✍️Science Writing News Roundup #73 (December 14, 2021)
Three insights for science writers from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nonfiction is cool, and our kids know it. “We’ve long assumed that kids have to be convinced that reading is pleasurable, especially when the task is learning about our world instead of a fictional one, like Narnia. Yet, researchers and librarians who have tracked the reading preferences of real, in-the-wild kids would disagree. These kids need no convincing,” writes Amanda Baker.
🖼️ Tips and resources
When public officials spread health misinformation, be quick to point it out: A tip sheet. It's important for journalists to debunk falsehoods high up in their stories, avoid false balance, and dig into the motives.
A new guidebook on climate change journalism has been produced as part of the Temasek Foundation-WAN-IFRA Journalism Programme: Challenge of the Climate Crisis - a training initiative to help newsrooms build skills and responses for improved coverage of our warming planet.
Shedding sentence deadweight to help science stories soar. “To write stories that resonate, reporters can spice up bland verbs, rethink repetitive nouns, transform dry descriptions, and freshen their text with wordplay,” writes Carolyn Wilke.
Why climate change must stay on the news agenda beyond global summits. While specialist expertise does matter, the lion’s share of climate coverage can no longer be left to a handful of science and environment reporters.
Three insights for science writers from the Covid-19 pandemic. Reflections from Andy Ridgway, Senior Lecturer in Science Communication, University of the West of England and RETHINK principal investigator.
✏️ Articles
SciDev.Net’s Script enables science news for millions. In a time when reliable, research-based scientific information is critical for the public and policymakers, Script provides journalists with the skills to report science accurately and effectively.
Amy Westervelt on climate disinformation. Westervelt spoke recently with CCNow about getting started on the climate beat, how journalists can keep up with a fast-moving disinformation ecosystem, and the many joys of archival research.
This is the year we all become climate reporters. In the wake of the Glasgow Climate Pact, which was long on promises and short on specifics, extreme weather and climate events will increasingly force reporters’ and editors’ hands, demanding more sustained coverage.
An interview with Science Writer Susan D'Agostino. Susan D’Agostino is an associate editor at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, where she writes and edits stories that equip the public, policy makers, and scientists with the information needed to reduce man-made threats to our existence.
Analysis of science journalism reveals gender and regional disparities in coverage. Those covering science can only cite and quote a limited number of sources. Sources may be identified by the journalist’s research or by recommendations by other scientists. In both cases, biases may influence who is identified and ultimately included as an expert.
🗓️ Opportunities
Apply Now: Peggy Girshman Idea Grants due Feb. 21. NASW invites proposals from individuals or groups for grants of up to $15,000 to support projects and programs that will help science writers in their professional lives and/or benefit the field of science writing.
📌 Videos
📺 Jobs and Internships
Science Journalist / Technology Journalist for the Human Brain Project, Research Center Juelich, Germany
Senior Manager, Media Relations, Allen Institute, WA
Part-Time Producer, Gastropod, US
Editor, APS News, College Park, MD
Communication & Outreach Specialist, Joint Genome Institute, Bay Area, CA
More jobs 👉 Science Writing News Roundup #72
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