Contents
About the Media Fellowships............................................. 3
The Fellows:
Emma Boland.......................................................
Gavin Collins........................................................
Suzi Gage..............................................................
Tamsin Gray.........................................................
Richard Johnston...............................................
Kirsty MacLeod...................................................
Lucy Maddox........................................................
Simon Redfern....................................................
Natalie Starkey...................................................
Mark Viney...........................................................
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7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
2013 in numbers................................................................... 25
What the hosts say.............................................................. 26
Working with the media...................................................... 27
About the Media Fellowships
The Fellowships provide a unique opportunity for practising scientists, clinicians and
engineers to spend three to six weeks working at the heart of a media outlet.
About this report
This report brings together the combined experiences of the 2013 Media Fellows – find out
what they did, what they learnt and why you should apply to be a Media Fellow. You can also
find out more about how science gets reported and pick up some great tips for working with
the media.
In a nutshell
Every year up to ten Media Fellows are mentored by professional journalists and learn how
the media operates and reports on science, how to communicate with the media and to
engage the wider public with science through the media.
After their media placement, Fellows attend the British Science Festival in September, which
provides an opportunity to gain valuable experience working alongside a range of media
organisations from all over the UK in our dedicated Press Centre. The Festival also offers
opportunities to learn from a wide range of public engagement activities and network with
academics, journalists and science communicators. The scheme has been placing
researchers in the media and shaping their attitudes and skills since 1987.
Who runs the scheme?
The scheme is run by the Science in Society team at the British Science Association. It‟s our
mission to bring together those involved in science communication by sharing best practice,
embracing experimental modes of public engagement and improving the quality of
engagement activities through our core programmes, training schemes and consulting on
external projects. We work with researchers of all different kinds to help them engage the
public with their work.
To find out more, including how we can help you, please visit our website.
How do I apply?
If you‟re inspired by the stories that the 2013 Fellows have to tell, you should apply to be a
Media Fellow! The scheme is open to full- and part-time researchers and engineers from any
discipline based in the UK or Ireland.
For more information, including full eligibility criteria and key application dates, have a look at
the Media Fellowships webpages.
About the Media Fellowships
Aims of the scheme
The British Science Association Media Fellowships aim to give scientists, engineers and their
colleagues the confidence and willingness to engage with the media and tackle issues of
mistrust and misrepresentation and to give journalists access to new scientific expertise.
The scheme reflects the British Science Association's commitment to increasing the
accessibility of the sciences and providing opportunities for discussion and debate.
Thanks
The team would like to thank the media hosts for the generous donation of their time and
expertise: BBC Countryfile, BBC Newcastle, BBC Radio 4 Science Unit and News Online, the
Guardian, the Irish Times, Nature News, New Scientist, the Scotsman and the Times. And the
Fellows‟ home organisations for allowing them to be involved in this scheme: British Antarctic
Survey, National University of Ireland, Galway, the NHS, the Open University, Swansea
University,
the University of Bristol and the University of Cambridge.
We would also like to thank our supporters for making it possible to run the scheme for its
27th year:
Emma Boland
Physical Oceanographer,
British Antarctic Survey
The Scotsman
The Media Fellowship
On my placement I was the sole science correspondent for the paper. Most days, this
involved first reading embargoed press releases for the next day. I would choose those that I
thought could be good stories and then pitched them in 3 or 4 sentence summaries to the
news editor that day. After the morning editor's conference, I would be told which stories
they would run and how many words were required. If I felt a story was interesting but it was
not chosen for the paper, I would normally write it up for the website, which was always
looking for more content. I would spend most of the afternoon writing stories. I would also
occasionally be asked to follow-up on something the editors had found from somewhere else
or to assist the environment correspondent with a story.
Through this process, I really did get to understand what a good and bad press release
looked like. As I was often reporting on science that I was completely unfamiliar with, I only
had the press release to work with normally, given that the original paper or research it was
based on would be incomprehensible to me. It was interesting how the 'story' that the good
press releases sold weren't necessarily related to what the journal articles billed as the
findings of the studies. This reflected the need to find an 'hook' or relevance angle that the
general public would supposedly be interested in. Also, in an environment with tight
deadlines and often little space to give science stories, if the press release had done a good
job of presenting the story, then it was much more likely to get picked up and easier to turn
into a news article.
One of the stories I enjoyed working on the most was when I was asked to write a
commentary piece on an Arctic methane story from the perspective of an Arctic
oceanographer. I tracked down an expert scientist in Sweden via Twitter who agreed to give
me a quote which felt like real journalism. Even though the piece was bumped from the
paper, it still went out on the web.
I really enjoyed working at the Science festival. I was there for the majority of the festival,
and got to see a wide range of the main festival events as well as attending the press
conferences. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of work. One of the press conferences I reported
on turned into a front page story which was very exciting.
Attending the press conferences was a lot of fun and it was interesting to see how the
various stories were presented in different ways, and what was picked up by the press and
what wasn't. The questions that were asked by the professional journalists also taught me a
lot – it revealed the angle they saw on the story, and they would often push the presenters to
give them the quote they needed.
Impacts
I have already become more confident in interacting with the media. I took part in the BBC
Newcastle breakfast show whilst in Newcastle for the festival, which involved being in the
studio for an hour and reacting to questions from listeners as well as debating with another
guest. This has led to me being in contact more with my press office here at the British
Antarctic Survey, and I'm sure I will continue to be involved in outreach through them.
What I learnt the most about that will be most applicable directly to me is the form and
content of press releases. I'm not in a position at the moment where my research is worthy
of a press release, but if it were to happen in the future, I have picked up a lot about how
to write in a way that should make it a more attractive news story.
