Contacting an editor for the first time can be intimidating, especially for writers who lack experience. It can be hard to even get the contact details of an editor. Although there is no standard way of introducing yourself to editors, most science writers make first contact by email, including at least a story idea, if not a full pitch. So, writing a persuasive, compelling email is key to having a successful first-time contact with an editor.
Most science journalists learn how to read a certain kind of paper: one based on number-heavy, experiment-driven research. But rarely are we taught how to evaluate the credibility of papers that are based on qualitative data such as interviews, observation, or the analysis of historical documents. Doing so requires redefining expectations, calibrating your definition of what “robust” research is, engaging deeply with the internal debates of a field, and resetting the narrative structure of your stories.
Contar historias sobre salud ambiental no es una tarea fácil. Las comunidades vulnerables son a menudo las protagonistas, y la evidencia científica que respalda sus afirmaciones de daños por parte de la industria o los gobiernos suele ser escasa. Para reportear de manera responsable, los periodistas científicos deben repensar las preguntas que hacen a los científicos, sentirse cómodos con la incertidumbre y reconocer cuándo los datos faltantes son una historia en sí.
Los reporteros reciben regularmente retroalimentación en forma de ediciones en borradores de historias. Pero la información más amplia sobre la calidad de escritura general de uno puede ser difícil de obtener de los editores. Obtener este tipo de evaluación general por parte de los editores puede ayudar a los periodistas a identificar patrones problemáticos en sus escritos, comprender cómo elaborar sus historias para que coincidan mejor con el estilo de una publicación y establecer metas más ambiciosas para sus próximos artículos. A continuación, te mostramos cómo solicitar retroalimentación amplia sobre tu escritura.
With its immersive and intimate feel, audio storytelling gives print journalists new ways to invite an audience into a world. Radio shows and podcasts can use sound to convey the scientific process and add drama to research narratives. Learning to create compelling audio stories takes time and practice, but training workshops and online communities can help newbies gain their footing and eventually land freelance assignments.
There are lots of tools to help journalists shepherd their story to completion. However, no one organizational tool or strategy is perfect for everyone—or even right for any given person at all times and across all their projects. You’ll need to experiment to find the combination that works for you, without accidentally spending so much time trying to develop an organizational utopia that you are left with no time for doing the journalism itself.
Telling stories about environmental health is not an easy task. Vulnerable communities are often the protagonists, and scientific evidence to back up their claims of harm by industry or governments is often scarce. To report responsibly, science journalists need to rethink the questions they ask scientists, get comfortable with uncertainty, and recognize when missing data is a story of its own.
Entrevistar a científicos es una parte básica del periodismo científico. Pero elegir las fuentes adecuadas y tener una conversación exitosa puede ser una tarea retadora, incluso para los periodistas experimentados. No hay garantía de que cada entrevista vaya a ser excelente, pero planificar y prepararse bien puede maximizar tus posibilidades de obtener la información que necesitas y tener una historia exitosa.
The pandemic left many writers without one of their main tools to write engaging scenes: going to places where they can experience the story firsthand. Many audio producers are accustomed to telling stories from a distance, so the questions they ask to create sensory scenes didn’t change much in remote reporting. However, they did have to make some adjustments. They’ve used all sorts of interviewing techniques, from video tours to interviews by voice notes, to bring depth to their stories and characters.
In December 2020, Kenyan freelance science journalist Geoffrey Kamadi won the gold award in the small-outlet category of the 2020 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards for his investigative story for Science Africa, “Tana River Basin under Threat.” For his story, Kamadi traveled to the Tana River Delta, where he meets farmers whose livelihoods have been greatly damaged, listening to their stories of yellowing banana plants and reduced rice production.
No journalist understands the complexities of zoonotic diseases quite like David Quammen. In 2012, he published Spillover, a book predicting the arrival of a terrible pandemic, spurred by a novel virus passing from animals to humans. For that project, he traveled to remote villages, walked through forests, and crawled in caves looking for answers. But when the world-changing pandemic finally arrived, it brought a new challenge: He had to cover it from home.
Ten countries, 38 reporters, 29 in-depth stories, and a database that documents nearly 2,400 acts of violence against Latin American environmental leaders are a few of the numbers that characterize the ambitious Land of Resistants project. To achieve their goals, the team clearly defined concepts, methods, and deadlines from the beginning. Ethical and practical questions about safety arose at every step, so the team had to take care of each other. Editing was a balancing act of letting different styles shine and answering the project’s core questions.
