Science Writing News Roundup

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✍️Science Writing News Roundup #37 (March 30, 2021)
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✍️Science Writing News Roundup #37 (March 30, 2021)

How to debunk misinformation about COVID, vaccines and masks + How to find and vet journal articles + Writing science-themed books for young people

Marianna Limas
Mar 30, 2021
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Good Thinking: Why Flawed Logic Puts Us All at Risk and How Critical Thinking Can Save the World. We live in an era where access to all the knowledge in the world is at our fingertips, yet that also means misinformation and falsehoods can spread further and faster than ever before. In Good Thinking, David Robert Grimes shows how we can be lured into making critical mistakes or drawing false conclusions, and how to avoid such errors.

🌄 Tips

  • Productive writing through a pandemic year. Renowned writing coach Roy Peter Clark shares what helped him stay productive during the pandemic year.

  • So you want to be a science communicator: Advice from a professional science writer. “Science communication is like origami — the idea is a piece of paper, but you can express the message in a multitude of ways, simply by folding it into different shapes,” writes Tara Fernandez.

  • How to debunk misinformation about COVID, vaccines and masks: We each have more power to be a science communicator than we realize. “Equipped with a few tools, we can each become part of a larger misinformation-fighting system—as I like to call it, a science defense system,” writes Kathleen Hall Jamieson.

  • Treasure hunt: How to find and vet journal articles. Sometimes, it can be tricky to determine the credibility of an academic journal. But certain metrics and good old-fashioned reporting can help point a journalist toward reputable research—and great stories. (This story has also been translated into Spanish)

💎 Opportunities

  • Join the WFSJ Professional Development Committee: The World Federation of Science Journalists is interested in setting up a mentorship program to share best practices among universities and colleges teaching science journalism.

  • Apply now for the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Science Journalism: The prize is open to individuals and teams of up to six people where the work is the result of a collaborative team effort.

  • The Wilson Center and Earth Journalism Network are offering reporting grants to support the production of stories exploring how international diplomacy is shaping environmental policy in Latin America as well as the health and well-being of certain communities.

  • I, write is a science journalism contest organized by Imperial College’s I, Science magazine. Suitable for all students in Years 10-13, they want to challenge students to think outside the box, and consider where science can be found outside of the classroom.

  • The Department of Life Sciences Communication at UW–Madison is offering science communication summer courses. Courses include: Science and Storytelling; Science, Media and Society; Visualizing Science and Technology; Social Media for the Life Sciences, and Scientific Writing.

Twitter avatar for @ScienceWritersNational Association of Science Writers (NASW) @ScienceWriters
DEADLINE April 1st: NASW is offering $5,000 in supplemental income for #SciWriStudent and early career science writers to more easily pursue their planned #summer internship experience. Supporting racial/ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, those with disabilities:
Applications open for 2021 Diversity Summer FellowshipThe National Association of Science Writers is pleased to offer a fellowship for talented students and early-career science communicators undertaking summer internships.nasw.org

March 25th 2021

15 Retweets13 Likes
Twitter avatar for @BeeBrookshireBethany Brookshire @BeeBrookshire
Members of @ScienceWriters! @rpocisv and I are looking in to building a..... MID-CAREER MENTORING PROGRAM! Because we need mentors too. :) But to do that, we need your help! Why? We want it to actually help you. So, we have a SURVEY:
NASW Mid-Career Mentoring SurveyNASW is developing a mid-career mentoring program! What would you like out of it? We want to know. Your answers here will only be used to offer insight into the potential development of a mid-career mentoring program for NASW members. You have the option at the end to include your name and email i…forms.gle

March 24th 2021

41 Retweets67 Likes
Twitter avatar for @thebandersonBrian A. Anderson @thebanderson
🌎 I am now taking pitches for @voxdotcom’s new biodiversity reporting initiative (launching next month!). Hmu: brian.anderson1@vox.com. Some info on what we’re after ⬇️

March 23rd 2021

174 Retweets443 Likes

🔬 News

  • Making the science of Covid clearer: As a science reporter for The New York Times, Apoorva Mandavilli knows the world of research, labs and technical papers. In an interview, she talks about when she realized she didn’t want to be a research scientist, what it’s like to send her own kids back to school and her favorite lowbrow television.

  • Plants and poems; The story of Professor Anne Osbourn’s Mock Orange. Anne Osbourn, who recently had a book of poetry published, has always been passionate about popular science writing and the links between science, writing, poetry and art.