My Fellowship Experience
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a Media Fellow. At The Scotsman, I was thrust in at the
deep end and learnt a lot about what a good press release looked like. At the British Science
Festival, I had a chance to interview people as well as attending several press conferences,
both of which were new and interesting experiences. Working in an environment with such a
fast turn-around on stories was exhilarating, especially being completely immersed in the
media lifestyle at the Festival. My confidence in dealing with the press as a scientist has
increased, and I feel much more positive about being involved in more science
communication in the future.”
Gavin Collins
Lecturer in Environmental Microbiology,
National University of Ireland Galway
The Irish Times
microbialecophysiology.com
The Media Fellowship
A typical day for me at The Irish Times started at about 10am, seeing as I would probably
stay until about 8pm. Typically, I had some work to do from the previous day, following a
story I was already working on. Timing is important and getting hold of contacts is
sometimes tricky. Catching academics in their offices is not always easy, so getting hold of
them between lectures or meetings was sometimes challenging. Equally, contacting
government departments or public services could sometimes be time sensitive.
The newsroom has a midday meeting, which I usually listened into. Some of my pieces
appeared in features pages, and so I also tried to join the weekly features meetings.
Working on a feature is a more drawn-out affair than working on a new piece. Some of my
days were evenly paced when I was working on perhaps just one news piece and had a
feature on the go in the background. However, some days were much busier when I had two
or three news pieces I was trying to file before, say 7 or 8pm. On those days, it did get a bit
stressful, but in an adrenalin junkie kind of way!
What I did learn is that you‟re only as fast as your slowest contact, and often your story
needs to wait for that last person to get back with a comment or to take your call.
The newsroom certainly started to get busy at about 5 or 6pm, once everybody knew what
they were doing and were trying to get copy filed (so that they could go home!). I immensely
enjoyed that buzz in the evening newsroom.
The British Science Festival was one of the most enjoyable weeks I‟ve had. It was a terrific
experience to work in what was effectively the most important „science newsroom‟ in the UK!
Most of the fellows‟ hosts were represented there by their Science Editor or Correspondent.
Working with those quite inspirational people was a real joy.
On top of that, I hadn‟t been to press conferences previously. Learning how to go through
that process – go to the conference; take some relevant notes; ask some questions; and
take notes on the answers to other people‟s questions; and to get back to the office to write
and file; was a great experience.
Impacts
I feel that I travelled the steepest learning curve imaginable! I like to think that much of
the process came naturally to me, but I am sure that my host was critical. The most
important things I learned were around (i) how, and what, to pitch to editors; and (ii) how
to match a respect for the readers’ intelligence with an effort to make the material
accessible. I also learned that you have to have a lot of fun doing science communication.
I have developed an entirely new relationship with the Press Office in my university. I
am happy with this and I am far more confident in how I approach work with them now. I
have spoken with several of my colleagues about press releases they‟ve been working on,
and I have run my eye over some of these before sending them to the Press Office.
One of the ideas I think we will pursue is a series of seminars that is open to the public – not
just to colleagues – and for which we have „lay abstracts‟. This is a work in progress, but I
am confident it has potential for me to apply what I have learned about science
communication in a proactive way locally.
My Fellowship Experience
“My expectations of working as a Media Fellow were wildly exceeded at The Irish Times.
From the very start, it became clear that I would be allowed – and expected – to be a fully
functioning journalist in the newsroom. My media host’s view seemed to be that I should
jump in at the deep end and to sink or swim.
I feel that I travelled the steepest learning curve imaginable! I like to think that much of the
process came naturally to me, but I am sure that my host was critical.
The most important things I learned were how, and what, to pitch to editors; and how to
match a respect for the readers’ intelligence with trying to make the material accessible.
I also learned that you have to have a lot of fun doing science communication. Like my
fellow Media Fellows, I cannot recommend the fellowships highly enough.
Every serious scientist should do something like this at some stage.”
Suzi Gage
PhD Student, University of Bristol
BBC Radio Science Unit and BBC Online
The Media Fellowship
My placement was made up of two parts. For the first three weeks, while working with radio,
my days were quite varied. I was given a long-term project, which involved researching,
calling up scientists, going to visit them to chat, and writing up discussions. As well as this, I
did some recording and editing of interviews I conducted, which also involved travelling
across London and even further afield to conduct the recordings. During the second part of
my placement, I was working with the news team. This meant day-to-day I would be finding
science news stories I thought were interesting and worthy of reporting. Once I had a story, I
would read the paper, contact the author and sometimes an independent expert or two as
well, and then write up the story, and upload it to the website template.
Other activities I was involved in included recording audio clips of quotes, or letters that had
been sent in to the radio shows. I was also interviewed on BBC World News about a story I
had written for the website. I went with a colleague who was filming a package for the news
website, to see how she did it, and help her out. I also got to sit in on a recording of Inside
Science to see how the show is compiled for broadcast.
I found the science festival hard work, but fascinating and enjoyable. It was great to pitch
and write more stories for the BBC news website, and to work more closely with my other
BBC fellow, Simon. We even wrote an article together. Not only that, but it was very
interesting to work in the press room at the festival, with the other Media Fellows, and
journalists from print media. It was enlightening to hear which stories from the press
conferences the journalists decided to pick up. It was a shame that no-one from the BBC
news room could attend the festival, as it would have been interesting to hear which stories
they would have picked to cover out of the different press conferences.
Impacts
I learnt a lot about which stories the BBC will choose to cover. Firstly and most
importantly, they receive so many press releases and work to such tight schedules, that if a
scientist doesn‟t send their paper, as a press release, to news organisations, it will likely not
get covered. Also, if you are to send a press release, a journalist will almost certainly want to
speak to an author on the paper, so it‟s important that they‟re not on holiday between the
press release going out and the embargo lifting (this happened to me a few times). I learnt
that reporting the news is not the same as commenting on news stories (as I do on my
blog). Writing news stories was a new skill for me, and although to begin with I struggled, I
was helped, particularly by Jonathan Amos, and by the end of my placement had improved
(my articles came back from editing with less red pen all over them!). I learnt how a radio
show is put together, and the type of stories that weekly radio shows may be interested in
covering.
