Moderated by Czerne Reid, the session "Straight to the Source: Helping Scientists Speak Directly to the Press" was full of useful advice to PIOs. To me, the biggest message was delivered by Dennis Meredith, who said that scientists should get communication training rather than just media training, since "media is becoming one of the many outlets for scientists."
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What would you do for the story of your dreams? Could you turn down The New York Times when it made an impossible request? Paige Williams did.
Representing data graphically or on a map can help journalists spot a story or bring a piece to life for readers — and it isn't as difficult to do as you might think.
You don't have to be Superman to juggle tweeting, blogging, writing, and living. The message of Saturday's panel session, “I tweet, I blog, but do I sleep?” was that it can be done, as long as you use social media selectively and remember to take breaks.
How should writers respond to public concerns about controversial science? Is it better to defend research using blogs and social media, or to post data online and let the research speak for itself? Saturday’s workshop featured two very different scientific controversies and the strategies used to address them.
Ah, the allure of not having to go to roll out of bed and rush to the 9 to 5 job staff job. That’s the life of a freelancer. But the freedom, of course, has its drawbacks: Paychecks are uncertain and you’re on your own to pay for health benefits.
Some of the most common trespasses for PIOs include not returning reporters’ emails and calls in a timely fashion, hyping news, being dishonest or misleading, micromanaging rather than facilitating, not knowing one’s audience, and not following through on promises.
In the world of 24-hour deadlines, it’s a rare luxury to talk candidly with colleagues about the ethical dilemmas science writers regularly face. The Saturday afternoon session “Covering Scientific Controversies” offered just that: space to probe the gray areas that arise when we tackle divisive issues.
Many freelance writers start off as generalists and, either by plan or accident, end up specializing in a particular topic because it can save them time and get them more work. In fact, of the six panelists who discussed specialization at Saturday afternoon’s “Beat It” session, only one identified himself as a complete generalist.