📺 Videos

  • Reporter Nights at SPS: Science Journalism in the Time of COVID-19. Claudia Dreifus and students in her class interviewed a panel of top science editors and reporters on their career paths, as well as the highlights and challenges of their day-to-day work.

  • The toughest audience: Writing science-themed books for young people. A conversation with Melissa Stewart, Loree Griffin Burns and Lita Judge.

  • Netflix’s ‘Connected’ Q&A with Host Latif Nasser and Showrunner David Mettler (DC Science Writers Association)

  • COVID-19 vaccines and variants: A virtual conversation with Dr. John Moore (Science Writers in New York)

📨 Resources

  • COVID-19: Learning from the past, defining our future. SciLine's media briefing featured two expert panelists providing science-informed perspectives on what COVID’s second year may bring.

  • Revising the “Hype Pipeline” Model in Scientific Communication. In this article, researchers present a new model for hype formation in science communication and in the public understanding of science.

  • Science writing in the age of COVID-19: “One of my favorite websites for COVID expert info is Dear Pandemic. The self-described ‘Nerdy Girls’ – female scientists – explain the concepts and findings that most confuse the public,” writes Ricki Lewis.

Twitter avatar for @fancycommaFancy Comma, LLC @fancycomma
My science writing ebook is here and currently free on Kindle unlimited. Free on Amazon, too, starting tomorrow. If you get it, please consider leaving me a good review:
How to Get Started in Freelance Science Writing - Kindle edition by Azma, Sheeva, Ho, Kevin, Parekh, Nidhi, Tabbutt, Kelly. Reference Kindl…How to Get Started in Freelance Science Writing - Kindle edition by Azma, Sheeva, Ho, Kevin, Parekh, Nidhi, Tabbutt, Kelly. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading How to Get Started in Freelan…amazon.com

March 24th 2021

7 Retweets6 Likes

🗓️ Events

  • Covering the COVID-19 vaccine: What journalists need to know (March 29 - April 25, 2021)

  • The George Polk Awards Webinar: The Press & the Pandemic, Filling the Information Void (April 8, 2021)

  • Science Sources: Where to Find them and How to Vet Them (April 15, 2021)

  • Science Sonnets: The Poetry of Good SciComm (April 15, 2021)

Twitter avatar for @deborahblumDeborah Blum @deborahblum
Registration for the amazing @KSJatMIT science editing webinar series just went alive and this line up is so incredibly good. Check it out here: Webinar page here:
Webinars - KSJ HandbookDevelop your science editing skills through this companion webinar series to the science editing handbook. Each event features several leading science journalists who will dive deep into topics including source diversity and development, covering health issues, and handling controversial topics. Thi…ksjhandbook.org

March 29th 2021

10 Retweets13 Likes
Twitter avatar for @ScienceWritingCASW @ScienceWriting
Have an idea for a Sci+SciWri session for #SciWri21? Proposals are due APR 16!
bit.ly/2OXiyEq @ScienceWriters @atxsciwri @AppSciWri @CapSciComm @ChiSciWri @DCSWA @NEsciWriters @ncswa @nswa @SandsW2 @sconc @SciWriRockies @SWINY @scienri @SciWriSWUM
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March 22nd 2021

6 Retweets10 Likes

🖼️ Jobs and internships

  • Senior Health and Science Reporter, WBUR, Boston University, MA

  • Editor-in-Chief, Nature Communications, London, New York, Berlin or Shanghai

  • Impact and Engagement Editor, Nature, London, New York or Washington

  • Editorial Assistant, WorldWise, Remote, Part-Time

  • Head of Content (Life Sciences B2B), Synthace, London, UK

  • Senior Editor, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, San Diego, CA

  • Science Writer Internship, Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, UK

  • Deputy Editor, Science, Health & Climate, Vox Media, Washington, DC or New York City

  • Science Communications Internship, Research!America

  • Assistant/Associate Editor, Science News for Students, US-based

  • More jobs 👉Science Writing News Roundup #36

👉 Don’t miss any updates from the Science Writing News Roundup:

Worried you missed something? See previous newsletters here. What would you like to see in the newsletter? Please send me your suggestions by replying to this email: sciencewriting@substack.com😃

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Twitter avatar for @_adrianagrande1Adriana @_adrianagrande1
One of my favourite emails to get! Quick read, lots of resources ✍️Science Writing News Roundup #36 by @mnlimas
✍️Science Writing News Roundup #36 (March 22, 2021)Creating and sustaining an email newsletter + Diverse sources COVID-19 edition + Popular science writing trainingsciencewriting.substack.com

March 22nd 2021

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