[4] In 1986 Budiansky joined the staff of U.S. News & World Report, where he worked for twelve years in a variety of writing and editing positions, covering science and national security issues.

[citation needed] From 2007 to 2008 he was the editor of World War II magazine, where he oversaw a complete redesign and brought in well-known writers and historians to contribute to the publication.

[citation needed] He subsequently collaborated with Tim Foley, the 26th director of the United States Marine Band, on a scholarly article further exploring the problem and recommending solutions.

[7] Biologist Jerry Coyne negatively reviewed the book, noting that "the main problems with Budiansky's own conclusions are clear to those familiar with the scientific literature.

"[12] Philosopher Jerry Fodor gave the book a mixed review, claiming it is easy to read and well researched but taking issue with Budiansky for trying to explain cases of animal intelligence by associative learning.

Fodor remarked that it is "primarily his passion for Morgan's Canon that turns Budiansky's book into an obsessive hunt for flaws in arguments or experiments that suggest that animals might be smart.

[9][17][18] Palaeontologist Niles Eldredge negatively reviewed much of The Covenant of the Wild, noting that many of Budiansky's arguments convey a false message and were driven by emotion.

Eldredge concluded that "conservationists are not teary-eyed sentimentalists or folks who want to return to some fantasy of a pristine natural state, as Budiansky strives so mightily to convince us.

Janis suggested that "the book presents excellent coverage of recent scientific discoveries and ideas that concern horses, written for both the layperson and the scientist".

He received the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Writing Award in 2004 for an article in American Heritage on the Civil War intelligence chief George H. Sharpe.