Environment: Top Stories

Last week our featured topic was the Environment. The Obama administration's new policies on carbon emissions, energy efficiency, climate change and other issues have begun to take shape in his first 100 days in office. We sought out last week's top journalism on how the administration's plans will reconcile the demands of industry, government and concerned citizens.

Our top news story, ‘California takes on King Corn,' covered an ongoing debate in California over the production of corn ethanol as a means to combat global warming. California regulators, the Daily Climate reported, may soon rule that corn ethanol is not an environmentally-friendly alternative to petroleum when net carbon emissions are considered. Ethanol advocates responded that the industry would be devastated by a loss of investments. The story drew high marks for depth and fairness from several reviewers, including Cristen Drummond, who said it "truly allows the reader to make a decision without bias."

The New Yorker's 'In the Air' was our top opinion. Elizabeth Kolbert, the magazine's environmental pundit, wrote that Earth Day has "lost its edge" since its inception in 1970. A role reversal has occurred over the years, she said, in which the American public is no longer the driving force behind environmental legislation. The story struck a chord with NewsTrust community editor Marsha Iverson, who remarked on her own experience witnessing public attitudes about the environment change. She said:

"As someone who remembers the first Earth Day well, I can also compare changes in social trends, information sources, and dramatic differences in the pace of life and the ways we communicate. We have infinite sources of information and ways to spread the word, but most uses seem to be about ourselves and our fleeting thoughts than about important issues with long-term consequences."

Here's a list of our top news and opinion on the Environment:

News

California takes on King Corn
The Daily Climate
Next generation of biofuels
Scientific American
Why isn't the brain green?
New York Times
Plastic. Fantastic?
Mother Jones
Radical ways to cool the planet
Newsweek

Opinion

In the Air
New Yorker
Why our obsession with climate change may end up destroying biodiversity
Slate

Environment: Top rated stories (full list)
Environment: Most recent stories (full list)

Connect with Facebook
Last week, we launched Facebook Connect, and your response has been wonderful. Nearly a hundred people have signed up or logged in through Facebook so far, with more coming every day. Give it a try!

If you're a Facebook member, you can now sign up or log in to NewsTrust with Facebook and share your reviews with your friends. Also, please show your support for NewsTrust and become a fan on our Facebook page, where you can meet other members. Read all about this on the NewsTrust Blog.

This Week: Obama's First 100 Days
Our featured topic this week is Obama's First 100 Days, in partnership with Pulitzer prize winner PolitiFact and the University of Nevada at Reno. From Monday, April 27, through Friday, May 1, our communities will join forces to find good journalism on the Obama Administration's first 100 days in office. How have the news media covered President Obama's performance so far? Which promises do they think he's delivered on? Which has he neglected? Has the press found statements from the Obama administration to be true or false? Can you help us pick the best coverage of this important topic? Please review our recommended stories on our Obama Administration topic page.

-- Derek Hawkins, with Fabrice Florin and Kaizar Campwala

Share the news on Facebook

Today we're pleased to announce the launch of Facebook Connect on NewsTrust. 

If you already are a Facebook member, give it a try. Facebook Connect is a great way for you to sign up (or log in) on NewsTrust, review stories on our site and share them with your friends on Facebook. You can also meet other NewsTrust members on our Facebook fan page.

Here are some of the cool things you can do now on Facebook:

Share your reviews on Facebook

With Facebook Connect, you can now share your NewsTrust reviews with your friends on Facebook. Once you are connected, simply check the 'Share my review on Facebook' box in our review form -- and your review will appear on your Facebook wall and in your friends' news feeds.

Meet other members on Facebook

On our new Facebook Page, you can meet other NewsTrust members and fans, as well as find our top stories, blog posts and other important announcements. Be sure to click "Become a fan" at the top of that page to show your support and get helpful updates on Facebook.

Sign up with Facebook

Not a NewsTrust member yet? Signing up has never been easier. As a Facebook member, you can quickly join the NewsTrust community. Go to our sign up page and click the blue 'Facebook Connect' button at the top of that page. You can create a NewsTrust account in just seconds, if you are logged in on Facebook. Once you're signed up, you can start reviewing right away. Enjoy! (If you have any questions about signing up with Facebook, check our FAQ.)

Log in with Facebook

If you're already a NewsTrust member, you can enjoy these new features with just a few clicks of the mouse. Simply go to our Log in page, and click the blue 'Facebook Connect' button. You will then be asked to link your Facebook account with your NewsTrust account. Once you are connected, you can immediately share your new reviews on Facebook by checking "Share my review on Facebook" in our story review form. (If you have any questions about logging in with Facebook, check our FAQ.)

