Hear the latest developments in the science writing profession by attending the fourth annual NASW workshops beginning 1 p.m. Wednesday, February 11, 1998, in Philadelphia, PA. The workshops begin one day in advance of the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and come at a bargain $35, which includes Thursday’s box lunch.
Sign-up forms for workshops and special events will be included with the December NASW membership renewal mailing. Questions? Comments? Contact NASW workshop organizer Paul Lowenberg, University of Washington News and Information Office, paullow@u.washington.edu. The latest workshop schedule is posted at <nasw.org/users/ccmorton/98schedule.html> and is also available by clicking a button on the NASW home page.
Special Preconference Workshop: Science Journalism in the Age of Multimedia, Academy of Natural Sciences. Organizer and moderator: Jane Stevens, videojournalist, New York Times Television.
Although still in its infancy, the new medium of journalistic storytelling — multimedia on the World Wide Web — continues to bound along. Multimedia storytelling combines text, video, audio, graphics, and animation. Current presentations are not yet a seamless amalgamation of these media, but that’s the goal. The challenge is, no one quite knows what it’s going to look like, or how it will fit into the mix of traditional media. On this day, we’ll explore its latest permutations and hear from the people who are making them up. We’ll also focus on the job opportunities in multimedia. And we’ll address an emerging issue: With institutions able and willing to deliver their information directly to their publics, is the traditional science journalist going the way of the blacksmith?
1–2:30 p.m.
Workshop One: Who’s Hot?
Jane Stevens, chair; Charlene Laino, health and science editor, MSNBC; TBA,
@Home Network (invited); Andrea Meditch, executive editor, Discovery Online;
Lisa Napoli, multimedia journalist, NY Times Cybertime; others, TBA.
The gurus of today’s hottest science and technology multimedia Web sites explain how they choose and produce their stories, the changes they anticipate in the next few years, and what types of people they want to hire. They’ll demonstrate how they choose and produce their stories, what stories work in this medium, and which don’t.
3–4 p.m.
Workshop Two: Think Storytelling, Think Multi-Skill, Think 3-D
Chair: TBA; John Keefe, science editor, Discovery Online (confirmed); Merry
Bruns, independent multimedia producer (confirmed); TBA, editor from newspaper
Web site; TBA, institution web site; Others, TBA.
What does being employed in multimedia mean? Are there still writers? If so, what kinds of writing do they do? What do editors do? What do producers do? People who make their living in multimedia tell their tales, from independent multimedia producers to editors to videojournalists, and speculate on the mix of job opportunities and skills needed in the new medium.
4–5 p.m.
Workshop Three: Are Science Journalists a Vanishing Breed?
Chair: Dennis Meredith, Director, Office of Research Communications, Duke
University; Panel: TBA
Multimedia on the Web lets institutions bypass science journalists to present their message directly to their publics. How are they doing this? In this environment, who needs science journalists? What will the role of science journalism be? What stories can institutions tell themselves? What stories will science journalists tell? If the goal is an informed public, who tells the public what’s being left out of a story?
5 p.m.
Reception and small group tours of the Academy of Natural Sciences
8:15–9:45 am
Mariott Grand Ballroom, Salons A & B
Plenary Session: Science Writing Ethics
Organizer: Lee Wilkins, professor of journalism, University of Missouri;
participants: Richard Harris, science reporter, National Public Radio; JoAnn
Valenti, professor, Department of Communications, Brigham Young University;
Others TBA
9:45–10:00 am
Break (ballroom conversion)
10:00–11:30 am, Salon A
Workshop: Forging strong writer-editor relationships
Organizer: Laura Van Dam, senior editor, Technology Review; Steve Mirsky,
freelance writer; David Ansley, science editor, Consumer Reports; Tim Appenzeller,
features editor, Science; Others, TBA.
The connection between writer and editor extends far beyond copy quality and financial matters. For both sides, figuring out how to work well together is critical. A panel of editors—and at least one freelance writer—will explore how to avoid common problems in this “marriage” and to foster a healthy, respectful relationship.
10:00 - 11:30 am, Salon B
Workshop: Reporting On Cloning: Should There Ever Be Another Ewe?
Organizer: Deborah Blum; Robert Lee Hotz, Los Angeles Times; Bob Cooke,
Newsday; Sue Goetinck, Dallas Morning News; Alta Charo, researcher, University
of Wisconsin.
Is cloning really news—except in the minds of editors and science fiction junkies? How does one cover—and keep in perspective - a high profile science, which is changing rapidly and which poses enormous ethical issues? Do we really understand what cloning is? What its future is? How should reporters handle—and advise their newspapers to handle—this issue? Tips, war stories, and some solid background education.
11:30-Noon
Lunch (box lunch provided with workshop fee)
Noon—1:15 p.m., Salon A
Workshop: The Business of Freelancing
Organizer: Kathryn Brown; others TBA
Noon—1:15 p.m., Salon B
Workshop: Reporting on Uncertainty
Organizer: Paul Lowenberg; Lee Wilkins, professor of journalism, University
of Missouri (moderator); Paul Raeburn, science writer, Business Week; Charles
Petit, science writer, San Francisco Chronicle; others, TBA.
