Maya Wei-Haas is a writer for National Geographic, where she writes about all things science, with a particular affection for rocks and reactions. Before that she was an assistant science editor for Smithsonianmag.com’s Smart News, which turns a Smithsonian lens on daily events. She began her career as a scientist, earning a PhD in environmental chemistry at Ohio State University, and made the jump to writing with the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship.
The steps to becoming an editor may not seem clear, especially to the early-career writer. But while many people fall into an editing role, it can pay off to be proactive. Editing work can bump up a journalist’s pay and provide a route to career advances. Though paths to editing may not typically be linear, they often involve writers expressing an interest to their mentors or editors and racking up editing skills along the way.
We are now accepting applications for the next two rounds of The Open Notebook/Burroughs Wellcome Fund fellowship for early-career science writers. The application deadline is October 25, 2020.
Muchos reporteros científicos se inician en otras áreas de cobertura periodística, incluidas el crimen, los negocios, la moda o la política. Pero la ciencia toca todos los aspectos de la vida, por lo que no es extraño que muchos de ellos digan que las habilidades que desarrollaron esas especializaciones los ha preparado mejor —y a veces los ha puesto en una posición única— para informar sobre ciencia.
Companies and institutions often use strategies to intimidate and discredit reporters after a hard-hitting piece is published. This is always stressful, but journalists who know what’s coming can prepare and protect themselves.
Since the start of the pandemic, data journalists have had the difficult task of tracking massive amounts of inconsistent, ever-changing information around the coronavirus and wrangling it into visually appealing, digestible designs—on deadline. Here, four data journalists covering COVID-19 discuss the most challenging aspects of the gig and their approach to producing graphics that are accurate, informative, and crucially during the uncontrolled pandemic, actionable.
Including diverse voices in science stories ensures more accurate and complete stories that more fully reflect and inform readers, and is the equitable thing to do. On this page, we compile detailed and specific resources and strategies for making that goal a reality.
The articles in this collection from The Open Notebook—on topics such as covering preprint manuscripts, interviewing people who have experienced trauma, spotting shady statistics, avoiding spreading misinformation, and more—are especially relevant for anyone covering the coronavirus pandemic.
Good Transitions: A Guide to Cementing Stories Together
COVID-19 Reporting Diaries: March 25–31, 2020
Journalists as Characters: Using First-Person Narration to Drive Stories
How to Talk to Your Facebook Friends about Fake News
Data Journalists’ Roundtable: Visualizing the Pandemic
Making Your Writing and Reporting Transgender-Inclusive
There’s No One Path to Becoming an Editor
Writing When on the Autism Spectrum
Interrogating Data: A Science Writer’s Guide to Data Journalism
Good Endings: How to Write a Kicker Your Editor—and Your Readers—Will Love
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