National Association of Science Writers
Fifth Annual Professional Workshops

Thursday
NASW Workshops
17 February 2000
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
Washington DC
updated 7 March 2000

NOTE: AUDIO TAPES OF SESSIONS NOW AVAILABLE.

7:15 am
Coffee
Cotillion Foyer

Registered members sign in for the workshops and schmooze.

8-10 am
Plenary Session: What Makes Science News?
Room: Cotillion Ballroom South

What propels a science story to a newspaper's front page or magazine cover. Top editors and science correspondents discuss such factors as news judgment, competition, and influence of the publisher or parent company.

Part I - 8 am
General News Media -- newspapers, magazines

• Mary Knudson (organizer)
• Rob Stein, deputy national editor, science & medicine, Washington Post
• Rick Weiss, health/medicine reporter, Washington Post
• Jackson Diehl, deputy managing editor, national news, Washington Post
• Nancy Shute, senior writer, US News & World Report
• Victoria Pope, managing editor, US News & World Report
• Cory Dean, science editor, New York Times
• Robert Lee Hotz, science reporter, Los Angeles Times
• Michael Lemonick, associate editor, sciences, Time Magazine

Part II - 9 am
Science Media: What changes have they been making and why?

• Curt Suplee, moderator
• John Rennie, editor in chief, Scientific American
• David Grogan, articles editor, Discover
• Mariette DiChristina, executive editor, Popular Science
• Robert Epstein, editor in chief, Psychology Today
• Marc Abrahams, editor, Annals of Improbable Research

10-10:15 am
Break

10:15-11:45 am

JOURNALISM: Broadcast News Workshop
Room: Cotillion Ballroom South

What does it take to get science news on television? This panel will explore how reporters and producers search for and produce pieces for the new, hot TV magazines as well as for the local evening news broadcasts. They will explain the special requirements TV news needs as opposed to print.

• Ira Flatow (organizer & moderator), news director, Science and Technology News Network
• Peggy Girshman, medical and science producer, Dateline NBC
• Mark Etkind, senior producer, Discover Magazine television series
• Joe Rao, meteorologist, NEWS12 Westchester, New York

FREELANCE: Meet The Editors: The Big East
Room: Wilson A/B

A top freelance favorite. Meet the editors at publications with the big circulation numbers. How do editors at magazines like Discover and Science view their audiences? How much do they pay their writers? And how do they like competing with online sites? Come pick their brains and break into the big time.

• Aries Keck (organizer)
• Peter Aldhous, Nature
• Herb Brody,Technology Review
• Bob Holmes, New Scientist
• Colin Norman, Science
• Corey Powell, Discover Magazine
• Mariette DiChristina, Popular Science
  

PIO: Whose Research Is This, Anyway?
Room: Hoover

A session to examine the conflicts between University research information officers and public relations practitioners from the private sector who have a financial interest in publicizing university research.

• Earle Holland (organizer), the Ohio State University
• Dennis Overbye, deputy science editor, New York Times
• TBA

11:45 am-12:30 pm
Lunch

12:30-2 pm

FREELANCE: Mr. Wordsmith Goes to Washington: Freelancing in the National Capital
Room: Wilson A/B

In the nation's capital, freelancing means more than magazines. Government agencies, non-profit groups, trade associations and out-of-town publications all call on freelances living in (or just savvy about) Washington. Writers who make the most of DC will share tips for scouting new markets and finding stories, while a federal official offers an inside look at landing government contracts.

• Beryl Lieff Benderly (organizer), freelance writer
• Daniel Greenberg, founder and editor, Science & Government Report
• Pat McNees, consultant, The World Bank
• Jill Wechsler, Washington DC editor/correspondent for Pharmaceutical Technology and Applied Clinical Trials
• John Cousins, procurement analyst, Program Support Center, US Department of Health and Human Services.
• Linda Danley, small business progam manager, Program Support Center, US Department of Health and Human Services.

JOURNALISM: Follow the Money: Covering the Politics of Science
Room: Hoover

When it comes to science, how would you decide to spend $75 billion? If you wanted to stop spying, would you give scientists working in nuclear weapons labs lie detector tests--even if you knew some will quit in protest? And would you allow cells harvested from aborted fetuses to be used in research--knowing that your support might cost you pro-life votes and the next election? These are the kinds of questions Congress and federal officials face every year when it comes time to carve up taxpayer spending on science, write new research regulations, and take stands on thorny policy and ethical questions. Of course, with so much money and knowledge at stake, there is bound to be conflict, backstabbing, skullduggery, and general mayhem. Indeed, for reporters covering the politics of science, there is never a dull moment in this vastly undercovered area. Come find out how some Beltway insiders get a grip on their slippery stories--and how you can spice up your reporting with a policy slant!