I am very proud of a feature I wrote about women in science, which was published on
the BBC website. This is a topic I feel passionately about, so it was great to be able to write
about it for an international audience. I am also very proud of the packages I recorded for
Inside Science, for the Show Us Your Instrument feature. There were a couple I researched
and recorded completely by myself, which I travelled to Bristol to conduct. Hearing them
broadcast on radio 4 was really exciting.
I hope that my institution and colleagues will benefit from my placement. A good dialogue
with the media will be helpful in ensuring that research findings that are important
and interesting will be reported, and reported accurately. Not only this, but learning how
the BBC find stories to report is very useful to know, from an academic perspective. I have
already given a presentation to a University of Bristol Communications group, where I
discussed my experience doing the fellowship, and I had a meeting with the Children of the
90s press officer to disseminate my findings to her. Future plans include potentially hosting a
seminar about the scheme, and experiences from it with two other former Media Fellows
who are also based at the University of Bristol. Also, now that I have good connections
with specific people within BBC online and radio, when I hear about research from the
University that I believe is interesting, I can forward information on to relevant individuals
who may be interested in covering it.
My Fellowship Experience
“Working for BBC Radio Science Unit and BBC online for 6 weeks over the summer was a
fantastic experience. I got to interview fascinating people, learn new recording, editing and
writing skills, work with some great and talented people, and cover some remarkable
science stories. It was hard work, but I looked forward to coming in every morning. From
researching and recording packages for radio 4, to writing news articles about bed bugs, sea
otters and ball lightning, to being interviewed on BBC World News, I had experiences that
were completely different to academia. The much-shortened timescales compared to
scientific research meant that almost every day bought a new topic and a new technique to
learn or hone. I hope I brought something useful to the departments I worked in; I definitely
learnt a lot from them.”
Tamsin Gray
Antarctic Meteorologist,
British Antarctic Survey
BBC Newcastle
The Media Fellowship
I wanted to see into another world and I certainly got that chance right from day one. Mandy,
the office manager greeted me and showed me round, introduced me to everyone and gave
me a timetable. I was to shadow a different producer each day for the first week, working
first on the breakfast show, then Mid-morning, Drive and with the News Readers.
Although I was working in radio, Look North is also filmed in the Newcastle studio so I spent
one afternoon with the TV team. As a meteorologist, I was thrilled to have the chance to try
out in front of the green screen with tips from presenter Hannah, who made it look far too
easy. Perhaps I should stick to behind the scenes. Later on I watched from the gallery as
Look North went out live.
This is the first year that a fellow has been placed at BBC Newcastle. A major aim of the
placement was to report on the Science Festival, this year taking place in Europe‟s Culture
Capital (Newcastle, of course). In my last week, as well as the things I‟ve already talked
about, I prepared clips advertising science festival events to be broadcast in the run up to
the festival launch.
When it comes to my experience of the festival itself, it was brief, but highlights included
recording an interview with Robert Winston (even after my placement I still felt gratified
when such a media savvy interviewee didn‟t question status as a real journalist) and going
to the pub with Helen Czerski, the physicist who got the job I‟d once applied out for,
presenting a BBC two weather series. I was pretty chuffed, as well, to get an email from
Drive producer Dave, saying that the stand-up Mathematician I had recommended as a
guest was awesome.
Over the weekend of the festival, I met some truly passionate and inspiring science
communicators and journalists. It was great getting to hang out in the press centre, and see
how the real journalists did it. I also loved hearing about the experiences of the other media
fellows, between us we certainly had some stories to tell.
My Fellowship Experience
“I’m going to be totally honest with you about my placement. At the very beginning, I wasn’t
totally sure. Although everyone went out of their way to chat to me and show me around, I
felt more in the way than useful and slightly daunted by my super confident and creative
media colleagues. By day 3 though, I had got my hands dirty and from then on it went from
strength to strength. Mostly. There was one day where all my work was (rightfully and
constructively) torn apart and I went home feeling dejected. Only to bounce back the next
day, re-edit my pieces and have them all broadcast.
Actually, the fact that your work was on show for all to examine and producers were far from
shy with their (always constructive) criticism was one of the things I enjoyed the most. The
media world seemed to me to be an open and honest one. Ruthless at times, sure, with
some clear competition for jobs or assignments, but no one was hiding that, it was all out in
the open. I think I had almost anticipated a degree of two-faced culture but what found was
a really genuine world where people had to prove themselves through their work and were
judged on their merits.
The pace inside the media bubble is totally different to that of the science world I live in.
Although tea drinking featured on the agenda, there were no tea breaks and most people
didn’t take a lunch break. Institutionalised as I’ve become, I found this hard to fathom at the
beginning. As I became immersed though, with my own workload and pieces to prepare, I
found myself reluctant to take any time out either. Those were minutes I could be spending
perfecting my masterpiece. The joy of creativity, something sadly often lacking in my day to
day work, had taken hold and hours flew by without me noticing.
At the end of the placement I found myself hooked and reluctant to let go. It was definitely
an experience I will never forget, one that has taught me some lasting lessons and
permanently changed my view of the media, and hence the world in which I live.”
Richard Johnston
Senior Lecturer in Materials Science
and Engineering, Swansea University
Nature
@DrRichJohnston, JohnstonLab.Wordpress.com
The Media Fellowship
The weeks before starting the fellowship were filled with premonitory self-diagnosis of
crushing imposter syndrome. I knew it would be something utterly new to me – the
preceding clunky sentence highlights my discomfort when trying to write something other
than a grant proposal or journal paper.
