Although community engagement has emerged as a new buzzword in recent years, it’s been part of journalism for centuries, from letters to the editor to phone calls to the newsroom. That means reporters looking to build trust and relationships with new audiences don’t need to reinvent the wheel. They can learn from the successes and failures of the many who’ve tried before them.
La capacitación científica puede resultar útil en el periodismo científico, pero por cada beneficio que pueden traer los años invertidos en obtener un título en ciencias —desde adquirir conocimientos técnicos, hasta comprender la vida cotidiana de un científico y evitar errores comunes de la interpretación científica— también existe una desventaja potencial.
Across the United States, there’s a secret network of women working outside the law and the medical establishment to provide cheap and accessible home abortions. Investigative reporter Lizzie Presser shares how she discovered their story and brought their work into the light.
Some consider science journalism more technical and knowledge-heavy than other beats. That’s why there are often space writers with degrees in astronomy or health reporters who used to be doctors. But does that mean those are the only people who can do the job well? Do you need a science degree to be a science reporter? We reopen the classic debate with five science reporters.
The challenge of making complex science topics clear and entertaining can be even greater for audio journalists, who can’t use visual aids or rely on the audience to reread a confusing section. Yet Science Friday, Science Vs, and Radiolab have all discovered unique ways to meet this challenge. Now they share some of the most important lessons they’ve learned along the way.
The Great American Eclipse was arguably the largest science story of 2017, with nearly every U.S. newsroom covering it. But what that coverage looked like—and why it took the form it did—varied significantly from outlet to outlet. Examining the approaches taken by four different organizations—BuzzFeed, The Washington Post, The Oregonian, and Science News—can reveal important lessons in shaping coverage of a large science event.
When ProPublica and NPR put out a call for stories about women who died or nearly died in pregnancy or childbirth, they got thousands of replies. But only 200 about the experiences of black women—even though they are most affected by this issue. That’s when ProPublica engagement reporter Adriana Gallardo got creative and used a StoryCorps model to get more black women involved in the conversation.
Many science reporters get their start in other beats, including crime, business, fashion, or politics. But science touches every aspect of life, so it’s no wonder many of them say the skills they developed in those beats have made them better-equipped—and sometimes uniquely positioned—to report on science.
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.
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