What's a Pitch Slam? It's an event at which writers have 60 seconds to impress a panel of editors with their story ideas, and, if they succeed, win an assignment. It's among the weekend's highlights at ScienceWriters2012 in Raleigh, N.C.. Session organizer Jeanne Erdmann offers some tips for would-be pitchers on The Open Notebook site: "Editors love a good pitch, and they love meeting new writers who can deliver a tantalizing story idea."
Tricks of the trade
On the Open Notebook site (funded in part by the NASW Idea Grant program), four science writers discuss how they make sure their work is free from errors, or as free as possible. The strategies include attaching a source note to each fact as the story is written; using blue and red color-coded text to show whether a sentence has been verified or not; and trusting your gut — "If something a source is telling you doesn’t ring true, ask another."
It's standard procedure for academics; before starting a research project, check to see what's already out there. In this Nieman Lab article, John Wihbey, managing editor of the Journalist’s Resource portal, that doing so "will make for better questions, more rigorous scrutiny of assumptions, higher-level journalism. Scholars perform a literature review as they approach questions; most topics have been studied for decades. Why neglect all of that accumulated knowledge?"
Anybody can post anything to a social media site, so how does a news organization verify that a photo, video, or other account is authentic? At the BBC, that job falls to a 20-person team called the Hub, David Turner writes in Nieman Reports: "The golden rule, say Hub veterans, is to get on the phone whoever has posted the material. Even the process of setting up the conversation can speak volumes about the source's credibility." More tips.
We've all seen it happen. A reporter asks a question, and the person being interviewed gives an answer that sounds convincing but doesn't address the question. Denise Graveline writes about the risks sources run when they play that game. Referencing a recent Science Friday piece on the "artful dodge," Graveline asks: "What's your goal? To try to outwit the questioner or to convey credibility? In this case, you may be trading one for the other."
Every story is different, but sometimes it helps to have a mental checklist of questions to ask during interviews. NASW member Charles Choi offers his suggestions in a ScholarCast blog post on Nature's Scitable: "Although science writing might on the face of it largely seem about organizing and explaining concepts in ways understandable to audience, if the science writer did not ask the right questions to begin with, he or she will be at a loss to explain anything."
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."
The Public Relations Society of America says it's no big deal, Mallary Jean Tenore writes on the Poynter site. But many journalists and mainstream publications see it differently, and that attitude cost a Kansas City Star columnist his job (he's now suing for defamation). Tenore offers some tips for staying on the right side of the line: "Rather than just quoting or paraphrasing a release in a story, make your story stand out by including your own voice in it."
Casey Frechette offers 10 tips for getting good sound and using it effectively on this Poynter Institute post. They include a guide to the types of sound, what kind of equipment to use, and what to do about the ever-present problem of extraneous noise. Frechette writes: "There’s a reason radio has been called the most visual medium. There’s something about sound that puts our imaginations to work, making us more active participants in the story we’re hearing."
Beth Winegarner says she was "painfully shy" as a child and had to work around that to became a reporter. In this Poynter post, she lists five tips for shy aspiring journalists to practice: "Research shows that our brains are plastic: the more we do something, the easier it gets. The same goes for overcoming shyness. Think of it in terms of statistics: the more interviews you do, the more successes you’ll have under your belt — and the less likely failure will seem."