Category Archives: Speakers

Five science writers share tips on how to make science stories entertaining and funny

By Clara Lincolnhol

This is the 6th in a series of articles by Knight Center students who attended the recent annual conference of the National Association of Science Writers.

“Welcome to how to engage an audience,” said Kathyrn Jepson, the editor-in-chief for Symmetry Magazine and a science fiction editor.

Jepson and four other journalists spoke at a panel at the National Science Writers Conference in Chicago to share how writers can implement humor in their writing to get readers hooked on a scientific story.

Blythe Terrell, the executive editor at Science Vs., said a critical way to tell a funny science story is by getting the scientist in on a joke.

“One of the critical ways we do that is by giving scientists a space where they hopefully feel comfortable opening up and having just a little bit of fun,” Terrell said. “And that is often on our tape in our audio.”

She said they will write weird questions and see if the scientist wants to go along with them.

“It’s not like we aren’t taking the topic seriously. We are treating it with seriousness. The rest of the episode is serious, but we find space for these things and we find that really engages listeners,” Terrell said.

Kate Gammon, a comedian, and freelance journalist, said she writes a lot about crises, like the biodiversity crisis, the climate crisis and political crisis. “It felt sometimes like I was writing an obituary for nature,” Gammon said. “So I had to make jokes.” Continue reading →

NASW EDITORS

Editors are people too!

By Julia Belden

This is the 5th in a series of articles by Knight Center students who attended the recent annual conference of the National Association of Science Writers.

It’s a scenario every journalist is familiar with: You file what you think is a solid draft of a story, only to find it covered in red ink and comments upon its return from the editor’s desk.

Editing is a critical part of the writing process, yet there is frequently tension between writers and editors. At the recent National Association of Science Writers conference, a panel of editors and freelance writers took to the stage to offer their insights into this relationship.

At the heart of it all? “Do unto others.”

“Number one is treat your writers the way you wish you would be treated if you were a writer,” said Sarah Zielinski, the print editor for Science News Explores.

Attendees at the National Association of Science Writers list helpful and frustrating editor behaviors. Credit: Julia Belden

This means giving feedback with kindness and intention, the panelists continued.

Carmen Drahl, a freelance journalist and editor, cautioned editors about word choices when editing: “Never underestimate the emotional impact that a glib comment or off-the-cuff comment can have.”

The panelists recognized the inherent power imbalance between editors and writers. Freelance writers are in an especially precarious position, as money might not flow as steadily as it would in a staff writing job.

Because of this dynamic, writers might be hesitant to reach out for help when they need it, the panelists said.

Whether it’s a scheduling issue, a personal emergency or you’re simply stuck on something in a story, it’s important to communicate. Editors want to help, said the panelists. Continue reading →

NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Nuclear weapons expert criticizes Trump “Golden Dome” plan

By Emilio Perez Ibarguen

This is the 3nd in a series of articles by Knight Center students who attended the recent annual conference of the National Association of Science Writers.

President Donald Trump has announced plans to create a network of satellites to defend the U.S. from a potential missile attack — a project he coined the “Golden Dome.”

While his administration has lauded the project as vital for protecting the nation from its enemies, particularly those armed with nuclear weapons, critics say it would be wildly expensive while not guaranteeing a comprehensive defense.

Lisbeth Gronlund, who researches nuclear weapons and policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, holds the latter opinion.

“The Golden Dome is not so golden,” Gronlund said during a lecture on nuclear weapons at the recent National Association of Science Writers annual conference in Chicago.

Lisbeth Gronlund is researcher at the Laboratory for Nuclear Security and Policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Credit: Emilio Perez Ibarguen

The White House’s pitch: A constellation of satellites capable of detecting and shooting down missiles that would be operational by the end of Trump’s second term and cost $175 billion.

But that price tag is inaccurate, Gronlund said.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said in May that a design built to defend against one or two missiles could cost anywhere from $831 to $161 billion, depending on the price of launching all those satellites into space.

The conservative American Enterprise Institute in September said that providing a “moderate level of protection” against aerial threats could cost up to $1 trillion.

Constructing the all-encompassing, impermeable defense the president wants, the institute stated in a research paper, could cost as much as $3.6 trillion. Continue reading →

DATA JOURNALISM

Storytelling with data: tips for success

By Julia Belden

This is the 2nd in a series of articles by Knight Center students who attended the recent annual conference of the National Association of Science Writers.

On a chilly November Friday, a gaggle of journalists recently huddled around tables in a hotel ballroom , attempting – with varying levels of success – to filter Major League Baseball salary data on a Google Sheet.

The goal? Equip science journalists attending the National Association of Science Writers (NASW) annual conference with new and powerful reporting skills.

Crunching numbers and wrangling spreadsheets don’t conjure the mental image that most people think of when they imagine journalists, but the aptly named sub-field of “data journalism” does just that, and more.

Adam Rhodes, the training director for Investigative Reporters & Editors, led the journalists – including a group from the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism – through a step-by-step process to clean, filter and glean insights from datasets.

NASW data journalism photo: Investigative Reporters & Editors training director Adam Rhodes shows workshop attendees how to organize data in Google Sheets. Credit: Julia Belden

While modern data journalists typically do their work via computer, using data to discover and enhance news stories isn’t a new phenomenon, Rhodes said. For example, an 1848 story in The New York Tribune tracked milage expenditures of members of Congress, and journalist Ida B. Wells was the first to collect and analyze statistics about Black lynching victims in the U.S. in her 1895 pamphlet A Red Record.

Rhodes showed attendees where to find useful datasets online – government websites and reports are always sure bets – and how to prepare, or “clean,” the data for analysis. Continue reading →