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Fantastic guide to freelance science writing

Whether you’re an aspiring science writer or somebody already established in the field, The Science Writers’ Handbook has something for everyone. The book was put together by a group of US-based freelance science writers and editors, with support from the National Association of Science Writers.

It features articles from 35 leading science writers covering everything from finding story ideas, pitching, statistics, interviewing, crafting stories, ‘multi-lancing’ across different media, dealing with rejection, and the nitty gritty of freelancing. Each chapter is littered with a wealth of useful, illuminating and often funny anecdotes from the frontline of science freelancing. It’s a fantastic and inspiring book, and one I know I’ll be dipping back into on a regular basis.

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Science journalism is in the public interest

Professor Joan Leach, who heads up the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, wrote a great article for The Conversation about the need for good science journalism in Australia, why science journalism and science communication are different endeavours, and the challenges currently facing science journalists in Australia today:

“Specialist science journalists are vital in our society in a few key ways. These include as public disseminators of sound science that can lead to policy, as identifiers of flawed journalism and “dodgy” (even life-threatening) science, and as gatekeepers between public relations departments in research institutions and the general media.”

Read more here.

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10 tools to tackle common problems journalists face

From Columbia Journalism Review, 1 March 2017:

FEW INDUSTRIES have been as affected by technology as much as journalism. More than just a seismic shift from print to web to mobile devices, news now is gathered with the help of all types of tools, and smart newsrooms are making sure there’s as much room for social teams or podcast studios as for national desks.

To keep up, CJR asked journalists what new tools and technology they use to help them do their jobs. Social media editors, curators, and reporters chimed in to tell us about tools that help them face some familiar challenges. Read more.