#127 Finding Scientific Angles on Any Story with The Open Notebook’s Editor Siri Carpenter

Siri Carpenter is an award-winning journalist and is co-founder, executive director, and editor-in-chief of The Open Notebook, a non-profit organization widely regarded as a leading source of training and educational materials for journalists who cover science. She is also the editor of the book The Craft of Science Writing. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Science, Discover, Scientific American, Science News, bioGraphic, and other publications. She is a past president of the National Association of Science Writers and was the 2023 winner of the Online News Association’s Community Award. She has a Ph.D. in social psychology from Yale University and lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

 

In this episode:

• Siri shares the inspiration behind The Craft of Science Writing and what’s new in the expanded edition. [3:34]

• How the pandemic made everyone a science writer [4:34]

• The rise of science writing across all beats—why every journalist needs to understand and implement research and data. [5:05]

• How to craft compelling science stories without a science degree. [6:08]

• The dos and don’ts of pitching –pitching hygiene —plus how to sharpen your story angle. [9:30]

• How to write complex subjects in a reader-friendly way [13:48]

• The goal of the Open Notebook to make science writing accessible and offer training opportunities and free courses [27:17]

• Siri’s thoughts on AI [30:22]

• Submission info for The Open Notebook [34:37]

• Why understanding research, statistics, and expert interviews is essential for today’s writers. [37:16]

Connect with Siri via The Open Notebook

 

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Editor, The Craft of Science Writing 

SECOND, EXPANDED EDITION AVAILABLE NOW!

Connect with Estelle Erasmus 

 

Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of WRITING THAT GETS NOTICED (named a