Hone your pitch! | Second Century Stewardship

Working with the media to communicate science

Most Americans learn about science from the news media. But how do reporters decide what stories to tell? How do you make your research interesting to their readers? Working with the media can help you improve how you tell your own story, while also helping to share your science with broad and diverse audiences. In Summer 2020 we organized two workshops for participants in the North American Congress for Conservation Biology and Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting about crafting a message, practicing delivery, and learning from science journalists and editors representing national and regional magazines and newspapers.

NACCB Panelists:

Christie Aschwanden, journalist and author of GOOD TO GO: What the athlete in all of us can learn from the strange science of recovery
Caitlin Looby, scientist, AAAS Media Fellow (2019), writer with credits in The New York Times, The Times Picayune, Canoe & Kayak.
Hillary Rosner, journalist covering the environment for National Geographic, Wired, Scientific American, and many other publications.
Aaron Sidder, scientists and AAAS Media Fellow (2016); writing credits include National Geographic Kids, Eos, Smithsonian Magazine.
Natasha Vizcarra, science writer for publications of Hawai’i Sea Grant, Center for International Forest Research, Global Landscapes Forum, and others.

ESA Panelists:

Paul Gabrielsen, science writer with the University of Utah
Kurt Repanshek, founder and editor of National Parks Traveler

Presentation slides (PDF)

NACCB Pitch session and discussion recording (YouTube)

“News Moments” worksheet (PDF)