Can Computer Nerds Save Journalism?

Word to those who think the Internet spells the end of traditional print media: “hacker journalists” have arrived to save the day. A cadre of newly minted media whiz kids, who mix high-tech savvy with hard-nosed reporting skills, are taking a closer look at ways in which 21st century code-crunching and old-fashioned reporting can not only coexist but also thrive.

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Blame It on Teletubbies

Who wouldn’t love an easy explanation for autism, the heartbreaking brain disorder whose rates have been rising sharply and mysteriously over the past 30 years? History has served up many possibilities, beginning with a now discredited theory put forward by psychologist Bruno Bettelheim, who famously attributed the condition to uncaring “refrigerator moms.” Today autism is thought to involve a genetic vulnerability that’s triggered by an unknown X factor, or factors, in the environment

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Is My County Healthier Than Yours? Why Rankings Matter

Recently the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released its second annual County Health Rankings, a within-state comparison of county health covering each county in every state the United States. Newspapers and TV news programs jumped all over the results — particularly local outlets serving counties that were ranked comparatively lower than their neighbors.

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