From Buzzfeed comes this collection of quotes from writers talking about writing. Jack Shepherd cites everyone from Ernest Hemingway to Elmore Leonard, and from Toni Morrison to Erica Jong. By way of introduction, Shepherd has this to say as well: "Writing is easy: All you have to do is start writing, finish writing, and make sure it's good. But here's some vastly more useful wisdom and advice from people who seriously know what the hell they're talking about."
Science writing news
Has the plagiarism bug bitten the once-proud United Press International? A post from Paul Raeburn at the Knight Science Journalism Tracker suggests it may be so: "Several Science News reporters complained publicly on Facebook Thursday about what they say are repeated examples of misappropriation of their stories by UPI." It wasn't a first offense, Raeburn wrote as he tried to pin down UPI's editor. More from Raeburn, CJR.
As long as there has been journalism, there have been journalists who get it wrong. The Summer 2012 issue of Nieman Reports has collected some of the biggest goofs in an online slideshow, "Getting it Wrong." There's "Dewey Defeats Truman," of course, but also headlines about the great Union Army victory at the Battle of Bull Run. (Oops.) Alfred Nobel's too-soon obituary and equal premature announcements of the armistice ending World War I are also included.
It's central to U.S. copyright law but many journalists have scant knowledge of it. As a result, they seldom take advantage of the power that the "fair use" concept gives them, write four scholars from American University and the Center for Social Media: "Journalists, when in doubt, routinely self-censor, with the effect of delays, higher costs and even non-completion of journalistic mission." Also, commentary from the Poynter Institute.
Does aggressive science coverage help science? Or does it hinder science by providing ammunition to the science denial movement? Four prominent science journalists discussed that issue and others at April's NASW-sponsored "Science Writing in the Age of Denial" conference. The panel concluded that questions about the conflicts and context of science stories are where journalists can succeed in the new media environment. From the Summer 2012 ScienceWriters.
Registration for ScienceWriters2012 is open now at sciencewriters2012.org. An early-bird discount is available until September 14. Registration closes on October 10.
Once upon a time you could win a big cash journalism award and you could keep it all. But that changed long ago, ScienceWriters financial columnist Julian Block explains in Forbes: "Prior law carved out an exception for writers and scientists, among others. It exempted them from paying taxes on awards that are bestowed primarily in recognition of their past achievements in literature and research, among other cultural and academic endeavors."
Few things get less attention in a busy newsroom than a typical press release. Yet clients often insist on them, Denise Graveline writes: "It may seem as if the only thing your clients request is a press release, regardless of intended audience, media interest, likelihood of coverage or content issues." She lists other options, "all of which can be used to prompt a discussion about the intended audience and whether, in fact, a release is the right tool for the job."
In a provocative post at Alternet, Karthika Muthukumaraswamy lays the blame squarely on science writers who feed the public's thirst for easy answers: "They combine decades of scientific research with hearsay and speculation, metaphysical analysis and societal trends, and offer it to the audience in bite-size palatable pieces,” with “hip, new phrases” like Lehrer’s “bias blind spot” serving “as proxies for real explanation.”