So, I started at Nature as a scientist and engineer, but would I make it as a writer? During
my time at Nature I published news articles, but do I now consider myself a science writer?
No, is the answer. But that‟s not why I applied for a Media Fellowship. I wanted to
experience the media from the other side, to see how research is considered within the
media, and to become better at presenting research to different audiences. Ultimately I
wanted to use the opportunity to learn as much as I could about the media, and to convey
those experiences to as many researchers as I can – hoping to ease reservations about the
press, and to help researchers improve the way they engage with the media and the public.
The fellowship provided far more than I could have expected. I gained experience in writing
shorter articles for the print magazine (Research Highlights, News in Brief), online articles
for the Nature News website, blogs, podcasts. The Fellowship also allowed me to work on a
larger, more in-depth story aimed at, but ultimately not published in Nature magazine.
Getting an article into the print magazine was an important goal for me. I‟m a little
disappointed that I didn‟t manage to do it during my time at Nature. I‟d planned to continue
the piece I was working on after leaving Nature, but once back in the clutches of academia it
became impossible. Hopefully, in the near future, I‟ll be able to finish the story.
I was only at the British Science Festival for two days as I had a conference in London at
the same time. The press conferences and announcements at the Festival weren‟t
typically things that Nature would cover, so I wrote a couple of articles for the British
Science Association website. This allowed me to attend a few press conferences and ask
questions. I hadn‟t had this opportunity while at Nature, so it was great to experience this
at the Festival. I was also eager to see some of the events in Newcastle, to try and learn
from them, and how other researchers are making their research accessible. This wasn‟t
that easy to do. Firstly because I wasn‟t there for the beginning of the Festival; and
secondly, because while working on a story during the day, it‟s difficult to find time to get
away from the press room. It was probably even more difficult for the other fellows who
were still filing articles for their hosts from the festival.
Impacts
The fellowship will change the way I work and do research, if given the support from my
institution. I‟ve learned so many things that I plan to disseminate to other researchers.
Conducting interviews for articles gave me experience of what researchers can do to make
the most of this process. To simplify their research isn’t dumbing-down, it’s about
making it more accessible.
The fact-checking process at Nature is rigorous, but for me formed a valuable stage of
personal editing. The process of fact-checking forced me to rewrite, and to get it right.
There are many ways that my university can gain greatest benefit from the fellowship. I have
returned from Nature with new skills, renewed enthusiasm, and valuable contacts. I‟m
eager to disseminate as many of the fellowship experiences (mine and the other fellows‟) to
as many researchers as possible.
Aligned to the fellowship I‟m writing a postgraduate module on research and the press, and
a further postgraduate module on public engagement and outreach. I‟m also writing a
course/workshop open to all staff and postgrad students at Swansea University entitled
„Communicating Research‟.
My Fellowship Experience
“The Media Fellowship has been one of the greatest experiences of my career so far. I’ve
been exposed to new situations and surroundings, which feel oddly familiar, but viewing it all
from the other side – from within the science press. I have learned so much and plan to pass
on my experiences, and those of the other Fellows, to as many researchers as I can through
taught modules, workshops and discussions.
Nature, my media hosts, were incredibly friendly and supportive. They were eager to tailor
the experience to my aims, encouraging me to sample many different activities and work
with lots of different people. This put me in contact with Nature editors around the world,
giving me the opportunity to write articles of varying length and scope, and to work with the
podcast team.
I can’t recommend the Media Fellowship enough…can I do it again?”
Kirsty MacLeod
PhD student, Zoology,
University of Cambridge
BBC Countryfile
kjmacleod.wordpress.com
The Media Fellowship
My soon-to-be producer Matt had clear advice for me when it came to preparing for my fourweek placement with BBC Countryfile. “Watch the show,” he said. “And bring ideas.” The
latter was a good indication of what was ahead of me – instant integration into a fast-paced
production and research team that want to hear what I have to say and suggest.
I learned a lot about journalism in those first few weeks. By necessity, news moves fast. We
had a hunch that the badger cull would start during our research, and decided to put
together a film that shed new light on the topic without going over old ground – in half the
time the team would normally have. Our quick change of direction meant that we had less
time to prepare our research, plan a schedule, organise contributors, write a script, and sort
out transport and accommodation. Importantly I learned the value of research; the segment
you see on Countryfile is just the tip of an iceberg of research and preparation, and every
paper read, or phone call made, or bit of archive logged, is important – even if it‟s just
because it allows you to say “yes, that‟s true”, or “no, this isn‟t worth following up.” I was
impressed to find that Countryfile doesn‟t duck away from complicated or challenging issues.
To make sure topics are covered in a responsible and balanced way, a lot of research goes
into making what is said accurate, unbiased, and scientifically sound.
Lastly, nothing is quite as awesome as seeing all that work crystallize into a nine minute film
that looks good, and says what we wanted to say. We spent a day and a half zipping around
the south of England interviewing contributors and the result was a great piece that I think
answers some important question about the divisive issue of TB in the British Countryside.
As Matt suggested, I brought some ideas – and one of them eventually turned into the
second film I was involved in, about the spread of invasive species in the UK and whether
we‟re paying them enough, or too much, attention.
Before my placement I was most interested in seeing how journalists boiled down stories to
the essential facts without losing any of the scientific accuracy. I was delighted to be able to
help the research team to do that, and even more delighted to find that I quickly picked up
an idea of how simplified things should be, what was important and how to deliver it. I was
also really pleased to be able to develop my research skills, get better at talking on the
phone, and putting together information sheets at a moment‟s notice – these were things I
hadn‟t considered and were brilliant bonuses on top of everything else I learned.