For more help tips on Facebook Connect, check our special Facebook FAQ.

When you go to our NewsTrust fan page on Facebook, be sure to click "Become a fan" -- and share your wisdom on our wall, to greet our new visitors. For example, you could post comments about why you support NewsTrust, or about interesting news events. You're also welcome to 'friend' any NewsTrust member whose reviews you've enjoyed.

If you like what you see, you might want to invite some of your own friends to become fans as well. Be sure to tell them to sign up on NewsTrust with Facebook Connect, so they can share their favorite stories with you.

Please let us know what you think of this new application - or contact us if you need any help. You can email us directly at help-at-newstrust.net<help@newstrust.net>, post a comment below, or add a suggestion in our Feedback Page.

Taxes: Top Stories

Our featured topic last week was Taxes. As Tax Day came and went, we looked at how the media covered President Obama's new tax plans and how they may affect ordinary Americans in this recession. We surfaced some quality stories on taxes, many of which examined the deeper implications of changes in the tax code under a new president. 

Here's a sampling of what we found:

News

Tax code changes: Industry in the crosshairs

Congressional Quarterly

No proposal to end taxes for seniors making less than $50,000

PolitiFact

Resenting the rich

Economist

Views of income taxes most positive since 1956

Gallup

Offshore tax evaders face carrots, sticks

Christian Science Monitor

Opinion

The small business myth

Washington Post

Tax tea party time, part two

Forbes

Tax me! Tax me!

National Public Radio

Taxes: top rated stories (full list)

Taxes: most recent stories (full list)

This Week: Environment

Our featured topic this week is the Environment. The Obama administration has introduced plans to make the United States more energy efficient and reduce its impact on the environment. They propose to fund more green jobs, renewable energy sources, and a controversial cap-and-trade program to curb greenhouse gas emissions. How will these plans reconcile the interests of industry, government and concerned citizens? How can the United States and the global community join forces to address climate change? Join this News Hunt by reviewing (or submitting) stories on our Environment topic page.

Afghanistan: Top Stories

Our featured topic last week was Afghanistan. As the United States and its allies prepare to send thousands more troops to the country to combat Taliban and al Qaeda forces, we looked for the best journalism on what this escalation means for both the Afghan population and international relations in the region. We emerged with a great list of top rated stories, most from mainstream sources.

Prior to this News Hunt, we last featured Afghanistan in June 2008. A survey of our top rated stories from that week indicates that many of the challenges to stability in the country have lingered -- and some intensified -- in the months since.

One of our top stories from last year's Afghanistan News Hunt echoed in a story we reviewed last week. Both came from Aryn Baker and Loi Kolay, Time Magazine's Afghanistan correspondents, who have reported on the struggle to win the support of the Afghan populace. In 'Afghanistan: A war that's still not won,' (6/26/08) they wrote:

Success in counterinsurgency is about winning trust. And despite billions of dollars in foreign investment--the international community pledged an additional $20 billion at a donor conference in June -- the coalition forces in Afghanistan and its government have failed to win over the people they are trying to protect. This means Afghanistan's gains since the fall of the Taliban ... are fragile and are threatened by the insurgency, which continues to rage in the south.

Nearly a year later, in 'The U.S. in Afghanistan: The longest war,' the authors suggest the same problems still exist. Calling for "more boots on the ground," they made this assessment last week:

Al-Qaeda still thrives in the ungoverned tribal areas along the border between the two countries, and while many of its members have been killed, new recruits quickly take their place. U.S. soldiers have learned that to deny al-Qaeda a foothold in Afghanistan will require the establishment of a government that Afghans can believe in, the security that allows them to support it and jobs that provide an alternative to fighting.

Other top stories show that attempts to reform the Afghan police force have also stagnated since last summer. In June, the Los Angeles Times reported that despite U.S. efforts to bolster police and other local officials, many Afghan officers remained "little more than hired guns who raise money for local warlords through illegal taxes, shakedowns, and corruption. Many police and district officials sell weapons and opium. Some collude with the Taliban." An article from the New York Times last week, 'Corruption undercuts U.S. hope for Afghan police,' offered little more optimism. Covering President Barack Obama's plans to send 4,000 American trainers this spring, the newspaper reported:

a shortage of American trainers is only one factor hampering the Afghan police. If the experience of the American troops already training police officers in Ghazni Province is any indication, better policing may be impossible for Afghanistan unless government officials at all levels stop cannibalizing their civil administration and police force for a quick profit.

