Jessica Camille Aguirre Dissects Australia’s Cat-Killing Conservation Strategy

Millions of feral cats are devastating Australia’s population of small mammals found only on the continent. To staunch sky-high extinction rates, the government has ordered a massive culling of the feline predators, to the dismay of cat lovers around the world. In her New York Times Magazine story, Jessica Camille Aguirre unpacks this polarizing conservation strategy. Here, she tells TON how she wrangled the logistics of her reporting trip, captured vivid details on the ground, and handled the story’s inevitable backlash.

Christine Ro Feb 25, 2020

Donate The Craft of Science Writing to a Student

If you would like to purchase one or more copies of The Craft of Science Writing to be donated to a student/students in need, The Open Notebook will make arrangements for your gift through an accredited educational institution.

So You Think You Can’t Draw? A Beginner’s Guide to Graphic Journalism

Let’s say you want to dip your toes into graphic journalism but are worried because you think you can’t draw. Luckily, making graphic journalism isn’t so much a test of your drawing abilities as it is about making words and images work together. You can begin illustrating even without an art background. Here are some strategies for getting started.

Jennifer Lu Feb 18, 2020

The World’s Finest Science-Themed Peeps Diorama Contest

It’s time again for science communication to meet sugary confection, for innovators in medicine to be immortalized in gelatin, for the thrill of discovery to be depicted all marshmallowy—it’s time to make a science diorama out of Peeps. How will you #PeepYourScience in 2020?

A Day in the Life of Sara Shipley Hiles

Sara Shipley Hiles is an associate professor of professional practice at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Before teaching, she was a freelance journalist and staff writer at publications including The Times-Picayune in New Orleans and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She specializes in science, health, and environmental journalism and serves on the board of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

TON Editors Feb 11, 2020

Gut Check: Working with a Sensitivity Reader

Like fact-checkers, sensitivity readers can help illuminate the truth in stories by avoiding harmful stereotypes or mischaracterizations. Jane C. Hu explains the ins-and-outs of working with sensitivity readers, from hiring a reader to setting working expectations. But hiring a reader, who ought to be paid a fee, may not always be possible. For these situations, Hu offers alternative strategies and resources for writers to review their own work for sensitive topics and avoid potentially problematic issues. 

Jane C. Hu Jan 21, 2020