2 pm about climate journalism so far and what's next, and about his new ReportScience deep dives into the #climatenews process.
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Elise Cutts @elisecutts.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Science journalists, science communicators, science folks of all stripes — if you read nothing else today, read this post by @chriscmooney.bsky.social : 🧪
reportearth.substack.com
The scientific "study story" has a questionable future. That may be a good thing
The way we do science journalism is going to change
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
I've been experimenting with narrative or storytelling through graphics, and came up with this one. My own life with Y as temperature. See here for a broader essay on the links between data and story, which ends with this chart reportearth.substack.com/p/life-is-an...
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
The Arctic sea ice maximum for 2026 was just called by @nsidc.bsky.social. It was very low. Tied for record low with 2025. Here's my chart of the data, updated to reflect this news
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Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 27/02/2026
Friday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the 2nd lowest on record (JAXA data) • about 390,000 km² below the 2010s mean • about 980,000 km² below the 2000s mean • about 1,430,000 km² below the 1990s mean • about 1,970,000 km² below the 1980s mean More: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...
Line graph time series of 2026's daily Arctic sea ice extent compared to decadal averages from the 1980s to the 2010s. The decadal averages are shown with different colored lines with purple for the 1980s, blue for the 1990s, green for the 2000s, and white for the 2010s. Thin white lines are also shown for each year from 2000 to 2025. 2026 is shown with a thick gold line. There is a long-term decreasing trend in ice extent for every day of the year shown on this graph between January and March by looking at the decadal average line positions.
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Thanks so much for sharing my story, @jeffsharlet.bsky.social ! If you go back to 1990, there are actually over 450,000 U.S. newspaper jobs. The number has been declining ever since, but faster during/after the Great Recession. The overall decline is over 80 percent. www.datawrapper.de/_/sqclG/
datawrapper.de
Over 80 percent decline in newspaper industry jobs, 1990-2025 | Created with Datawrapper
Jobs in other publishing industry sectors also declined, but not as rapidly.
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Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
I can't get over this number: in 2007, there were 360,000 newspaper jobs. Now, there are 80,000. "My local paper sucked!" Sure. What sucks even more? The void. "I get all my news from the Guardian!" No, the Guardian doesn't report on your town council, your school board, local cops.
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
It looks like the U.S. newspaper industry lost about 8 percent of its remaining employees in just one year in 2025. I wish I could say that was unusual, but as this recently updated graphic shows, it has been going on for a long time... My story here: reportearth.substack.com/p/2025-was-a...
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Covering Climate Now @coveringclimatenow.org · 19/02/2026
🏆 The 2026 Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards are now open! 🥇 🆓 There is no fee to enter ⏳ Entries will be accepted through March 31 at 11:59pm US ET 🌍 Work published anytime in 2025, from anywhere in the world, is eligible 🔗 Learn more and apply: coveringclimatenow.org/projects/the...
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Just updated: My chart showing trends in climate change coverage at the big 5 U.S. newspapers, with data via @media-climate.bsky.social. Data now run through Jan 2026, and are pretty timely with the recent Washington Post news For more of my charts: reportearth.substack.com/p/reporteart...
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Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
This chart. Wow. reportearth.substack.com/p/the-washin... via @chriscmooney.bsky.social
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Dino Grandoni @dinograndoni.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
I was told today my Washington Post job is being eliminated It's just a job, but it's one that I was proud to do for 8+ yrs alongside the best in the business I'm here for opportunities to tell stories about the natural world and how we impact it dino.grandoni@gmail.com
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Don Boesch 🇺🇦🇬🇱 @donboesch.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
First NY Times veteran @jswartz.bsky.social transitions to teach journalism at the University of Texas, now former Washington Post Pulitzer winning climate reporter @chriscmooney.bsky.social moves to teach at the other UT, the one on Rocky Top. Both grew up on Gulf Coast. cci.utk.edu/blog/2026/01...
cci.utk.edu
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Chris Mooney Named Julia G. and Alfred G. Hill Chair of Excellence - College of Communication and Information
Photo courtesy of the University of Virginia This article was written by Noreen Premji. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s College of Communication and Information is proud to announce Pulitzer ...
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
A little bit of news about me! cci.utk.edu/blog/2026/01...
cci.utk.edu
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Chris Mooney Named Julia G. and Alfred G. Hill Chair of Excellence - College of Communication and Information
Photo courtesy of the University of Virginia This article was written by Noreen Premji. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s College of Communication and Information is proud to announce Pulitzer ...
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Zeke Hausfather @zekehausfather.com · 14/01/2026
2025 was an exceptional year for the Earth's climate ⬆️ Warmest ocean heat content ⬆️ Tied as second warmest surface temps ⬆️ Second warmest troposphere ⬆️ Record high sea level and GHGs ⬇️ Record low winter Arctic ice New State of the Climate over at Carbon Brief: www.carbonbrief.org/...
