The first rule of on-camera interviews: "casting, casting, casting." That bit of advice — from Mary Miller, a writer, producer and webhost at The Exploratorium in San Francisco — was one of several suggestions offered to the audience at "The Art of the Interview — Extreme Edition," organized and moderated by freelance science journalist, Jill U. Adams, at ScienceWriters 2009 in Austin, Texas.
Event coverage
Coverage begins in 2006 for the ScienceWriters meeting and 2009 for the AAAS meeting. To see programs for past ScienceWriters meetings, go to the ScienceWriters meeting site.
News organizations are more legally protected on the Internet than in other media, media lawyer Jonathan Hart of Dow Lohnes PLLA told attendees at ScienceWriters 2009 during, "Mini-Law School for Science Writers," an NASW session organized by Peggy Girshman.
Dan Gillmor is very optimistic about the future of journalism — whether it includes journalists or not. At the opening plenary session of ScienceWriters 2009 Oct. 17 in Austin, Texas, and just a few days away from observing the 10-year anniversary of his first journalist-blog posting, Gillmor talked about mining the great potential he sees in the rapidly morphing ways that people can get and use information.
Podcasts. Blogs. Embedded video clips. Facebook. Panelists shared tips for tapping into this expanding universe of new and social media during the session on "Who's Consuming Science, and How Do We Reach Them?" at ScienceWriters 2008 in October in Palo Alto.
Jan. 9, 2009There's nothing like the introduction of four top editors to quiet a room of science writers. This year, editors from the New York Times, Scientific American, Sierra, and Wired formed the panel of the Pitch Slam, a fan favorite at the annual NASW workshops. Writers, eager to hear insider tips and witness on-the-spot feedback to story pitches, packed the room in October in Palo Alto, the site of ScienceWriters 2008.
Jan. 8, 2009If any reporters sitting in the session "Turning the Tables: Meet the Press Critics" have had a piece panned by one of the critics present, they didn't speak up. The three panelists, who participated in ScienceWriters 2008 in October in Palo Alto, instead enjoyed a cordial environment in which they explained how they think science journalists are living up to their responsibilities — and how they're not.
Jan. 8, 2009Science writers who wish to adapt to the digital age have two fundamental questions to answer: What new skills do I need? And what equipment do I need to buy? Panelists at this session of ScienceWriters 2008 in October in Palo Alto — organized by Tabitha Powledge — discussed how multimedia can enhance stories, how to get started with going digital and how to choose the right laptop computer.
Jan. 8, 2009From the blogosphere to Silicon Valley and back, technology impacts both the way we write and the topics we can cover as science writers. In a session called "Geeks, Freaks and Deadlines: Writing about Technology and the Humans Who Love It" at ScienceWriters 2008 in October in Palo Alto, panelists advised, admonished and cajoled the science writing audience to be creative in their use of technology — as both topic and medium.
Jan. 8, 2009First, use a tripod. That was Melissa Lutz Blouin's take-home message about making video, which she delivered during a session on the topic at ScienceWriters 2008 in October in Palo Alto. "Your production values shoot up!" she exclaimed. The cost barriers for video have dropped from the days of $60,000 shoulder-mounted film cameras, but as anyone who has shot with today's $2,000 cameras knows, there is more to getting a professional result than just using professional equipment.
Jan. 8, 2009