Science journalists

Finally, an observation on Wachtershauser made by R. Shapiro in his book Planetary Dreams, he recounts Leslie Orgel s judgement on Wachtershauser s ideas, ... that he1 considered the work to be the most important finding in the last century (Shapiro, 1999). The Science journalist M. Hagmann (Zurich, Switzerland) has provided a comprehensive profile of Wachtershauser (Hagmann, 2002). 

A ranking of the most popular topics presented at the 1977 AAAS annual meeting listed "world food losses to insect pests" as in the top ten for experienced science journalists, who ranked the story at 6. Scientists did not rank the topic as popular (21). In 1984 the annual Associated Press poll placed the Bhopal disaster at 2 in the top ten stories of the year. Many reporters still use a time reference labeled TMI to Bhopal. In 1984 the only stories ranked as tops by national editors and broadcasters that came close to being science related were the Ethiopian famine ( 6) and heart transplants ( 8). 

Understand that the reporter covering the respective risk story may not necessarily be a science journalist the general assignment reporter will require much more patience and translation and even science writers may need assistance in developing better thinking skills. 

JULIE McDOWELL is a science journalist based in Washington, D.C. She has a B.A. in journalism from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a M.A. in nonfiction writing from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. She is the coauthor of The Lymphatic System and author of The Nervous System and Sense Organs, both volumes of the Human Body Series published by Greenwood Publishing (Westport, Conn.). 

In 1936, science journalist Frank Thone declared to members of the American Association for Adult Education that their fellow citizens were as eager as St. Paul s Athenians to hear some new thing about science but they preferred flexibility to pontification. His explication foreshadowed today s world of ubiquitous, portable communications devices ... 

Science writers can work as public information specialists at organizations related to science, such as a university, museum, or biotechnology firm. Public information specialists relay information about their organization through materials such as press releases. A second role for the science writer is as a journalist. Science journalists typically work for a media outlet, such as a newspaper, writing for the public. But they may also write for the scientific community or as a freelancer. The science journalist must be able to stay abreast of major scientific discoveries and write the story in a way that engages the reader. Some science writers produce advertising materials or manuals for scientific equipment. 

In order to unravel the complexities of science journalism, the committee distinguishes between three different types. First, there is the specialist scientific press, where news reports are written by scientists for other scientists. Second, there is the work of science journalists, namely specialist correspondents employed by mainstream news organisations. H ey will usually conduct their own journalistic research into a science story so as to ensure due accuracy in their handling of the facts. Third, there is the work of non-scientific correspondents. These journalists, mainly by dint of circumstance, typically find themselves writing about a scientific development as a general news story. In so doing, the report maintains, they may subject the story to a very different set of values and criteria than might be otherwise expected from a specialist science reporter. 

SHARON Bertsch McGrayne is a science writer and award-winning journalist. She has been a reporter for Scripps-Howard, Crain s, Gannett, and other newspapers covering education, politics, and health issues. She is a former science editor and writer for Encyclopaedia Britannica and the author of several books, including Nobel Prize Women in Science. 

In the postwar years a spirit of "chemical boosterism," to use a term coined in a recent historical study, emerged in the United States. A group of chemists, chemical journalists and science popularizers acted as propagandists for the chemical profession and industry. Their message, delivered with conviction to the public through a variety of popular publications, was that chemistry was vital to the national defense and to economic progress. One of the more active of these chemical boosters was Charles Holmes Herty, and his efforts to establish a national institute for drug research must be viewed within this context (11). 

To confirm my hypothesis, I interviewed 30 of my peers—students from both the public and private high schools in my area. I asked, What do you think is the right relationship between work and play Twenty-two respondents said they think work and play should have equal time in our lives. We should play at least as much as we work, said Ellen Reese, a senior planning to major in computer science. Of course, that s a lot easier to do if you love your job, because then that s part of the play, too. Andrew Fry, a junior who wants to be a journalist, was one of the 12 respondents concerned with the collapsing distinction between work and home. Between e-mail and the Internet, wireless connections, and cell phones, we can take our work with us anywhere and work any time of the day. So many people bring their work home with them and let it eat up their play time. I think it s really important to set aside time each day, or at least each week, to relax and play. ... 

If your paper covers a topic in the hrunanities or in the sciences, then certain books are written expressly for those disciplines and address specific issues that arise for citing material in those fields. Other books listed here address business issues, journalistic topics, and professional questions. Some basic guides that cover a wide variety of subject matter are ... 

IFIC s mission is to communicate science-based information on food safety and nutrition to health and nutrition professionals, educators, journalists, government officials and others providing information to consumers. IFIC is supported primarily by the broad-based food, beverage, and agricultural industries. 

Braun, Stephen R. The Science of Happiness Unlocking the Mysteries of Mood. New York Wiley, 2001. Mood disorders and the drugs prescribed for them are often controversial—when does a normal bout of sadness bloom into a depression that needs medication Braun is a journalist who investigates this issue from a variety of perspectives. 

Fowler, Brenda. Iceman Uncovering the Life and Times of a Prehistoric Man Found in an Alpine Glacier. New York Random ffouse, 2000. Fowler, a journalist, chronicles the discovery and subsequent studies of Otzi the Iceman. Although a lot of research has occurred since the publication of this book, the author provides a wealth of interesting detail on the people, politics, and science associated with the period shortly following this amazing discovery. 

According to some journalists, Einstein s brain was saved at his son s request. Other sources suggested that Einstein himself wanted his brain saved, but Einstein s estate denies this. Contrary to what you might think, research on Einstein s brain did not take place until 30 years after his death—perhaps because no one could agree on how to cut up this priceless object. In 1978, Science magazine suggested that the delay was never satisfactorily explained. 

On Tuesdays, the New York Times has a section called "Science Times, in which journalists with scientific training review topics in leading science journals. The July 5, 1994, edition, for example, ran a story that summarized fairly well the issues involved in making human carcinogenic inferences from animal tests (p. B5). 

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