At the British Science Festival my task was to cover the press conferences for the British
Science Association website. After four weeks of compiling heaps of research and barely
writing a line, it was great to get my teeth into some online journalism, and my first
experience of press conferences, which ran each morning from 9 to 12. Copy was
expected by five o‟clock, and so with three stories to write in the interim, the pressure was
on! Five of my pieces were published on the website, bringing my Media Fellowship
experience to a satisfying close.
Impacts
A month after the British Science Festival, I had a paper published in Animal Behaviour that
generated some press giving me a chance to put my Media Fellowship training into practice.
It really served to highlight what I‟d learned during that time. As a journalist at Countryfile, I
was trying to pin scientists down to definitive statements – what does their research prove,
what are the facts, and what is the story. As a scientist, I‟m aware that my work is correlative
and so I can‟t definitively say – anything! I can draw links, point to relationships, and
ultimately suggest what might be going on – but journalists didn‟t seem interested in the
words “suggest”, or “might”, as became clear. My advice to scientists – make it crystal
clear what your result is, and isn’t about. And journalists – don’t be afraid of
suppositions! A little uncertainty doesn’t diminish a result, and is an inherent part of
science.
I‟ll be passing on this insight, and more, to scientists in my department. Since I was awarded
my Media Fellowship, there has been more curiosity among my colleagues about using
social media and engaging with the press. I hope to continue to persuade my fellow
zoologists that the media is a friend to work alongside – but from my recent
experiences, it still seems that journalists may need a little more sensitivity to the nature of
research win the trust of researchers.
My Fellowship Experience
“During my Media Fellowship placement at BBC Countryfile in Bristol, I worked as part of a
small research team on two films: one covering a potential cattle vaccine for TB, and one on
the spread of invasive species. The Countryfile team embraced me and what I could bring to
their team and consequently I felt challenged, motivated and useful. Seeing the films I’d
worked on come to life on screen – the ultimate satisfaction. The scope that Countryfile has
for informing the public of important topical scientific issues is immense – something I was
proud to be a part of.”
Lucy Maddox
Clinical Psychologist and Lecturer
for NHS and Anna Freud Centre
The Times
psychologymagpie.wordpress.com
The Media Fellowship
Every day was a different story for me (or for the real journalists about four different stories).
Stories get found either through press releases on the online system Eureka, or through
Hannah, Tom or one of the editors knowing about a conference or piece of news. Spotting
the press releases which might be newsworthy was interesting, trying to separate good
press releases from good research and see how the research could be relevant to the
general public. If a press release looked interesting it meant reading the academic paper,
and if the editors wanted the story it meant following up the reading with interviews with the
authors, and with a scientist who could comment on the paper. For some stories finding
pictures was also important.
My first article was about potential health benefits of broccoli. I was so delighted to see it in
the paper the next day. I wrote an article a day, mostly, for the time I was on placement, and
nine were published in the nine days I was at the London offices. They weren't always as
long as they started out by the time they made it in but I was always pleased to see
something in the paper. There was only one time when I felt an edit had affected the
meaning adversely, confusing correlation with causation, and when I pointed this out it got
changed rapidly in the online version. Journalists often get a bad press for not caring about
whether science is correct. I don't think this is true - I think the papers want to get things
right, on the whole.
My third week of placement was spent covering the British Science Festival in Newcastle.
This was a chance to get to know some of the other media fellows who were also covering
the festival, and what a great bunch of people they are. Everyone is dong the fellowship
because of a shared interest in science and communication, and everyone is interesting and
engaged with what they do. I met space scientists, science bloggers, people who had
researched the Antarctic: very impressive, very inspirational people, and also a real laugh to
hang out with.
Days at the Science Festival usually started with a press conference from 9-1, on different
papers or talks being press released that day. Then we would write whatever we had
harvested, before going out in the evenings to a talk, a science-related art exhibition launch,
or something else with free wine. It was such a treat to have a week jam packed full of
science - there were some high quality talks and shows, from Aubrey de Gray speaking on
whether we can live forever, to a man climbing out of a tent in full arctic onesie to explain the
physical effects of altitude and how it is similar to being in a coma, and many more.
It was also our chance to meet journalists from other papers. I for one felt in awe of the 'real‟
journos‟ ability to write so much and so fast. The press conferences were a great opportunity
to hear the sorts of questions that they asked of scientists and then to see how these
translated into stories the next day.
In the Science Festival week I had four pieces published, including one story which I was
particularly proud of for being a tough piece of science to understand, and involving liaison
with scientist in the States across a big time difference (about how Oestrogen is involved in
male paunches). I was chuffed with the graphics that got created for a story on barefoot
running too.
Impacts
I have learnt a lot about the process of writing news. I learnt to try to say everything the
reader needs to know in the first sentence. I learnt about how editors are involved in spotting
stories too, and in helping to hone the direction the stories go in. I learnt not to take it
personally if your story gets cut to half the size or doesn't make it in, and to be robust in
standing up for the line you think a story should take.
I learnt more general skills about being proactive about engaging with the media, being
concise and clear in what you are saying or writing (whatever arena it's for) and
thinking about what will be most useful to your audience. I met some fantastic and
inspirational people, including my media hosts, the other journalists, the editors and the
other media fellows.
I‟m really grateful to my workplace for supporting me to do the fellowship, the BSA for
organising such a great scheme and my media hosts for having me.
My Fellowship Experience
“How often do you get to try out someone else's job, as an adult? Hardly ever. Unless you
get a British Science Association Media Fellowship. Most of us probably have at least one
alternative career that we would have been happy doing. For me it is print and broadcast
journalism. And this year for three weeks I got to try out being a science news journalist at
The Times. I had so much fun. I learnt a lot too, and it was hard work, but mainly I had such
a good time.”
