You won’t find a website for most of these shadowy, mysterious groups with names like “VSG” and “the Posse.” They’ve been compared to terrorist cells, secret societies, and tribes; membership is highly selective and tightly controlled. Fortunately, these groups are comprised of science writers (and the occasional editor), not terrorists. At ScienceWriters2013, four science writers explained the benefits of forming these so-called “tribes.”
Nov. 4, 2013NASW news
What’s Courtney Love have to do with science writing? Well, she’s the poster child for the perils of defamatory speech on social media. (She recently settled for $430,000 after a series of online slurs appeared in her Twitter feed.) At a Saturday afternoon session on social media and the law, the panel’s take-home message was simple: No matter how short the story, you’re not exempt from legal challenge.
Nov. 4, 2013Three science communicators from government agencies shared savvy strategies for communicating science research to the public and policy makers on Saturday afternoon at ScienceWriters2013 in Gainesville, FL. Although they were talking about their experiences promoting federally-funded research, their tips proved valuable to anyone — public information officers, scientists, or educators — involved in science outreach and communication.
Nov. 4, 2013NASW is deeply troubled by recent incidents regarding offensive language and sexual harassment in the science writing community. We support those who have taken steps to address this problem, including individuals who, at significant personal risk, brought incidents forward to cast light on an insidious problem that clearly infects professional relationships not only in our own community but across our entire society. Read full statement
Oct. 17, 2013President Ron Winslow convened the NASW membership meeting at 8:14 a.m., on Oct. 27, 2012, in Raleigh, N.C., even as Hurricane Sandy churned off the Atlantic coast a bit to our south and meteorologists warned that a “Frankenstorm” could envelop a third of the eastern U.S. before Halloween. Hardy science writers dug into breakfast, fortifying themselves for the business and weather ahead.
Oct. 7, 2013The winners of the 2013 Science in Society Journalism Awards, sponsored by the National Association of Science Writers, are: In the Book category, David Quammen; in the Science Reporting category, Douglas Fox; in the Longform category, Patricia Callahan, Sam Roe and Michael Hawthorne; in the Science Reporting for a Local or Regional Audience category, Hillary Rosner; and in the Commentary or Opinion category, Christie Aschwanden.
Oct. 1, 2013Congratulations to the twenty NASW travel fellows selected for a grant to attend ScienceWriters2013 Nov. 1-5 in Gainesville, Florida. Check the full post for a list of recipients. Thank you to all who applied. We had a record setting number of applications.
Sep. 23, 2013The winner of the 2013 Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award, an annual prize for young science journalists, is Megan Scudellari. Scudellari received the award and its $1,000 prize for “Never Say Die,” a story about aging and life extension in MATTER, a Kickstarter-funded online magazine; for an article in The Scientist about prosthetic limbs, “Missing Touch;” and for two shorter pieces.
Aug. 19, 2013