✍️Science Writing News Roundup #40 (April 18, 2021)

Tip sheet: A getting-started guide for newcomers to science writing + Using emotion and humor to combat science misinformation

🗺️ Articles

• Using emotion and humor to combat science misinformation: In an era of misinformation, humor has the potential to be a defense against fake news, but according to Sara K. Yeo and Meaghan McKasy, there needs to be a better understanding of how humor influences attitudes toward science.

• Staff, or freelance? As someone who recently made the leap from staff to freelance, Anna Funk can share some of the pros and cons of staff journalism jobs versus freelancing.

📡 Opportunities

• Nominations are open for the 2022 AAAS/Subaru Book Prize. The prize aims to encourage the reading, writing, and publishing of science books for children and young adults.

• The KSJ@MIT fact-checking workshop will bring together writers and editors to learn about editorial fact-checking, with a focus on science journalism. Apply by April 30th.

• Applications open for the 2021 Persephone Miel Fellowship. The fellowship is designed to help journalists from outside the U.S. do the kind of reporting they've always wanted to do and enable them to bring their work to a broader international audience.

IJNet @IJNet

Submit your pitch! @ClimateTracking is accepting pitches for projects that give visibility to the challenges & risks faced by women environmental activists in #LatAm. Deadline: April 22. buff.ly/3ahbQAO

Massive Science @massivesci

How does a researcher become a science writer? It's as easy as 1, 2, 3....4! 1️⃣ Join our consortium 2️⃣ Complete our training 3️⃣ Pitch us a story 4️⃣ Publish

ed.grMassive Science ConsortiumGive science a voice: yours.

🗨️ Videos

• Science Sources: Where to Find Them and How to Vet Them (KSJ Science Editing Webinar Series)

• Freelancer Finances: Negotiating Rates, Getting Paid, and Streamlining your Accounting (The Authors Guild)

• SciComm Lunch & Learn: Science Sonnets - The Poetry of Good SciComm with Bradley Allf (Duke Science & Society)

• Influencing through Editing: Options, Tips, and Resources Workshop with Barbara Gastel. This ComSciCon Houston workshop identified resources for editing well, finding good editors, and exploring science-editing careers.

• Science Podcasting is People! A conversation with Rose Eveleth (Flash Forward), Dr. Janina Jeff (In Those Genes) & Emily Kwong (Short Wave).

🗞️ Resources

Shira Feder @shirafeder

New to science journalism? So are a lot of people. Here's a printable tip sheet I created for @Open_Notebook to help you get past your imposter syndrome and immerse yourself in the science.

theopennotebook.comTip Sheet: A Getting-Started Guide for Newcomers to Science Writing - The Open NotebookMaybe 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 …

On the Media @onthemedia

The math? Confusing. The headlines? Frightening. And the science? Well, complicated. So we decided it was time for a Breaking News Consumer’s Handbook: Vaccine Edition. w/ @kakape and @MoNscience wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/s…

The Science Literacy Foundation @sci_project

.@SourceOfTheWeek recently announced their COVID-19 diverse sources database. You can use it to find more than 100 experts from racially or ethnically underrepresented backgrounds who can provide context on the COVID-19 crisis. ow.ly/ORcR50ElG0F #sciwri #scicomm

ow.lyCOVID-19 diverse expertsThe source database below contains experts from racially or ethnically underrepresented backgrounds who can provide context and insight on the COVID-19 crisis. Each source has spoken to the media o…

🗓️ Events

• Science Journalism Under the Microscope: From Covid to Climate Control (April 19, 2021)

• Women in White Coats and the Path to Publishing a Nonfiction Book (April 19, 2021)

• Media law for science journalists with guest speaker David Mascord (April 20, 2021)

• Issues Facing Freelance Writers in 2021 (April 21, 2021)

• From the Cosmos to COVID-19, a Career in Science Journalism (April 21, 2021)

• Market yourself: A live portfolio review for freelance writers (April 21, 2021)

• SANDSWA Social Justice in Science Writing April meeting (April 23, 2021)

• P&P Live! Naomi Oreskes | Why Trust Science? with Frank Sesno (April 26, 2021)

• Covering Covid-19: How Journalists Tackled the Biggest Science Story of Our Time (April 28, 2021)

• Panel on Inclusive and Bias-Free Language in Science Writing (April 29, 2021)

Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative @Y2Y_Initiative

*Drum roll, please* We're thrilled to announce our new five-part, free masterclass course with @PandemicSchool: 'Writing is Your Nature.' 🌿✍️ If you want to write about nature and the environment more, but aren’t sure where to start, join us May 11-25! pandemicuniversity.com/writing-is-you…

🏆 Jobs and internships

• Assistant Editors, Footnote, Remote

• Science Intern, Inverse, Remote

• More jobs 👉Science Writing News Roundup #39

👉 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😃

If you liked this post, share it with your friends 💙

Mariana Lenharo @marilenharo

Science journalist friends: I'm looking into writing a story related to human research ethics and I'd love to read other works on this theme. Do you have any recommendations of inspiring stories?

andrew @AndrewChamings

Being an editor is hard

Note: Top photo by Fang-Wei Lin on Unsplash.