| APS Home Page | Site Search |
|
|
|
|
|
Volume 14, Number 8 |
October 2001 |
|
Deadlines, Creativity, Letting Go
Despite the breakneck pace at which my internship began, and the tragic events surrounding it (see In the Newsroom When Disaster Strikes), I have been able to reflect a little bit about journalism and science writing. I am pleasantly surprised at how willing people are to talk to the press, whether its public relations professionals, science experts, or just people on the street. Writing my first story about topics totally unfamiliar to me was intimidating, especially under the circumstances I described earlier. After academia, where I could take weeks to write a paper, and nobody really minded if I was late anyway, the thought of writing in just a few hours was daunting. Fear is a good motivator, though, and I've been inspired to try my best, with good feedback. Through some miracle, I've managed to meet all my deadlines so far. I've learned that at some point, you just have to let go of the story, because there will never be enough time to make it absolutely perfect. Writing in journalistic style, especially about science, has been an exercise in working memory. There are so many goals to keep in mind, some of them conflicting: put the most important facts first, avoid jargon, try to tell the story in an order that makes sense, keep it simple, but don't distort the truth in the process, be concise, don't use passive voice, etc., etc. It is wonderfully liberating, though, to be creative in the words I choose, and not be limited to the sterile vocabulary of science. Being eloquent is not the same as using big words, and there is a delicious challenge to saying things simply, but with just the right words. I also enjoy being able to use the words of others to illustrate my stories; it allows me to add a lot of color, and at the same time maintain my objectivity. The challenge to interviewing is not just getting scientists to explain their research, but to say something interesting about it. Some people just have more interesting things to say than others, but asking the right questions makes a difference, too. My biggest problem with interviewing is writing fast enough. I find it really difficult to listen to what the scientist is saying, evaluate it for quote worthiness, take notes, and come up with appropriate follow-up questions, all at the same. I have taken to cheating and using a tape recorder for my phone interviews. I don't know if I will regret it in the future, because it does take time to transcribe, but I feel like it frees me up to really listen and react to what the researcher is saying. - Jill Kester Locantore, APS-AAAS Media Fellow Watch future issues of the Observer for more reports from Locantore on her media internship experience. |
|
Copyright © 2001 American Psychological Society. All Rights Reserved. www.psychologicalscience.org/observer |
