A science media landscape that lacks diversity is missing opportunities to engage communities of readers who could shape tomorrow’s science and science policy. By calling attention to some of the problems, giving visibility to minority journalists’ work, and undertaking nuanced examinations of issues that minority journalists often encounter, we hope to strengthen the profession of science journalism. We hope you’ll join us.
A common saying in the autism community goes: “If you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person.” That is, we autistic people all vary in our traits. Some of these are problematic, but others can be beneficial. Because we observe and process the world differently, our writing can present unique perspectives. Autistic writers who learn to capitalize on the favorable traits and manage the more challenging ones can thrive in this profession.
Anna Kuchment is a staff science writer at The Dallas Morning News, a contributing editor at Scientific American, and a former reporter and writer at Newsweek magazine. She is a coauthor, with Boston College historian Conevery Bolton Valencius, of the forthcoming book Shaky Ground: The Untold Story of the Largest Earthquake Surge in Modern History, which tells the story of the dramatic rise in earthquakes linked to oil and gas production.
Pulling off seamless transitions can elude even the most seasoned writers and editors. Transitions can easily come across as formulaic, forced, obvious, or patronizing. And if they’re not done with finesse, they can give away the punchline and make stories feel repetitive. When transitions are ineffective—or are lacking altogether—readers may lose the thread of the story, or they may feel jarred from one paragraph or section to the next, or they may just get bored and go away.
Kat McGowan is a journalist and editor focused on medicine and science. As an editor, she currently works with Grist and Neo Life; her most recent bylines were for Popular Science, Mother Jones, Scientific American, and STAT. She was formerly a consulting editor at the autism science publication Spectrum, a special projects editor at Discover, and senior editor at Psychology Today. She also volunteers at a wildlife hospital and is an active member of the crow team.
Physics—including astronomy, cosmology, theory, and the machinations of the universe at the very biggest and very smallest scales—is sometimes relegated to the science-writing sidelines. But in Nicola Twilley’s hands, high-energy physics is gripping, surprising, even funny—and that’s what makes her coverage of the first gravitational-wave detection so interesting. \Here, we analyze what makes her story so good.
Writing When on the Autism Spectrum
Good Transitions: A Guide to Cementing Stories Together
Trading the Pipette for the Pen: Transitioning from Science to Science Writing
On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
The Reluctant Scientist: When Meeting Presenters Get Cold Feet
Do You Need a Science Degree to Be a Science Reporter?
The Intern’s Survival Guide
David Tuller Untangles the Research History of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Ask TON: Crafting a Winning Fellowship Proposal
A Guide to Translating Science to Audio
Pitching Errors: How Not to Pitch
Carl Zimmer’s Brief Guide to Writing Explainers
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