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World Meteorological Organization @wmo-global.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
🌡️ WMO confirms 2025 was one of warmest years on record. 2025 was one of the 3 warmest years on record, with the global average surface temperature at 1.44°C ± 0.13°C above the 1850-1900 average, according to WMO’s consolidated analysis of 8 datasets. 🔗 bit.ly/49xpkWP
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Tim Osborn @timosbornclim.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Most 2025 global temperatures are now out (degrees C above 1850-1900 baseline) 1.41 HadCRUT5 1.44 Berkeley 1.46 JRA-3Q 1.47 Copernicus 1.53 DCENT-I NOAA and NASA GISS values will be public at 2pm UK time and but based on already public Jan-Nov data they will likely be between 1.3 and 1.4 degC.
Multi-dataset comparison of global temperatures from 1850-2025, with 2025 values highlighted in a separate panel for each individual dataset. Baseline is a combination of 1850-1900 means.
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Dr. Peter Neff @icy-pete.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
South Korean RV ARAON is indeed the only ship in the world regularly visiting Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica. US no longer has a dedicated Antarctic RV. ARAON headed south now, with Raymond Zhong (NYT) & Miles O’Brien @pbsnews.org on board documenting! Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/27/c...
nytimes.com
Bound for Antarctica: A Voyage to Earth’s End Is Underway
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National Oceanography Centre @noc.ac.uk · 15/12/2025
📣 New estimates shed light on late-18th century temperatures! 🕰️🌡️🌎 New research provides the first global record from near-surface air temperature measurements, peering back in time to the late-18th century. Read more about it here: brnw.ch/21wYn3Z
brnw.ch
Climate Lab Book
Discussions on various aspects of climate science. Click to read Climate Lab Book, by Ed Hawkins, a Substack publication.
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Ed Hawkins @edhawkins.org · 15/12/2025
The new GloSAT temperature dataset extends our observational estimates of global temperature change back to 1781 Blog: climatelabbook.substack.com/p/new-estima... Paper by Morice et al.: essd.copernicus.org/articles/17/...
climatelabbook.substack.com
New estimates of surface temperature change since the late 18th century
Releasing an observation-based global temperature dataset extending back to 1781
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Ed Hawkins @edhawkins.org · 15/12/2025
Article on the new GloSAT dataset and implications by @chriscmooney.bsky.social for @cnn.com edition.cnn.com/2025/12/15/c...
edition.cnn.com
New data raises questions about how much the Earth has warmed | CNN
New climate data raises questions about how much the Earth has warmed
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Thanks @jswatz.bsky.social ! One of my favorite stories, I’m so thrilled that it turns out to have had this next chapter
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Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 01/12/2025
🚨 Monday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the lowest on record (JAXA data) • about 1,110,000 km² below the 2010s mean • about 1,600,000 km² below the 2000s mean • about 2,310,000 km² below the 1990s mean • about 2,810,000 km² below the 1980s mean More: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...
Line graph time series of 2025's daily Arctic sea ice extent compared to decadal averages from the 1980s to the 2010s. The decadal averages are shown with different colored lines with purple for the 1980s, blue for the 1990s, green for the 2000s, and white for the 2010s. Thin white lines are also shown for each year from 2000 to 2024. 2025 is shown with a thick gold line, which is currently a record low for the current date. There is a long-term decreasing trend in ice extent for every day of the year shown on this graph between October and January by looking at the decadal average line positions.
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KNAU Arizona Public Radio @knauazpubradio.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory plans to cut nearly all its research funding and reduce the number of paid science staff to just two positions next year.
buff.ly
Lowell Observatory slashes research funding in the midst of financial struggle
Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory plans to cut nearly all its research funding and reduce the number of paid science staff to just two positions next year.
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Editors have a really hard job, and the good ones can make something unreadable readable, and the great ones can make something unreadable into something good. But they're basically invisible, until someone tries to write without one.
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
1. We’re living through a very hot year (again). Right now, 2025 looks like it could come in as the 2nd or 3rd hottest year on record
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Knight Science Journalism @ MIT @ksjatmit.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
"...a journalist looking at data in search of a story has many advantages."  @chriscmooney.bsky.social, 2010 KSJ fellow and Pulitzer Prize-winning climate reporter, shares on his Substack how he digs through data to find narrative.
substack.com
The powerful connection between data and story
Part one of a two part essay on realizing the full potential of data journalism.
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
My latest at Substack: If you understand how to work with data, it actually strengthens, in myriad ways, your ability to find and tell compelling journalistic stories reportearth.substack.com/p/the-deep-c...
reportearth.substack.com
The powerful connection between data and story
Part one of a two part essay on realizing the full potential of data journalism.
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CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 18/09/2025
US to retire its only icebreaker, stranding polar research - new article posted today by @cuboulder. The icebreaker is critical for researchers who study the changes on the edges of Antarctic glaciers and how they relate to climate change and sea level rise. buff.ly/oMAElHY #antarctica #glaciers
A ship with a red hull used for icebreaking in the Arctic. Blue sea with icebergs, glaciers, and mountains.
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Chris Mooney @chriscmooney.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
It’s the beginning of the month, so I’ve got lots of newly updated charts. As well as a few new ones. They're all at the Chart Archive here, but here's a quick runthrough... reportearth.substack.com/p/reporteart...
reportearth.substack.com
ReportEarth chart archive
Since I began this Substack in March, I've been making lots of charts. Now they can all live in one place.
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