Science Communication
Volume 27, No. 3
March 1, 2006

Yesterday, The New York Times had an excellent article on science journalists and fraud:

But other than heightened skepticism, not a lot has changed in how newspapers treat scientific journals. Indeed, newspaper editors openly acknowledge their dependence on them. At The Los Angeles Times, at least half of the science stories that run on the front page come directly from journals, said Ashley Dunn, the paper’s science editor. Gideon Gil, the health and science editor for The Boston Globe, said that two of the three science stories that run on a typical day were from research that appeared in journals.

Nature is seeking an intern reporter to work full-time in either its Washington, DC, or London offices starting July 2006 for six months. Applicants should be self-starting and have a keen news sense. This is a paid position.

The intern will write news and news features for Nature as well as online news for Nature’s website, news@nature.com. Please e-mail a cover letter, resume and three clips to Alexandra Witze, senior news and features editor, (a.witze@naturedc.com) by February 15. Put “internship application” in the subject line.

From Seed magazine – Seed: Learning to Speak “Science”:

What we defenders of science must realize, if we want to combat political attacks effectively, is that we have much to learn about political communication and strategizing. Ideally, and in the best spirit of science, we should view the current political quandary as a problem to be addressed through trial and error—empirical attempts to determine what actually works when it comes to translating science for the general public.

ResourceShelf has just posted a nice group of resources on communicating science and technology through the media.

SCIENCE AND PUBLIC BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jan 2005
[Wellcome Trust]