Diez países, 38 reporteros, 29 reportajes de largo aliento y una base de datos que documenta más de 2.400 episodios violentos contra líderes ambientales latinoamericanos son algunas de las cifras del ambicioso proyecto periodístico Tierra de Resistentes. Para completar el proyecto, el equipo delimitó claramente los conceptos más relevantes, la metodología para investigar y un cronograma de trabajo. Por la naturaleza del tema, los reporteros y editores tuvieron que responder preguntas éticas y prácticas sobre seguridad en cada paso de la reportería. La edición fue un delicado acto de equilibrismo en el que darle brillo al estilo de cada periodista fue tan importante como responder las preguntas centrales del proyecto.
Interviewing scientists is a basic part of science journalism. But choosing the right sources and having a successful conversation can be a challenging task—even for seasoned reporters. There is no guarantee that every interview is going to be great, but planning and preparing well can maximize your chances of getting the information you need and having a successful story.
Maybe you’re a scientist who’s making the leap into journalism. Maybe you’re a general-assignment reporter, or an education reporter, or a city hall reporter, and you’ve been assigned your first science story. Or maybe you’re a journalism student who wants to try covering science or medicine or the environment. But whoever you are, if you’re brand new to science journalism, this tip sheet is for you.
Quizás eres un científico que está dando el salto al periodismo. Tal vez seas un reportero de asignaciones generales, de educación o de política y te han asignado tu primera noticia sobre un tema científico. O tal vez eres un estudiante de periodismo que quiere probar cubrir temas de ciencia, medicina o medio ambiente. Sin importar quién seas, si eres nuevo en el periodismo científico, estos consejos son para ti.
At some point in their career, most journalists will make a mistake, from minor ones such as misspellings to more significant ones like misunderstanding the conclusions of a study. It’s crucial to understand how mistakes happen, so journalists can do their best to avoid them—and understand how to handle them when they do occur.
Many writers will at some point write a piece that generates a negative reaction from readers. Sometimes it’s warranted, and was perhaps avoidable; sometimes, as one editor puts it, “people are just jerks.” But tucked into the backlash is often a lesson—whether it’s about boosting your digital security, building out your source list for your next piece, or partnering with your editor to dispel any self-doubt that’s crept in during the process.
Most journalists will agree that learning how to properly report on science news takes time, but as news of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to dominate headlines, it’s now a job that many reporters must learn quickly. To help new science journalists, whether they’re fresh out of college, career changers, or seasoned journalists being given an unexpected assignment, The Open Notebook asked 18 science journalists for their most practical advice for covering the health and science beat. Here’s what they told us.
Patient narratives can add depth and heart to health reporting, putting faces to statistics and grounding data that might otherwise seem obscure. And thanks to social media platforms, it’s become easier than ever for journalists to find new sources to fill these gaps. But venturing into this virtual territory also raises some complex ethical quandaries about the spaces reporters should and shouldn’t invite themselves into—and how to balance timeliness and accuracy with sensitivity and compassion.
In March, a lecture Meehan Crist had given in London was adapted into an essay called “Is It OK to Have a Child?” In the piece, which grapples with the ethics of having children in the era of climate change, Crist embarks on a fraught discussion about parenthood, crisis, and, ultimately, individual empowerment. Here, she discusses her inspiration, the stumbling blocks she hit along the way, and the process of grounding the difficult subject of climate change in personal narrative.
Sources often ask to see quotes or drafts before publication to ensure that their work is accurately represented and that the opinions they’ve given don’t reflect poorly on them. But even when well intentioned, most journalists agree these requests usually can’t be accommodated without a breach of integrity. As such, navigating these conversations kindly and effectively is a critical part of the science journalist’s job. Here’s how to set the record straight.
In May, BuzzFeed News reporter Stephanie Lee broke a massive story based on a whistleblower complaint, filed with Stanford University, criticizing the researchers behind a controversial study on COVID-19 antibody testing. The lengthy document revealed that JetBlue’s founder, a known critic of ongoing economic shutdowns, had financially backed the research. It also noted that the scientists who had compiled the data had ignored concerns from their colleagues about the reliability of the antibody test their results were based on. Here, Lee explains how her story unfolded—and why she can’t reveal much about the original tip.
In covering infectious disease, Nature senior reporter Amy Maxmen keeps the focus on the scientists behind new discoveries. Six years after she wrote about the Ebola outbreak that began in West Africa in 2014, Maxmen is once again writing about a viral pandemic. Here, she tells Katherine J. Wu about finding unique angles on COVID-19, how her experiences with Ebola reporting have informed her journalism, and how a borrowed Chihuahua is helping her get through the pandemic.
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