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So You Want to Be A Science
         Writer…
           NASW Mentorship Program
           Boston, February 15, 2013

                Ivan Oransky, MD
         Executive Editor, Reuters Health
          Co-Founder, Retraction Watch
 Treasurer, Association of Health Care Journalists
   Acting Director, SHERP, New York University
              Twitter: @ivanoransky
How I Got Started
My First Mistakes
My Path
• Summer internship at local Gannett daily
• Med school (working at JAMA, writing op-eds)
• Psychiatry internship (writing regular columns
  for American Medical News, the Forward)
• Freelancing ~ 1 year
• First full-time journalism job: Editor-in-Chief of
  Praxis Post
• Followed by The Scientist, Scientific American,
  Reuters Health
Who are Today’s Media, Really?

• 95 weekly science sections in newspapers
  in 1989




          Columbia Journalism Review:
          http://www.cjr.org/currents/hard_numbers_jf2013.php
Who are Today’s Media, Really?

• 95 weekly science sections in newspapers
  in 1989
• 34 in 2005



          Columbia Journalism Review:
          http://www.cjr.org/currents/hard_numbers_jf2013.php
Who are Today’s Media, Really?

• 95 weekly science sections in newspapers
  in 1989
• 34 in 2005
• 19 in 2012


          Columbia Journalism Review:
          http://www.cjr.org/currents/hard_numbers_jf2013.php
Who are Today’s Media, Really?
Who are Today’s Media, Really?
Trade Publications
• Specialized magazines, websites
• Typically strong business model
• Have given rise to many lay media careers
Should You Find a Niche?
• What do you obsess about?
• What do you want to be the “go-to” writer
  for?
Start Your Own Blog




            http://skepticalscalpel.blogspot.com/
Start Your Own Blog
Getting the Word Out
• Use social media, including Twitter
• Forge relationships with other writers and
  editors you admire
• Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn –
  but also curate the best work of others
• Distinguish between personal voice and
  privacy
Resources
• Organizations (and training): AHCJ, NASW, SEJ
• Science writing/journalism programs:
  Columbia, CUNY, Hopkins, MIT, NYU, Texas
  A&M, UC Santa Cruz, UNC-Chapel Hill, others
• AAAS Mass Media Fellowship
• Kaiser Media Internships in Health Reporting
Contact Info/Acknowledgements
        ivan-oransky@erols.com
         Twitter: @ivanoransky
      http://retractionwatch.com
   Thanks: Nancy Lapid, Reuters Health

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So you want to be a science writer...

  • 1. So You Want to Be A Science Writer… NASW Mentorship Program Boston, February 15, 2013 Ivan Oransky, MD Executive Editor, Reuters Health Co-Founder, Retraction Watch Treasurer, Association of Health Care Journalists Acting Director, SHERP, New York University Twitter: @ivanoransky
  • 2. How I Got Started
  • 4. My Path • Summer internship at local Gannett daily • Med school (working at JAMA, writing op-eds) • Psychiatry internship (writing regular columns for American Medical News, the Forward) • Freelancing ~ 1 year • First full-time journalism job: Editor-in-Chief of Praxis Post • Followed by The Scientist, Scientific American, Reuters Health
  • 5. Who are Today’s Media, Really? • 95 weekly science sections in newspapers in 1989 Columbia Journalism Review: http://www.cjr.org/currents/hard_numbers_jf2013.php
  • 6. Who are Today’s Media, Really? • 95 weekly science sections in newspapers in 1989 • 34 in 2005 Columbia Journalism Review: http://www.cjr.org/currents/hard_numbers_jf2013.php
  • 7. Who are Today’s Media, Really? • 95 weekly science sections in newspapers in 1989 • 34 in 2005 • 19 in 2012 Columbia Journalism Review: http://www.cjr.org/currents/hard_numbers_jf2013.php
  • 8. Who are Today’s Media, Really?
  • 9. Who are Today’s Media, Really?
  • 10. Trade Publications • Specialized magazines, websites • Typically strong business model • Have given rise to many lay media careers
  • 11. Should You Find a Niche? • What do you obsess about? • What do you want to be the “go-to” writer for?
  • 12. Start Your Own Blog http://skepticalscalpel.blogspot.com/
  • 14. Getting the Word Out • Use social media, including Twitter • Forge relationships with other writers and editors you admire • Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn – but also curate the best work of others • Distinguish between personal voice and privacy
  • 15. Resources • Organizations (and training): AHCJ, NASW, SEJ • Science writing/journalism programs: Columbia, CUNY, Hopkins, MIT, NYU, Texas A&M, UC Santa Cruz, UNC-Chapel Hill, others • AAAS Mass Media Fellowship • Kaiser Media Internships in Health Reporting
  • 16. Contact Info/Acknowledgements ivan-oransky@erols.com Twitter: @ivanoransky http://retractionwatch.com Thanks: Nancy Lapid, Reuters Health