• David Malakoff (organizer), reporter, Science
• Jeff Mervis, deputy news editor, Science
• Colin Macilwain, senior us correspondent, Nature
• Michael Stephens, biomedical lobbyist, Van Scoyoc & Associates
• Skip Stiles, former senior aide to the late Rep. George Brown (D-CA)

JOURNALISM: Walk On The Wild Side: Convergence Reporting
Room: Cotillion Ballroom South

It's coming. Convergence, enhanced TV, interactive TV, broadband -- the "next technology wave" in media. Hear what trendsetters say about what could be a dramatically new way of engaging audiences with your stories or what could be all wet. Learn how enhanced TV can be used in documentaries. See pioneering examples from the wild side of reporting.

• Jane Stevens (organizer), a multimedia journalist reporting for the New York Times and other media
• Charlene Laino, MSNBC.com
• Jody Sutter, content director, Veon
• Erik Olsen, producer, ABCnews.com
• Randy Rieland, Discovery Channel Online
• Louis Barbash, senior program officer, Corporation for Public Broadcasting

2-2:15 pm
Break

2:15-3:45 pm

PIO: Visualizing Science: Images On The Internet
Room: Cotillion Ballroom South

Show them the product: The message, as editors and advertisers know, is more than the snappy headline and the inviting copy. It's also the image that sells. In the past, PIOs were at a disadvantage in the timely distribution of arresting pictures and graphics, relying on overnighting to get art to the media. Now, with the World Wide Web at our command, graphics can be delivered as easily as text. But how do we prepare graphics for on-line distribution, and how do they fit into the office work flow? What hardware and software do we need, and how do we go about learning to use it? What types of graphics do media outlets want from us, and how do we make it easier for them to get what they want? More important, perhaps, is it necessary to hire a techie in order to offer these services? Looking to the future, will we routinely be serving full-motion video files and holding live webstreamed press conferences?

• David Brand (organizer), senior science editor, Cornell University
• Bill Steele, technology editor, Cornell News Service
• Lori Cuthbert, senior producer, Discovery Online
• Gail Porter, web coordinator, National Institute for Standards and Technology
• Felice Frankel, project director, Envisioning Science, the Edgerton Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Mark R. Holmes, vice president for programming & content development, nationalgeographic.com

FREELANCE: Copyright Law: How Sail Safely in a Sea of Pirates and Brigands
Room: Hoover

The freelance's essential primer on copyright--from the law's history to the negotiations that rile publishers and worry writers today. Why should you retain the copyright to your work? How can you react to a lousy contract? Which publications are changing copyright policy--and what can you do to protect your work in the multimedia years to come? Our panel of experts will share advice and answer your questions.

• Joel Shurkin (organizer)
• Sallie Randolph, legal consultant, American Society of Journalists and Authors, and head of the University of Buffalo School of Law's copyright project
• Kay Murray, associate director and general counsel, Authors Guild
  

GENERAL INTEREST: Science Writing For Young Audiences: How Do You Write About Science For Kids? And Why Should You?
Room: Harding

This workshop will offer strategies and tips for science writing for young consumers of print and broadcast news media and books. In addition, panelists will discuss the importance of writing for this audience and how it can introduce kids to science in a way that will nurture their curiosity and understanding.

• Kelli Whitlock (organizer), director of research communications at Ohio University
• Conrad Storad, director of research publications at Arizona State University and author of nine children's books on science and nature.
• Bob Hirshon, project director of Media Programs at AAAS and executive producer of Kinetic City Super Crew, a weekly radio drama for children, and Science Update
• Diana Lutz, editor of Muse, a nonfiction magazine for children 8 to 14 that is jointly published by the Cricket Magazine Group and Smithsonian Magazine.

4 pm
AAAS News Briefing

5 pm
NASW science awards ceremony and reception
New to program this year. Previously the NASW Awards, including the Science in Society Award, were presented at the annual CASW program in November.

Special thanks to Kathryn Brown for coordinating the freelance program.

Questions or comments about the workshop program? Contact: Paul Lowenberg, Lowenberg Communications, Seattle; (206) 522-0137. Updates or corrections for this web site? Contact Carol Cruzan Morton.

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