Last June also saw what were at the time new hostilities between Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, when Afghan President Hamid Karzai claimed the right to cross the Pakistani border to pursue foreign militants. Under the Obama Administration, U.S. foreign policy in the region has begun to center on the interconnectedness of the two countries, reflected several of this week's top stories.

An op-ed in the Financial Times put it bluntly: "For America, The problem is Pakistan." A professor of war studies at King's College argued that "the two countries are now hopelessly interlinked, with a Taliban insurgency rooted in the Pashtun populations of each raging on both sides of the border." He continued:

Unfortunately, it seems as if the new administration has not recognized two critical facts about Pakistan. The first is that the stabilization and development of this country is not merely an aspect of the war in Afghanistan, but a vital US interest in itself. Indeed, Pakistan in the long term is far more important than Afghanistan. The second is that changing Pakistani opinions will mean changing Pakistani society, and that is a project that will require massive, sustained and consistent aid over a generation.

An op-ed in Foreign Policy took a similar view. In what he called the "Afpak muddle," a Harvard University professor said, "Pakistan is the key here and our primary goal should be making sure that its nuclear arsenal remains under reliable control. The best way to do that is to try to prevent Pakistan from becoming a failed state." A Wall Street Journal profile quoted Richard Holbrooke, America's envoy to the region, expressing the same thoughts. "Pakistan is at the center of our strategic concerns," he told the newspaper. "If Afghanistan had the best government on earth, a drug-free culture and no corruption it would still be unstable if the situation in Pakistan remained as today."

Here is a sampling of last week's top news and opinion on Afghanistan, as reviewed on NewsTrust:

News

Corruption undercuts U.S. hope for Afghan police
New York Times
Afghan politician links corruption, Taliban rebound
National Public Radio
Holbrooke of South Asia
Wall Street Journal
The U.S. in Afghanistan: The longest war
Time
For Afghan Craftsmen, a welcome upswing after years of struggle
Washington Post

Opinion

For America, the problem is Pakistan
Financial Times
Top ten ways the U.S. is turning Afghanistan into Iraq
Informed Comment
Does the threat from al Qaeda justify a major escalation in Central Asia?
Foreign Policy
Talking to the Taliban
Atlantic Monthly
The Vietnam War lesson we must remember when Afghanistan votes
Los Angeles Times

Afghanistan: Top rated stories (full listing)
Afghanistan: Most recent stories (full listing)

This Week: Taxes
Our featured topic this week is Taxes. We're looking for quality journalism from all sides of the political spectrum about this timely topic. Many interest groups and political observers are debating President Obama's new tax plans. How will these new tax codes affect a country in recession? Should tax rates be higher or lower? How should our tax dollars be spent? Join our News Hunt on Taxes by reviewing (or submitting) stories on our Taxes topic page.

Community Picks: Top Stories

Last week, instead of focusing on a specific topic we turned to our community to decide what great journalism to feature on our site, in our second round of Community Picks. In total, we rated 74 stories -- 49 news and 25 opinion. We pulled from a balance of mainstream and independent sources, and reviewed on topics ranging from Afghanistan to the social change to the global economy.

Top Stories

Below is a sampling of our top rated news and opinion of the week, as reviewed by five or more members of our community:

News

• The solution to end chronic homelessness is simple: Housing
In our top rated news story of the week, Miller-McCune profiled the efforts of three social entrepreneurs to end chronic homelessness in America. This special report, which drew 19 reviews, was nearly exhaustive in its look at former and current programs to address this issue.

• Afghaniscrewed: How I spent my fall vacation
The Village Voice's imbedded reporter gave an edgy first-person narrative of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, focusing on relations between Coalition troops and the Afghan populace.

• Madoff's world
Vanity Fair's extensive interviews with the people closest to Bernie Madoff gave insight into the personality behind one of the biggest acts of financial fraud in history.

Opinion

• Reporting from the front lines of the Texas evolution debate
Our top rated opinion was this piece of citizen journalism from Wired. Here, a science textbook writer recounts her testimony before the Texas School Board in the recent debate over whether creationist theory should be taught alongside evolution in public schools. Kristin Gorski called it "insightful" and was impressed by the authors "interesting distinctions about the debate, and about the separation of church of state in public education."

