Launching a career in science journalism

By: Charles Wendo

What next after science journalism training? How does a new science journalist hit the road running? How can they earn a living in science journalism? How can they find the media outlets to publish their science stories? How can they get compelling story ideas and successfully pitch them to editors?

Six graduates of SciDev.Net’s Script programme asked these questions recently after a successful mentoring programme with Uganda’s New Vision. And they got some answers.
Prior to placement at New Vision, the six completed the Script Science Communication Skills for Journalists free online course. They won a mentoring opportunity at New Vision by successfully pitching science story ideas.

Newsroom experience

One of the mentees, Sam Wamani, said the programme was both exciting and challenging. He described the mentoring as “a great experience”. Wamani, a scientist, wrote eight news and feature stories. Of these, two were front page stories. “The first story was very challenging since I was coming to a new field,” he said.

Wamani went on: “I have learnt how to turn complicated research into a simpler format. Through my stories a lot of people got to know me; I became a local celebrity among my peers.”

All together, six mentees published 20 stories in print and online. These were news stories, special reports, features and analyses. Out of 20 stories eight – slightly more than a third — were flagged on the front page. This is considered an achievement in a region where science stories rarely make it to the front page.

What next

When the three-month mentoring programme came to an end, the mentees asked; “What next?” To answer their questions, Sript programme and New Vision arranged a two-hour webinar on May 3. The webinar focussed on “launching a career in science journalism”.

Francis Kagolo, senior producer for news and current affairs at Vision Group, was one of the key speakers. Vision Group is New Vision’s mother compamy.

Kagolo started off by encouraging more journalists to report science. “If anyone was joining journalism today I would advise them to become science journalists because that’s where they will remain relevant forever,” he said.

Opportunities for journalists in science

There are two main reasons Kagolo sees great opportunities for journalists in science. Firstly, today the mainstream media in the region value science stories more than before. As a result, the amount of science stories in the mainstream media has increased. “Today science news is making headlines more than it did in the 1990s,” Kagolo stated.

New Vision newspaper, for instance, frequently publishes science stories in the news, health, agriculture and general feature sections. The newspaper encourages journalists to specialise so that they can report more accurately and impactfully on science. They also support and encourage journalists to take refresher short courses in reporting science.

“Due to the challenges of COVID-19 which forced us into cost-cutting, newsrooms don’t encourage specialisation. But when it comes to science we encourage journalists to specialise,” said Kagolo.

Secondly, Kagolo observed that the rigour with which journalists report science makes them good journalists that can effectively report on other topics. “When someone is a good science journalist they will be good journalists generally,” he said.

Even when science journalists leave the media for ‘greener pastures’, often they become good communicators in science-related organisations. This benefits the media because good science stories come from scientific organisations that have good communication specialists.

What editors want

Kagolo, however, encouraged journalists to originate story ideas as opposed to waiting for press releases and invitations from scientific institutions. To do this, they need to follow patterns and trends. “Many science journalists have become interpreters of science. They wait for scientific institutions to give them stories yet science stories are everywhere,” he said.

Kagolo clarified that editors of the mainstream media want science stories that address the issues that most people in society care about. Scientific developments that do not directly impact on or appeal to the public are less likely to win space. This might explain why nearly all the 20 stories published by mentees at New Vision were on either health or agriculture. Most of the challenges facing society in the region are related to health and agricultural productivity.

Making a successful pitch

All said and done, science journalists need to earn a living. How can all this learning from science journalism training and mentoring help the new science journalists to earn a living? Gilbert Nakweya, a Nairobi-based freelance journalist, had some answers.

First and foremost, the science journalist has to learn how to be a good writer. Secondly, they need to know how to pitch their story ideas to editors. Thirdly, they need good interviewing skills to get a great story. Forthly, they need to make connections with key players in science journalism. And finally, they need to know the structure and house styles of media organisations they want to write stories for.