Chris Mooney


Chris Mooney

Chris Mooney is a visiting associate in the Center for Collaborative History at Princeton University and the author of three books: The Republican War on Science, New York Times bestselling The Republican War on Sciencedubbed "a landmark in contemporary political reporting" by Salon.com
and a "well-researched, closely argued and amply referenced indictment
of the right wing’s assault on science and scientists" by Scientific American; Storm World, Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle Over Global Warming–dubbed "riveting" by the Boston Globe, selected as a 2007 best book of the year in the science category by Publisher’s Weekly, and winner of the American Meteorological Society’s 2009 Louis J. Battan Author’s award; and the forthcoming Unscientific America, co-authored with Sheril Kirshenbaum.

In addition, he is a contributing editor to Science Progress, a senior correspondent for The American Prospect magazine, and also writes "The Intersection" blog with Kirshenbaum. He is quoted regularly in the media and has appeared on many radio and television programs, including The Colbert Report and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.
Among other accolades, in 2005 Chris was named one of Wired magazine’s ten "sexiest geeks." In addition, The Republican War on Science was named a finalist for the 2005 Los Angeles Times book prize in the category of "Science and Technology," and Chris’s 2005 Mother Jones feature story about ExxonMobil, conservative think tanks, and climate change was nominated for a National Magazine Award in the "public interest" category (as part of a cover package on global warming).
Chris’s 2005 article for Seed magazine on the Dover evolution trial was included in the volume Best American Science and Nature Writing 2006. In 2006, Chris also won the "Preserving Core Values in Science"
award from the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. Chris
was born in Mesa, Arizona, and grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana; he
graduated from Yale University in 1999, where he wrote a column for the
Yale Daily News. Before becoming a freelance writer, Chris worked for two years at The American Prospect as a writing fellow, then staff writer, then online editor (where he helped to create the popular blog Tapped).
Chris has contributed to a wide variety of other publications in recent years, including Wired, Science, Harper’s, Seed, New Scientist, Slate, Salon, Mother Jones, Legal Affairs, Reason, The American Scholar, The New Republic, The Washington Monthly, Columbia Journalism Review, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Globe. In addition, Chris’s blog, "The Intersection," was a recipient of Scientific American’s 2005 Science and Technology web award, which noted that "science is lucky to have such a staunch ally in acclaimed journalist Chris Mooney."
Chris speaks regularly
at academic meetings, bookstores, university campuses, and other
events. He has appeared at distinguished universities including the
Harvard Medical School, MIT, Yale, Princeton, Rockefeller University,
and Duke University Medical Center; at major venues such as the
Commonwealth Club in San Francisco and Town Hall Seattle; and at
bookstores across the country, ranging from Books & Books in Coral
Gables, Florida to Powell’s in Portland, Oregon. In 2006, he was the
keynote speaker for the 43rd Annual Dinner of Planned Parenthood of San
Diego and Riverside Counties and the Edward Lamb Peace Lecturer at
Bowling Green State University. In 2007, he was the opening plenary
speaker at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Melbourne,
Australia. Chris has also been featured regularly by the national
media. He has appeared on CSPAN’s Book TV, Fresh Air With Terry Gross, NPR’s Science Friday (here and here), and The Al Franken Show, among many other television and radio programs. He has been profiled by The Toronto Star and The Seattle Times, and interviewed by many outlets including Grist and Mother Jones.
To see a more comprehensive list of Chris’s various writings, click here.

Character Assassination is an Insult to Us All

John Holdren, Obama's science adviser, is the recent victim of baseless attacks intended to inflame public anger. To bring reasoned discourse to our most contentious debates, both sides must require proof and truth as the basis for all arguments.