The Craft of Science Writing:
Selections from The Open Notebook

We are thrilled to announce that The Open Notebook‘s print anthology, The Craft of Science Writing, is now available for pre-order! The book includes indispensable (if we do say so ourselves!) articles on the craft of science writing by some of the most skillful science journalists working today, as well as interviews with leading journalists offering behind-the-scenes inspiration and practical advice.

Storygram: Ed Yong’s “North Atlantic Right Whales Are Dying in Horrific Ways”

This spring, North Atlantic right whales started rapidly dying. In fact, they were dying so quickly that when Ed Yong, a staff writer at The Atlantic, reported the alarming trend in a news story, he needed to revise the text within hours of publishing. It can be difficult to pull off doom-and-gloom conservation stories, especially those involving charismatic megafauna. Here, Nadia Drake, a contributing writer at National Geographic, takes a look at what makes Yong’s piece excellent.

Nadia Drake Oct 8, 2019

Elizabeth Shogren Uncovers Censorship of Science at the National Park Service

The National Park Service greenlighted a project studying the effects of climate change on coastal parks—then buried its results. Reporter Elizabeth Shogren, of Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, tells TON how she used public-records laws to pull back the curtain on scientific censorship by top Park Service officials.

Jennifer Lu Oct 1, 2019

Invisible Science: Why Are Latin American Science Stories Absent in European and U.S. Media Outlets?

Science today is a global activity, but most science published in specialized journals is authored by researchers from the developed world. Among the top 100 scientific institutions cited by NatureINDEX 2019, there isn’t a single university or center from Latin America. The same occurs in the global ecosystem of science news. Here, seven Latin American journalists discuss possible solutions.

Federico Kukso Sep 24, 2019

Environmental Journalism: A TON Collection

The Open Notebook has published hundreds of interviews and reported articles on the craft of science journalism. Here, we present a few dozen that focus on environmental journalism.

Call for Early-Career Fellowship Applications

We are now accepting applications for the next two rounds of The Open Notebook fellowship for early-career science writers, made possible by a grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. This 8-month mentored fellowship is remote and part-time, with a stipend of $4,200. The application deadline is October 20.

TON Editors Sep 16, 2019