Simon Redfern
Professor of Mineral Physics, University of
Cambridge
BBC Radio and Science & Environment News
Online
The Media Fellowship
One of the most nerve wracking moments was in my very first week, when I was working
with the BBC Science Radio folk on a couple of productions, one going out on the BBC
World Service and one on UK domestic BBC Radio 4. The latter was the very last edition of
“Material World”. It went out live and being involved in live radio, even as a minor researcher
for only part of the programme, was fascinating. The topic of “my” bit of the show was
communicating scientific uncertainty and my contribution amounted to telephoning potential
guest interviewees and getting them to agree to sitting in front of a microphone. When faced
with attempting to write a script for how I believed the discussion would proceed, I had to
rely on the answers that they had given during my phone conversations with them earlier in
the week. I waited on tenterhooks during their part of the programme, terrified that the
interviewees would go wildly off message and sink the whole discussion. But they did an
excellent job of discussing a difficult concept. The presenter, Gareth Mitchell, was fantastic,
and it was a highlight watching him guide the show so professionally and calmly.
Working with the Science and Environment page of BBC News Online was also very
rewarding. Seeing your words transformed from hastily scribbled reports of the latest
research papers, into slick pieces on the BBC News Site was great fun every time. I ended
up covering topics as diverse as dark matter, neutron stars, four billion year old resurrected
proteins, bears in Yellowstone and new remedies to fight MRSA or anthrax. Sometimes I had
the luxury of writing about something I actually knew a little bit about, which included a fun
story about how sand dunes were engulfing the star wars set in Tunisia.
It was a little tricky balancing two jobs at once, but so much of what we do is via the internet
these days, during my media fellowship I was able to keep most of my research work ticking
over while doing a daily commute to London. My research students in Cambridge certainly
saw less of me than is probably ideal, but I did pop into the Department in the evening on
my way home from the train station a few times during the BBC placement, just to keep that
going.
After the days at the beeb came a week at the British Science Festival in Newcastle, and my
first experience of working alongside journalists from other outfits, as well as the other Media
Fellows of course. Together with Suzi Gage, my partner in crime at the BBC, we reported on
stories that were mostly fed to us via press conferences. It was a different style of news
gathering compared to how things tended to happen in London. Stories at the Festival were
more immediate. They often came from a talk given that day. You could interview the
dramatis personae face to face, straight away. It was fantastic to spend some time with the
other fellows and find out how their placements had gone. I felt privileged to have been part
of the BBC enterprise, and learned quite a bit from being in a “live” environment. So much
so that I have since gone on to carry on reporting from conferences that I am attending as a
scientist, when I can.
Impacts
On returning to a new academic year many of my colleagues and students were keen to
hear what I had been up to. I recounted much of it at a talk to the student geological society,
and have bored my colleagues to death with media tales over the coffee table.
I have also kept it going by reporting on large scientific meetings and since the BBC
placement I‟ve been writing in TheConversation and through that had pieces in ArsTechnica,
PopSci, The Hindu, and even on to the web site of The Guardian and The Daily Mirror.
All in all, for me it‟s a small part of my overall job, that maybe could develop further. I have
learned how to present my own results to a general audience, so that I managed to
describe some of our groups latest results on a radio show broadcast in Australia on ABC,
and had the same material covered in Scientific American. I have learned the importance
of answering the phone to a journalist, and being available at the crucial moments if you
are putting a press release out – waiting for e-mail replies is a luxury that most news desks
don‟t have. The pace of publishing in news is so so different, ephemeral and instant,
compared with the long slow build-up that characterises scientific publishing. It‟s a refreshing
contrast.
I have ended up recommending the Media Fellowship scheme to many that have wanted to
learn more. In an age when, as scientists, we are scrutinised over our efforts in make an
impact, it provides an active researcher with the tools and links that enable those efforts to
really do what they should. I have just finished working on a large grant proposal. For the
first time, the “pathways to impact” section was something of a breeze to compose!
My Fellowship Experience
“Working with the BBC for six weeks has been transforming. The people I have worked
alongside were welcoming, encouraging, and introduced me to a different way of thinking
about why I do the science I do. Communicating the “wow” factor of science has been great
fun. Of course, science in action is typically hard graft punctuated by a few “eureka”
moments, at best, and the media skim the cream of those moments from the community.
But when the next one happens to me, I shall be equipped to relay more effectively, and will
remain on the look out for how best to convey the highlights in my field.”
Natalie Starkey
Postdoctoral Research Associate,
Planetary and Space Sciences,
The Open University
The Guardian
nataliestarkey.com
The Media Fellowship
I was quite scared before starting my placement because I didn't really know what to expect.
I haven't had a lot of media science writing experience so I knew that the placement would
be a steep learning curve. I was keen to be involved in podcasts because the media
experiences I'd had previously were in television and I'd really enjoyed them so I figured that
trying out a radio-type show would be fun too.
On day one I discussed with my mentor the kinds of things I was hoping to achieve from my
placement. Luckily I got what I wanted because I wrote lots of different news and blog
pieces and tried out some podcasting. I got even more podcast experience at the British
Science Festival too so I‟ve had lots of practice in interviewing people now. I was expecting
more time with the journalists but it turns out they are really busy the whole time – no
stopping for lunch or coffee breaks. However, whenever I had questions they were always
friendly and willing to help me so I didn‟t struggle through on my own.
Most of the time the deadlines were very short, a day at most and usually more like half a
day so there was generally a lot of focussed work to get done before lunch in order to check
I understood the story and had located and contacted some specialists to provide comment.
On some days I was working simultaneously on 2, or even 3, articles that all had different
deadlines. This only lead to confusion when I was awaiting to hear back from specialists so
when they would call me back it was a challenge to remember what I was meant to be
asking them about. I found that keeping a separate page in my notebook with a list of
questions for each person meant that I could quickly flick to their name and my mind was
focussed straight away.