Certain stories, although lacking a solid factual basis, can nevertheless have a major impact on people’s lives. El Nino is one example. The possible crisis involving the year 2000 computer problem is another. Global warming may be a third. There seems to be broad consensus that dire consequences could ensue from any of the above, but it is not certain when and where (or possibly even if) the effects are going to be felt. How does one determine expert opinion on these subjects? When does one write about them, knowing the story could create undue panic or concern? Are ethical issues involved in not writing about a subject?
1:15–1:30 p.m. Break
1:30–2:45 p.m., Salon A
Workshop: Beefing Up the Science Beat
Organizer: Carol Cruzan Morton; Shannon Brownlee, U.S. News and World Report,
Nils Bruzelius, Boston Globe; others, TBA.
Tips for staff editors and reporters for getting the news space and work time to for science stories. How can you help increase science coverage at your newspaper, magazine, television or radio station? Leading journalists from radio, television, major newspaper, major newsmagazines share their secrets on shepherding science through internal politics, past competing stories, and onto the front page or evening news.
1:30–2:45 p.m., Salon B
Workshop: Computer–Assisted Reporting
Organizer: Carol Cruzan Morton; Glennda Chui, San Jose Mercury News; others,
TBA.
Since the late 1980s, computer-assisted reporting has helped reporters on many beats do far-reaching research through on-line databases, gather large numbers of records from government agencies, analyze those records and use that analysis to launch stories from a higher level and with deeper context than possible before. These computer-assisted reporting techniques can unearth new stories and provide a new way of covering the science beat.
3–5 p.m. AAAS Press Conferences
5:15–6:30 p.m. Salon A
Workshop: Freelancers: New Freelance Niches
Organizer: Karla Harby, freelancer; others, TBA
5:15–6:30 p.m. Salon B
Workshop: Late Breaking News
Organizer: Paul Raeburn, Businessweek; others, TBA.
There will be a workshop covering a topic to be determined shortly before the AAAS meeting. The discussion will center on coverage of a controversial story and how it was handled by various reporters. Focus will be on journalistic issues of news coverage.
Special Public Information Officer Workshops
Marriott Hotel Room 403
Organizers: Seema Kumar, associate director of public affairs, Whitehead
Institute for Biomedical Research, and Cheryl Greenhouse, senior public
relations associate, Genzyme Corporation.
8:15–9:45 am
Plenary Session: Institutional Cooperation: How PIOs Can Facilitate Communication
Among Institutions
Seema Kumar, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research; others TBA.
How can PIOs help each other manage information dissemination on a continuous basis as well as during crises? The media often look for a well-rounded view of a story and PIOs of different types of institutions—hospitals, basic research institutes, and industry—can help provide this comprehensive view by working with each other or referring reporters to each other. This session will discuss how PIOs can develop relationships with their peers at other institutions and come up with a strategy to communicate their message. This can be done in a variety of ways—from simple referrals to writing joint press releases to cooperating on joint media events. Several PIOs will discuss how this strategy has been successful at their institutions.
9:45–10:00 Break
10:00–11:30 am
Plenary Session: The Impact of Public Relations Firms on the Profession
Marion Glick, vice president, corporate communications, Noonan/Russo; A’ndrea
Messer, PIO at University of Pennsylvania; Susan Turner-Lowe, director of
public affairs, National Academy of Sciences; David Jarmul, PIO at Howard
Hughes Medical Institute.
This session will discuss how the practice of PR differs when a firm is involved in helping to promote your organization’s research. Possible topics of discussion include: Why hire a PR firm? How to work effectively with PR firms. When two worlds collide and how to navigate the murky waters of what is proper publicity.
11:30 am–12:15 p.m.
Break
12:15–1:30 p.m.
University/Corporate Relations...Who Pays the Piper? Who Calls the Tune?
Participants, TBA.
This session will discuss what types of things university PR professionals need to understand when research is funded by a biotechnology or pharmaceutical corporation. Some topics for discussion include: What is the SEC and why do I need to understand its disclosure rules? How much about the funding entity should I include in my press release? Working with the business press. Working effectively with corporate funding sources on press releases and materials.
1:30–1:45 p.m.
Break
1:45–3:15 p.m.
@&!@*##!...or Miss Manners’ Guide To Dealing with Difficult
Researchers
Joann Rodgers, deputy director of public affairs, Johns Hopkins Medical
Institutions.
Tricks, tips, and strategies for dealing with different personality traits of difficult scientists without losing your cool.
3:30–5 p.m.
Who Needs The BBC?
Organizer: Jim Cornell, president, International Science Writers Association;
Alex Huppe, director Harvard University News Bureau; Fabiola de Olivera,
head of communications, INPE, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil; Robyn Williams,
Australian Broadcasting Company; others, TBA.
This session will focus on the importance of science coverage outside the United States. Is it worth PIOs’ time to work with science journalists they may never have heard of, whose reputation they do not know and whose work they may never see? What is the audience for science news outside the U.S. and why is it important to University PIOs and science writers?