Top rated news (full listing)
Top rated opinion (full listing)

Featured Members
Here are some of our most trusted members' recent picks:

This Week: Afghanistan
Our featured topic this week is Afghanistan. To combat Al Qaeda and Taliban insurgent forces, the Obama Administration plans to send tens of thousands of U.S. troops to the region this year -- in coordination with NATO and Europe. How are the news media covering this troop increase and conflict escalation? We're looking for good journalism that shows the big picture on Afghanistan -- from Western foreign policy to its effects on the Afghan population. Join this News Hunt by reviewing (or submitting) a story on our Afghanistan topic page.

-- Derek Hawkins, with Fabrice Florin and Kaizar Campwala

Energy: Top Stories

Last week our featured topic was Energy, hosted by Mike LaBonte and Jim Lang. The week was marked by the anniversaries of two energy industry catastrophes: The Exxon Valdez oil spill on March 24, and the partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station on March 28. Stories on both appeared in our list of top news and opinion.

Our top rated news story, 'Three Mile Island still haunts nuclear policy' came from the Salinas, Calif., based KSBW News. A 30-year retrospective on the meltdown at the now infamous Pennsylvania nuclear power plant, the story drew from books, media reports and sources familiar with the accident for its narrative. The story was not without flaws, however, as Jim Lang pointed out in his review.

"My only disappointment is that it ends with a single quote, an opinion from an engineer whose job it is to oppose nuclear power," said Jim, who worked for more than three decades in nuclear power research and management. "Unsupported opinions, even mine, shouldn't be accepted as fact."

In our top opinion, 'Drilling the Arctic for energy,' Scientific American interviewed ocean conservationist Jeff Short about the effects of drilling off the coast of Alaska for oil and gas. Short testified before Congress last week on the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez accident, warning that a similar event would be devastating to the environment and local population.

Another highly rated story came from a source not previously in the NewsTrust database. The Energy Daily, a trade publication, reported on objections from utility companies and state regulators to development of "green" transmission lines proposed by President Barack Obama. Salon also examined the obstacles to building infrastructure that would carry green energy long distances.

Other top energy stories covered cap and trade policy, oil scarcity and new energy technologies.

Here's a sampling of our top news and opinion on Energy:

News

Three Mile Island still haunts nuclear policy
KSBW.com
Green power line hits bumps from states, utilities
The Energy Daily
Europe's oil refining set to shrink
Reuters
The dirty green line
Salon
Obama's climate challenge: Winning the carbon game
Scientific American

Opinion

Drilling the Arctic for energy
Scientific American
On energy, let a thousand filaments bloom
National Journal
Where we are headed: Peak Oil and the financial crisis
The Oil Drum
Carbon caps are the best policy
Wall Street Journal
Power to the people: 7 ways to fix the grid
Wired

Energy: Most trusted stories (full listing)
Energy: Most recent stories (full listing)

Thanks to our hosts, Jim Lang and Mike LaBonte
We'd like to extend a warm thanks to our hosts Jim Lang and Mike LaBonte, who dug deep last week to find great journalism on Energy. Both are seasoned experts -- Jim in nuclear energy and Mike in the fields of electronic engineering and software development. Thanks for your leadership and great insights!

Review Form Update
We're pleased to announce the first of many changes slated to take place on NewsTrust.net this year. 

Beginning today you'll notice several differences in our quick and full review forms. To better support our news literacy mission, we've made the following adjustments:

News Review Form
• Quick Review: replaced Information with Depth
• Full Review:  replaced Depth with Relevance

Opinion Review Form

• Quick Review: replaced Context with Information

• Full Review:  replaced Enterprise with Responsibility

You can see these changes in the review forms by clicking on any story title (or Review button) on the NewsTrust site, emails, RSS or widgets.

This Week: Community Picks
This week on NewsTrust, we're featuring Community Picks -- great journalism surfaced by our community, on any topic. We're looking to promote more reviews and submissions from new members, not just hosts and editors. To join us, simply go to our Most Recent Stories page and start reviewing. For some quick review tips, check our FAQ.

Share Stories You Like
Try our new 'Like' feature, which lets you select stories you like and show them as 'Picks' on your profile. We invite you to use this new tool, so we can showcase your favorite news stories on our site. Try going to the stories you've reviewed recently and click on the 'Like' link for your favorites -- they'll appear in the 'Picks' section of your member profile. In coming days, we'll select the most interesting picks of the week and post them on our home page and the NewsTrust Blog.

-- By Derek Hawkins, with Fabrice Florin and Kaizar Campwala