During the placement I also got to go to some press conferences which I've never done
before so it was quite an insight. It was a real insight into how science journalism is done
because at the end the journalists asked lots of questions to the scientists, taking care that
they had understood the findings correctly and were going to present them correctly. This
was really nice to see and gave me a lot of respect for them.
I was also lucky enough to be involved in the Guardian Science Weekly podcasts. The team
(Alok Jha and Jason Phipps) were really fun and on day one of reporting with them I was
handed a microphone and told to go and interview some people. We were at the Royal
Society Summer Exhibition so there were plenty of interesting people around to speak to, it
was lots of fun. I also did the science news one week and covered the story that I'd just
finished writing an article on.
I had a really great time at the British Science Festival. It was a fantastic week of science
which generally started with press conferences in the mornings, followed by the afternoons
spent in the press office with the other media fellows and journalists writing stories or
arranging and recording podcast interviews. The evenings were filled with talks and events
that meant I met lots of new and interesting people. I enjoyed being immersed in this new
world that is so different from my day job and I liked the challenge of preparing my
interviews when I often knew very little about the subject or the person. I gained lots of
confidence in interviewing which will be helpful in the future when I‟m next interviewed.
Impacts
I learnt a lot about myself during the placement, for example, I can meet very tight
deadlines even when thrown in at the deep-end and asked to report on a story I know
nothing about. I also learnt that I really enjoyed rapidly picking apart a new story to
understand what was important. I was really pleased with this because it meant I was
thinking more like a journalist.
I've already had people in my department ask if I can help them to understand what
journalists look for in a story so that they can work out how best to present their work. I‟ve
been asked to present to various groups in my department about this so that I can share
what I've learnt. I was also invited to speak at a Conference to talk about my experiences.
I'm definitely going to put my new writing skills into practice by taking a few risks on
my own blog and writing about some different areas of science. I hope that my new writing
style will help with paper and fellowship application writing in the future.
My Fellowship Experience
“I’m not joking when I say that the British Science Association Media Fellowship is one of the
best things I’ve ever done. I enjoyed the challenge of doing something that was so different
to my normal day job in the lab. I was really thrown in at the deep end but luckily the training
we were given prior to our placements really helped me on day one of my placement when it
came to writing my first news piece. I learnt a lot about print journalism and I have made
new contacts in The Guardian which I hope will be useful in the future when I might want to
write some new pieces, or pitch ideas to them for science stories to cover in my field. I’d love
to do this placement again next year.”
Mark Viney
Professor of Zoology, University of Bristol
New Scientist
nematode.bio.bris.ac.uk
The Media Fellowship
Day one was like the first day at school – I didn‟t know what to expect at all. Before arriving I
had spoken a few times to the news editor, Rowan Hooper, who seemed very relaxed about
me pitching-up in late June. I had also started reading New Scientist – an international
weekly print magazine with an e-version too – something I hadn‟t done since being a
student. I fancied writing some longer feature articles.
I arrived on the quietist news day of the week, the day after New Scientist had gone to
press. Opposite me was a huge white board showing outlines of all the news pages that
needed to be filled in the coming week. Over the week, the sections were filled with different
stories, colour coded by subject – environment, technology, medicine – so that at a glance
you can see if the balance is right. Over the news week some stories would increase in
importance and get more space, some would be relegated and cut-down.
Each day I looked for and pitched stories – usually an email to a section editor with what I‟d
found, and why I thought it was interesting and news worthy. This was hard, though I slowly
got slightly better at it. Most of what interested me didn‟t make the cut for New Scientist
news. A story has to work internationally (half of the readership is outside the UK), it has to
be something properly new, not just an incremental advance as is so much of science. Most
importantly, it has to be something that – with some good journalism – readers can relate to.
It can‟t be something already covered by daily publications, but equally we had to cover
stories that were everywhere, so then we needed our own angle.
Most of the news came from embargoed sources – journals and press conferences or
personal contacts. The professional journalists have strings of contacts which lets them work
on stories, sometimes weeks in advance – not an option for a Media Fellow intern.
Each day I was both pitching stories and writing stories. New Scientist‟s standard for any
story is to interview the researchers involved as well as to get external, independent
comment on the story. Phone interviewing was fun but this required real concentration. I
interviewed a geophysicist who had discovered new perturbations in the Earth‟s rotation –
this was hard stuff, and a million miles from my own expertise – as everyone around me was
also on the phone doing their interviews – focus, focus, focus. Because we were a weekly
publication I‟d often do a story over two days – not quite the pressure of the daily
publications – then the section editor would work on it and then send it back to me.
During the Festival I worked as a journalist for the British Science Festival itself. My New
Scientist media host wasn‟t very likely to commission much from the Festival because of
New Scientist‟s international readership and because it works on a weekly news cycle.
It was great to be back in journalism after having had a couple of months‟ break. On the
Festival‟s first day I really had to try and get my brain to change gear, to move from
academic writing to journalism – short deadlines, short articles, quickly produced.
The Festival news room was great. All the Media Fellows were together and we were a
happy family. Most of us hadn‟t seen each other since a briefing day well before we‟d ever
set foot in a news room. Now we were dyed-in-the wool news hounds raring to go. There
was great camaraderie because we had all had such similar and positive experiences of
working in a whole range of media organisations. The Science Festival staff were wonderful,
solving problems and making things happen – why can‟t life be like that more often?
Impacts
In my home department people are now talking to me about how to pitch their work to
the media. I always give them the health warning that my whole journalistic experience is
“one month at one magazine”, but I think I‟ve helped focus (and shorten) a fair few draft
press releases.
Along with some other Media Fellows, I will approach the press office in Bristol with a view
to supporting local press activities and sharing the things that we’ve learnt.
