Press Credential Statement
NASW urges conference organizers to accept NASW membership as a sufficient credential for granting press privileges to freelance writers at scientific, technical, and medical conferences.
NASW urges conference organizers to accept NASW membership as a sufficient credential for granting press privileges to freelance writers at scientific, technical, and medical conferences.
Is Magazine X late in paying you again? Unsure how much to charge for Project Y? We've all been there. We've collected some strategies for dealing with these situations — and preventing them in the first place. We even have some example emails you can send to editors, for different situations. Available to NASW members only.
The debate over adding fluoride to water has lasted almost a lifetime in places like Portland, Ore., where voters last year rebelled against their city's fluoridation plans. A Mary Otto post on the AHCJ website debunks some of the opposition's evidence: "Numerous studies credit water fluoridation efforts with major reductions in tooth decay during the second half of the 20th century … Yet in spite of reams of scientific evidence, debate and fear remain in some places."
It's been a rough few weeks for the online encyclopedia. First came the revelation that an army of "sockpuppets" — basically, people who were paid to write and edit articles for various sponsors — had been uncovered and banned. Then Technology Review called Wikipedia "a crushing bureaucracy with an often abrasive atmosphere that deters newcomers," an assertion borne out by this exchange over the Scholarly Kitchen.
We are pleased to announce that NASW members are eligible to receive free access to the journals of the American Physical Society. This resource allows users to access to the full-text articles in the APS journals and includes archives back to 1893. Read more to learn how to apply for access.
It's Google's world and we just live in it. But in what can only be an effort to stay on our good side, the ubernerds offer free instruction in an array of computer tools that can be useful for journalists in moving from print to online publishing. The 10,000 Words site has this introduction to Google Code University: "In Web Programming, for example, there are lectures, videos, and contributed course content to teach users how to create interactive web applications."
Jeff Sonderman compiled this list on the Poynter Institute's web site. Sonderman's tips range from searching for all posts mentioning a company to zeroing in on activities of specific employees. LinkedIn is "a powerful and often underused resource for finding news sources and story ideas," Sonderman writes. "Reporters can find sources and leads through status updates, employee transitions and data that LinkedIn aggregates and analyzes."
Freelancer Nancy Allison talks with Dan Baum, formerly of the New Yorker, and his wife, Margaret Knox, editor of his work for more than 20 years. Discover how Twitter put their collaborative working style, marriage, website, and new book, Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans, into the public eye.
Subscribers to the NASW-Talk list recently had a lively discussion on the ins and outs of finding images — and using them legally. Member Matt Bille summarized the findings for NASW All About Freelancing. Please add to this list. When you find a good source of images, add it in the comments section below, or send it to cybrarian@nasw.org, with a few words about the site.
NASW member Jennifer Frazer, an award-winning science writer, explores the age-old problem of how to record interviews without losing your quotes, your notes, or your mind.