The Open Notebook – TON Fellowship Stories

How to Ask for Feedback from Editors

Reporters regularly receive feedback in the form of line edits on story drafts. But broader input on one’s overarching writing quality can be tough to glean from editors. Getting this kind of big-picture assessment from editors can help journalists identify problematic patterns in their writing, understand how to craft their stories to better match a publication’s style, and set more ambitious goals for their next pieces. Here’s how to ask for broad feedback on your writing.

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by Knvul Sheikh · July 9, 2019 · 1 comment

Nice Niche: How to Build and Keep Up with a Beat

Many science writers today have a beat—a defined area of research that they cover, such as astronomy, energy, the environment, or health. The best beat reporters become the go-to writers in these fields, get scoops, and provide deep dives into new developments. Here’s a look at the tools they use to sort through the chaos and find newsworthy stories.

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by Knvul Sheikh · June 4, 2019 · 1 comment

Journalists as Characters: Using First-Person Narration to Drive Stories

Science journalists often default to framing stories around the scientists whose work forms the backbone of our reporting. But first-person anecdotes allow journalists to connect with readers by lending authority and emotional authenticity to stories, building narrative tension, or lightening the tone of a piece. First-person can also be used to check personal biases and reveal conflicts of interest, avoid awkward phrasing, or breathe life into arcane concepts.

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by Knvul Sheikh · April 30, 2019 · 0 comments

How to Vet Industry PR Claims

Journalists are constantly inundated with pitches from people in media relations. But how do you draw the line between industry hype and accuracy? What steps do you need to take to weigh proprietary claims? Four science writers share their thoughts on evaluating industry information when peer-reviewed, published data are unavailable.

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by Knvul Sheikh · March 26, 2019 · 3 comments

Elaina Plott Explores Everyday Life on a Sinking Island

Scientists project that Tangier Island, a fishing community in the Chesapeake Bay, might be uninhabitable in 25 years—but locals don’t buy it. In her Pacific Standard portrait of a cozy town fighting a changing climate and a changing culture, Elaina Plott shows what climate science and climate politics look like at street level. She spoke to TON about the power of asking sources basic questions, the keys to small-town field reporting, and why opinions and empathy might both be overrated.

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by Olga Kreimer · February 5, 2019 · 0 comments

Lizzie Presser Reveals the Underground Work of Home-Abortion Providers

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.

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by Aneri Pattani · September 4, 2018 · 2 comments

Do You Need a Science Degree to Be a Science Reporter?

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.

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by Aneri Pattani · August 21, 2018 · 5 comments

Dylan Keefer, director of sound design, mixing audio for Radiolab.

A Guide to Translating Science to Audio

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.

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by Aneri Pattani · June 26, 2018 · 0 comments

How to Cover Big Science Events: Lessons from the Great American Eclipse

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.

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by Aneri Pattani · June 19, 2018 · 1 comment

Adriana Gallardo Finds the Untold Stories of Black Mothers

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.

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by Aneri Pattani · May 22, 2018 · 1 comment

How to Use Reporting Skills from Any Beat for Science Journalism

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.

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by Aneri Pattani · April 24, 2018 · 5 comments

Asking for More: Negotiating Rates for Freelance Assignments

Many freelancers question whether they can ask for more than what’s offered for assignments—and, if so, how and when they should ask. Seeking answers to these quandaries, we surveyed and interviewed freelancers and editors about this practice. Our results show that, on the whole, it rarely hurts to ask. In fact, doing so tends to pay off. The key is asking in the right way.

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by Rachel Zamzow · April 10, 2018 · 4 comments