My Fellowship Experience
““Do you want to write Picture of the day?” asked the New Scientist web editor, “we’ll need
200 words by 3 pm”. “Sure, that’s fine” – of course I was going to say yes on day one.
But, it was 1 pm, I had never knowingly seen New Scientist’s Picture of the Day, and all I
had was a press release.
It was a hairy couple of hours – I couldn’t get hold of the press officer, I struggled to get an
interesting opening – “the hook” as it’s called – but I made my copy deadline. Lessons
learnt: when you really need to focus, you can; 200 words really isn’t very much to write.
Being my first piece the web editor gave me some feedback – “not as bad as I was
expecting”. I was heavily edited, but overall I can just see my copy in what went live. It was a
web wonder [*] – 100,000 web hits in 36 hours – which feels like the sum of all the citations
of all my papers raised to the power 10. Now that’s interesting.”
2013 in Numbers
Newspaper/journal articles
Television reports and documentaries
Blogs and social media posts
Radio reports, interviews
and podcasts
Web articles
What the hosts say
Rowan Hooper, New Scientist
“I was very impressed with Mark‟s elegant writing style from the beginning. Some scientists
– and even some journalists! – have trouble disengaging from the technical, scientific style
of writing, but not Mark. Also, we‟re a busy newsroom and don‟t have time to really spoonfeed newcomers, so Mark‟s get-up-and-go, can-do attitude meant that he thrived here. We
all missed him when his time was up.”
James Randerson, the Guardian
“Natalie threw herself at every assignment we gave her and worked very hard to produce
some very good pieces. She came up with good ideas for articles and topics to cover and
was an enthusiastic addition to the team. Her specialist expertise was also invaluable at
times.”
Davide Castelvecci, Nature News
“It was my pleasure having Richard as a media fellow. I felt that the arrangement was
mutually beneficial. We are looking forward to receiving the application materials for this
year's class of media fellows!”
Hannah Devlin, the Times
“Lucy was very motivated and got to grips with news writing impressively quickly - a
pleasure to have around!”
Working with the media:
Top tips from the Fellows
Why should I speak to the media?
If you‟re being approached about your own work, what is better than being able to directly
speak to the person who will be covering your research, and explain to them what you did, and
why?
This is a brilliant way to improve the quality of science reporting, as journalists can clarify any
points they‟re not sure of, and researchers can ensure that the important findings and
implications are emphasised. We as scientists have a duty to share our work with the public,
as it is often funded by research council grants whose money ultimately comes from the
taxpayer. If we do not talk directly to the media, either our results will not be reported, or they
run the risk of being reported less accurately.
If you‟re being approached to talk about other peoples‟ work, this can be really valuable help
for journalists to understand the wider context of the study they are reporting. An outside view
can temper author overenthusiasm for new findings, and also add context where there is
disagreement in the field over the implications of findings, for example. - Suzi
Is the media out to get me?
Relax and don‟t be too suspicious! The only „agenda‟ is usually to fill some space on the page!
Approach it as a task in which you need to work WITH the journalist to make sure that they
can get the best out of you. Remember that they are interviewing you because they find your
work interesting, but they might not understand a lot about your work – and their
listeners/viewers/readers may know less. It‟s your job, to try to distil your science down to
accessible, bite-size chunks that convey the core, important messages of your research. Gavin
How should I start?
Be proactive, if you want to be involved introduce yourself to your organisation's press office,
get involved in writing press releases if you are publishing an academic paper, email some
journalists in advance to let them know about upcoming events and publications. Many
organisations have lists of media-friendly professionals - see if yours does and get on it.
If you are approached for an expert opinion or quote, be responsive - journalists are on tight
deadlines. If you can't help let them know and if possible try to find someone who can. If you
are happy to help be available to be called. It's fine to ask for scientific papers to read before
you comment on them. Be clear in your opinion and try to give short comments, slowly if you
are speaking to them on the phone and they are trying to take notes. - Lucy
How do I write a press release?
Top tips for press releases:
• Be clear and concise. I really liked bullet points at the top to summarise the main findings
as that helped me to see straight away whether the science was interesting.
• Don't overstate your findings or take the results too far.
• Try to find an angle that makes people care about the science. This, admittedly, can be
hard with many areas but if there's no human angle then explain why it's great stuff
anyway, and not just to other scientists in your field. Why is the story relevant now? Is it
timely?
• Have a catchy title for the press release and avoid jargon completely. Journalists search
daily through lists of press releases and they are much more likely to skip over a release
that doesn't sell itself easily in the title.
• Include quotes but make sure that you are actually available when your press release
goes out, up until the date the embargo lifts. If you need, put down your mobile number.
Potentially this could result in a call in the middle of the night but you can always call
back the next morning and it's better than your work not getting presented at all.
• Make the paper easily available. Any good science journalist will want to see the paper
so make sure there is a link on the press release. Usually this is possible even on
embargoed material if you agree it with the journal first.
Natalie
Who can help me?
Work together with your press officers: In my experience, both journalists and scientists
often view press offers as interfering people that get in the way (of them getting on with
their science, or of them getting to the juicy details of the story). But press officers are on
your side and they are the only ones (apart from media fellows) that can bridge the gap
between the media and science world. Get to know your press officer and let them know
about your science. They can help you find the most effective way to communicate it..
Tamsin
What happens after an interview?
You can ask to see a copy of an article before it‟s live, but be aware the writer is likely to
have a very tight deadline, lots of people to interview, and editors and sub-editors who will
change what they write anyway.
Don‟t expect everything you say in an interview to be in the final article.
You could supplement your interview with an email afterwards that covers the main points
you wanted to get across. You may be quoted from this in the article. - Richard
What if they’re not interested?
Don‟t be worried if the media isn‟t interested in your work. The media isn‟t really judging
quality or importance of work, only its news worthiness. - Mark