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| Volume 48, Number 3, Fall 1999 |
What Makes Science News?
Organizer: Mary Knudson, freelance science journalist
What propels a science story to a newspaper's front page, magazine cover, or a coveted spot on network television news? Top editors, producers, and science correspondents discuss such factors as news judgment, competition, and influence of the publisher/parent company.
Part I - General News Media: Newspapers, Magazines, Network Television.
Panelists: Rob Stein, Washington Post; Rick Weiss, Washington Post; Jackson Diehl, Washington Post; Nancy Shute, US News & World Report; Victoria Pope, US News & World Report; Cory Dean, New York Times; Robert Lee Hotz, Los Angeles Times.
Part II - Science Media: What Changes Have They Been Making and Why?
Panelists: John Rennie, Scientific American; Stephen Petranek, Discover; John Benditt, Technology Review; Marc Abrahams, The Annals of Improbable Research.
Journalist: Broadcast News
Organizer: Ira Flatow, Science & Technology News Network
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.
Panelists: Peggy Girsham, Dateline NBC; Mark Etkind, Discover magazine television series; Joe Rao, NEWS12, Westchester, New York.
Journalist: Meet the Editors: The Big East
Organizer: Aries Keck, Science Update/AAAS Radio
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.
PIO: Whose Research Is This, Anyway?
Organizer: Earle Holland, Ohio State University
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.
Freelance: Mr. Wordsmith Goes to Washington: Freelancing in the National Capital
Organizer: Beryl Lieff Benderly, freelance writer
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.
Panelists: Daniel Greenberg, Science & Government Report; Pat McNees, The World Bank; Jill Wechsler, Pharmaceutical Technology and Applied Clinical Trials; John Cousins, US Dept. of Health and Human Services; Linda Danley, US Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Journalist: Follow the Money: Covering the Politics of Science
Organizer: David A. Malakoff, Science
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, back-stabbing, 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!
Panelists: Jeff Mervis, Science; Colin MacIlwain, Nature; Michael Stephens, Van Scoyoc & Associates; Skip Stiles, former senior aide to the late Rep. George Brown.
Journalist: Walk on the Wild Side: Convergence Reporting
Organizers: Karen Watson, Discovery Online, and Jane Stevens, multimedia journalist, New York Times and other media
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. See pioneering examples from the wild side of reporting. A representative from PBS will explain how enhanced TV can be used in documentaries.
Panelist: Gaurav Suri, V.P. of business development, Veon.
PIO: Visualizing Science: Images on the Internet
Organizer: David Brand, Cornell University
The message is more than a snappy headline and inviting copy. It's also images that tell the story. In the past, PIOs were at a disadvantage in the timely distribution of arresting pictures and graphics, relying on overnight delivery to get art to the media. Now, graphics can be delivered as easily as text through the World Wide Web. But how to prepare graphics for online distribution, and how does this fit into the office work flow? What hardware and software is needed, and how to go about learning to use it? Is it necessary to hire a techie in order to offer these services? And, looking to the future, will full-motion video files and live webstreamed press conferences become routine?
Panelist: Bill Steele, technical editor, Cornell News Service.
Freelance: Copyright: How to Protect Yourself
Organizer: Joel Shurkin, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute
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.
Panelist: Sallie Randolph, writer, attorney, and legal consultant for the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
Science Writing for Young Audiences: How do You Write About Science for Kids? And Why Should You?
Organizer: Kelli Whitlock, Ohio University
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.
Panelists: Conrad Storad, Arizona State University and children's book author; Bob Hirschon, AAAS Media Programs, executive producer, Kinetic City Super Crew, and Science Update; Diana Lutz, Muse, a nonfiction magazine for children.