TNR’s Stanley Kauffmann breaks down the changes in film criticism over the past century, and argues that the medium is uniquely universal.

TNR’s Stanley Kauffmann breaks down the changes in film criticism over the past century, and argues that the medium is uniquely universal.

WASHINGTON — As President Obama confronts his testing time this summer, he holds major assets but faces deep tensions within his governing coalition. This will force him to make hard choices earlier than he might have preferred.

This magazine has made no secret of its high regard for Barack Obama. Which makes it all the more distressing for us to observe the approach that his administration is taking on gay rights. During the campaign, Obama said all the right things (well, almost all–like most national politicians, he wouldn’t endorse same-sex marriage). He invoked the importance of winning “equality” and “dignity” and “respect” for gays and lesbians. Now he is president. And one of the perks of being president is that you get to lead. But, when it comes to gay issues, leading does not seem to interest this White House.

Ambulances are transporting more supersize patients than ever — several a day, including some as large as 800 pounds.

A lot has happened both in the political world and here at GroundReport since our last update. 

As Iran shut its doors to foreign press, citizens became reporters.  On GroundReport, Iranian contributors are showing the world through articles, photos and tweets what’s really happening on the ground.

With Iran, citizen journalism reached its tipping point. Now comes the hard part: how to separate the rumor from the fact?

Now our big news.

In response to the explosion of grassroots reporting, GroundReport is raising the bar with the highest standards in citizen journalism. 

For our contributors, reporting on GroundReport.com is still simple.  And you still receive a revenue share for your work. It’s what happens next that’s different.

From now on, every news item submitted to GroundReport must be approved by our Editorial Team prior to publication.

After you publish, your work will wait in a submissions queue until our team checks and approves it. 

The exception? Contributors with proven, internal fact-checking policies are added to our Pro List and get instant publication each time. 

Bottom line: Every news item on GroundReport will be credible and trusted. 

This is radical for the citizen journalism space, but we think it’s long overdue. Learn more about our editorial process here.

In line with this change, we’re excited to announce that GroundReport is now officially syndicating news to Huffington Post and Newstex partners.

There’s more news to come.  Stay in the loop by following GroundReport on Twitter and becoming a fan on Facebook.

Video Interview: I explain the changes on PBS MediaShift. Watch the video here to learn why we made the change.

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North Korea test launched seven ballistic missiles Saturday from its eastern coast, the Yonhap news agency reported citing South Korea’s military.

North Korea test launched seven ballistic missiles from its eastern coast Saturday, the Yonhap news agency reported citing South Korea’s military.

A plane carrying ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to Honduras has been diverted to El Salvador, after an unsuccessful attempt to land at the international airport in Tegucigalpa.

As Israel’s new right-wing government marks a milestone, it is softening its position on the creation of a Palestinian state. But the Palestinians are skeptical.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said on Sunday that Ukraine will not host foreign military bases, and its territory will not be used against Russia, when the country joins NATO.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff addressed the situation in Iraq, relations with North Korea, China and Russia and possible changes to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy during an appearance on a television news show today.

Additional American troops in Afghanistan are making it possible to institute the new strategy in the country, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.

Pakistani warplanes and helicopters have attacked Taliban positions in the country’s northwest, killing at least six suspected militants and wounding several others.

The recent conflict-related population displacements in northwestern Pakistan – with some two million internally displaced persons (IDPs) according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) – are the biggest in over 50 years, but by no means the only recent displacements.

The British military says two British soldiers were killed during separate attacks in southern Afghanistan

An Iranian employee of the British embassy in Tehran will be charged with threatening national security over his alleged role in post-election riots, his lawyer said.

Top clerics from Iran’s seat of religious learning, Qom, are accusing the country’s top election watchdog, the Guardian Council, of not adequately investigating charges of election fraud during the disputed June 12 presidential election.