So you want to be a science journalist
Whenever anyone asks me for advice about getting into science journalism, I sound like a broken record, so I'll save you an email: here's what I'll probably say!
1. Write
...in whatever way you can! The sad reality is that many good opportunities don't pay, and only you know if you can afford to take on that kind of work. If at all possible, find an opportunity that pays you for your time -- you're worth it.
Some excellent paid opportunities:
The Open Notebook's Early Career Fellowship
High Country News Internships and Fellowships
Science Magazine's Writing Internship
If you're a scientist interested in journalism, consider the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship.
2. Do your research
The Open Notebook has a wealth of knowledge, including an entire section about getting started in science journalism. To read up on the state of journalism, check out the Columbia Journalism Review. Poynter, or Nieman Lab.
The Science Writers' Handbook is a great primer for writers, as is Michelle Nijhuis's Science Writers' Essay Handbook and Brooke Borel's Chicago Guide to Fact Checking.
3. Find your people
Join a writers' organization. Ready for a bunch of acronyms? Here's a very US-centric list:
General groups:
World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ)
National Association for Science Writers (NASW)
Society for Environmental Journalists (SEJ)
Solutions Journalism Network (SJN)
Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ)
Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ)
Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE)
For writers from groups traditionally underrepresented in journalism:
Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)
National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)
National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)
Native American Journalists Association
NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists
Opportunities for Writers of Color on Twitter
Regional science writing groups:
Northwest Science Writers' Association (NSWA)
SCONC (North Carolina)
Austin Science Writers
DCSWA (DC Science Writers
Northern California Science Writers
Capital Science Communicators (Sacramento)
SWINY (New York)
Southern California Science Writers
New England Science Writers
Badger Science Writers (Wisconsin)
And if these aren't enough, you can always create your own group of writers on Slack!
4. Get paid
International Women's Media Foundation grants
The Open Notebook's grant guide
Unsolicited recommendations:
Scrivener (for writing / storyboarding)
Pearnote (for note-taking and recording)
Toggl (for time tracking)
A good pen
