Why Journalists Shouldn’t Be Neutral on Climate Change

Calls to Keep Politics Out of Science Reporting Ignore a Core Responsibility: Minimize Harm

Can we, and should we, ever really be neutral? In a new series, Zócalo explores the idea of neutrality—in politics, sports, gender, journalism, and more. In this essay, journalism scholar Perry Parks makes the case for favoring evidence over equivalence when it comes to climate change.

Last year was the hottest summer on record in the Northern Hemisphere. Earth’s ocean surfaces were warmer in the first month of 2024 than any previously recorded January. And by the end of this year, global climate-related deaths since …

More In: Ideas

The Unheralded Bronx Teens Behind Breaking | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

The True Story Behind Olympic Breakdancing

The Sport Debuting in Paris Erases an American Urban Dance Legacy

The Olympians competing in the inaugural breaking exhibition event at the Paris Games are sure to perform incredible feats of acrobatics while music plays. But you won’t catch them doing …

California’s Ballot Measures Don’t Need to Be a Hot Mess

A Swiss-Style Model of Counterproposals Could Make for Smarter Voting and Better Public Policy

No man is happy but by comparison.

– Thomas Shadwell, poet laureate, United Kingdom (1689-1692)

If you want to better understand the true nature of a proposal, consider a …

Parenting Beyond the Gender Binary

Neutrality Guided Me Through Their Childhood. But Did I Prepare My Trans Kid for Life Outside Our Family’s Orbit?

Can we, and should we, ever really be neutral? In a new series, Zócalo explores the idea of neutrality—in politics, sports, gender, journalism, international …

How We Won a Historic Contract for Hotel Workers

I Work at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. My First Strike Was Scary, Empowering, Sad, and Beautiful

This piece was published as part of the Zócalo/The James Irvine Foundation public program and editorial series, “What Is a Good Job Now?” which investigates …

A Water Rights Storm Is Brewing in the Foothills Above Glendale | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

A Water Rights Storm Is Brewing in the Foothills Above Glendale

Too Bad the City of L.A. Won’t Let Its Neighbors Capture the Rain and Reuse It

The Verdugo Wash is a small flood control channel that takes rainwater from the foothills above Glendale to the L.A. River, and 30 miles out to the Pacific Ocean.

When you …