✍️Science Writing News Roundup #121 (October 29, 2022)
How to handle writer’s block + Free online editorial fact-checking workshop + Register for the Science Journalism Forum.
Time travel takes the prize for best Australian Science writing: Former Cosmos science journalist Lauren Fuge has won this year’s Bragg Prize. Fuge’s story “Time travel and tipping points” which began with an exploration of fossils in the Flinders Ranges, was published last year in Cosmos Magazine Issue 91.
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🌏 Opportunities
Calls for pitches to write about energy, the environment, healthcare, agriculture, food, science for kids + Reporting grants and fellowships for science writers👉Bonus content for monthly supporters.
EJN is offering organizational grants to media organizations to support capacity-building activities for media and journalists related to understanding and preventing zoonotic viral spillover.
Journalists investigating the money behind disinformation invited to apply for master class series. Reporters who participate in the master class series will have the opportunity to pitch collaborative, cross-border projects designed to ferret out the shadow figures behind disinformation campaigns.
🧭 Articles
How to handle writer’s block: Today at The Open Notebook, Pedro Márquez-Zacarías writes about the dreaded subject of writer’s block. (Did he experience writer’s block while writing this story?)
Four things newsrooms can do right now to counter science polarization. There are no easy fixes for systemic issues—but there are steps we can take to inoculate readers against misinformation.
As journalists, we need to change the way we cover disasters. Fewer tragic narratives about survivors, more stories about the causes of coastal disasters and who benefits from government rebuilding grants.
NASW conference plenary uses storytelling to confront race and racism in science. “We talk about racism in very vague ways — in passive voice,” Usha McFarling said. “We talk about systemic racism, institutional racism. But systems are designed by people. Decisions are made by people. We need to bring this out in our work.”
6 ways the Internet of Things poses security threats to journalists. The Internet of Things poses many threats to journalists — at home, in the office and in the field. To help us understand them, a cybersecurity researcher divides these threats into several categories along with real-world examples.
📡 Videos/Podcasts
AAAS Kavli Lecture: Megan Molteni on what to do when experts are getting it wrong. “As science journalists,” Molteni said, “it’s our job to interrogate science as a human endeavor that it is a product of history and a constant work in progress.”
Spotlight on science journalism: Maya Ajmera, publisher of Science News, talks about the relationship between science and democracy, and the importance of supporting science journalism to keep citizens informed on issues that are central to our shared civic infrastructure.
Unpacking the abortion narrative: Media Impact Funders explored how media—and the funders who support it—tells the story of abortion.
Spotlight on science and health mis/disinformation: Internist, infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist Céline Gounder, an editor at Kaiser Health News, shared details about Kaiser Health News’ strategies to address health misinformation and disinformation.
🐤 Tweets
🎟️ Events
Check out free online events about storytelling in science, health journalism, food security, environmental journalism, and how to get paid subscribers for your newsletter 👉Bonus content for monthly supporters.
Science Journalism Forum (October 29 - November 4, 2022)
Launch of the Global South Climate Database (October 31, 2022)
How Can the CHIPS and Science Act Deliver on its Promises? (November 1, 2022)
Africa’s COP: will COP 27 live up to expectations for the Global South? (November 1, 2022)
#SEJWebinar - Better Business: Covering Corporate Climate Solutions (November 2, 2022)
Inequality as a Frontier for Science Journalism: Amy Maxmen is the 2020 recipient of the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award. She will speak about her work on COVID-19, Ebola, and more. Register for the in-person event or watch it on YouTube. (November 3, 2022)
Journalism from Nature's Frontline: A conversation with Rhett Ayers Butler, the founder of Mongabay, a global, nonprofit environmental science and conservation news platform (November 3, 2022)
Learn more about the Health, Environment and Science specialization within the MS Journalism graduate program at Northwestern University (November 8, 2022)
📰 News
AHCJ announces 2022 National Cancer Reporting fellows: Ten journalists will join experts from the National Institutes of Health to increase their understanding of and ability to report accurately on complex scientific findings, provide insight into the work of cancer researchers and to better localize cancer-related stories.
Mongabay welcomes first cohort of conservation reporting fellows: A few months after launching the Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship Program, Mongabay is now welcoming their first cohort of aspiring journalists to the program!
Jobs and internships
👉 To see 12 science writing jobs and internships, please click here to become a member!
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