The Sessions

AI as a journalism tool: a strategy for journalists

How to deal with the ethical, editorial and technical opportunities and risk of machine learning and generative AI. Lessons from the LSE's five year old global JournalismAI project.

Producer/Chair: Alex O'Brien, ABSW Vice-Chair

Speaker: Professor Charlie Beckett, Professor, Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics

Building resilience: Surviving in a critical and visible environment

Psychologically, journalism and writing are tougher than many other professions. You must deal with regularly having ideas abruptly rejected and tough criticism of your work. Your colleagues will hopefully be firm but considerate in their feedback, but your readers may not.  With remote working becoming increasingly common, and many science writers and journalists being freelance, isolation can be an issue. Meanwhile, scientific issues can be very polarizing, making those covering them targets for trolling and other attacks. Covering psychologically harrowing topics could also lead to vicarious trauma. In this session an expert will explore to what extent it’s possible to deal with all these issues, and how best to do so.

Producer: Andy Extance, Chair ABSW

Chair: Aisling Irwin, ABSW Board Member

Speakers: Katy Georgiou, Psychotherapist, Journalist, Author & creator and host of Sound Affects Podcast exploring music and mental health; Dhruti Shah, Journalist & Author, John Crowley, Editor, Trainer & Consultant

Buy Katy Georgiou’s book: How To Understand and Deal with Stress

Career paths in science journalism

How do you become a science journalist? What's the best way to build up experience when you're still  starting out? And once you have your first job, what career paths are available and how do you work your way through the ranks? In this session, a panel of science journalists in the first few years of their careers will discuss how they started out and where their careers have taken them, with plenty of time to ask questions about their experiences.

Producer/Chair: Matthew Warren, European News Editor, Science

Speakers: Rosa Furneaux, Investigative Journalist, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism; Grace Browne, Staff Writer, WIRED; Robin Bisson, Research Fortnight & Nick Petrić Howe, Senior Multimedia Editor, Nature

Developing a brilliant story idea 

NB: Interactive workshop so not available online. Requires pre-registration - look out for an email allowing you to pre-register.

Where can you source story ideas from (from the obvious to the much less obvious) and then how to you create a brilliant idea that will get you commissioned, or the nod from your editor? In this workshop-style session, you will get insights from experienced writers on the approaches they use and consider how they will apply to your own work. We'll also look at how to apply creativity to your story development to create compelling articles.

Producer/Chair: Andy Ridgway, ABSW Board Member

Speakers: Anna Lombardi, Senior Data and Digital Graphics Journalist, The Times & Joshua Howgego, Feature Editor, New Scientist

Digital media

Readers use an increasingly diverse set of digital channels to get their science news - so how can science writers adapt and ensure they have the tools in their arsenal to reach these audiences? From TikTok to Twitter threads, we take a look at some of the other forms of digital media journalists can use to communicate science.

Producer/Chair: Matthew Warren, European News Editor, Science

Speakers: David Stock, Senior Video Producer, New Scientist, Anne Marie Conlon, Chief Editor, Audience and Engagement, Nature Magazine & Flora Graham, Senior Editor, Nature Briefing

Diverse voices - the key to diverse audiences

A session on awareness of your own biases, and on using diverse voices as your sources.

Producer/Chair: Katharine Sanderson, ABSW Board Member

Speakers: Priya Joi, Science Journalist & Author, Dhruti Shah, Journalist & Author & Shivani Dave, Journalist, Broadcaster & Physicist.

Getting 'workplace' ready

Setting up as a freelance?  All you need to know to be a successful freelance science writer, including: self assessment tax, invoicing, negotiating rates, & getting paid. Finding work: identifying new outlets & approaching them. Building your brand: streamlining your online profile, building and your CV & finding your community.

Producer/Chair: Katharine Sanderson, ABSW Board Member

Speaker: Emma Wilkinson, freelance journalist specialising in medicine and health, co-founder 'Freelancing for Journalists' (book, podcast and community).

Interview skills: Get the story you need from the person in front of you

NB: Interactive workshop so not available online.  Session requires pre-registration - look out for an email providing details of preparatory work required and how to pre-register

How to interview to get the most out of your interviewee, how to get the answers you need, keep the interviewee engaged and on topic. A highly practical session that will see you interviewing scientists from King's College, and receiving feedback from our expert interviewer.

Producer/Chair: Alex O'Brien, Vice-Chair, ABSW

Speaker: Alok Jha, Science and Technology Editor, The Economist

Meet the editors (speed networking/mentoring)

NB: This session is not available online

Book yourself 5 minute slots with key science and technology editors, broadcasters and journalists to get advice and guidance, and pitch any stories you may have been developing.  Bookings will take place throughout the day of the Summer School at registration.

Including (more names being added daily!): 

Alexander McNamara, Editor-in-Chief, Live Science, Matt Warren, European News Editor, Science, Mun Keat Looi, International Features Editor, BMJ, Deborah Cohen, Former Editor BBC Radio Science Unit, Katharine Sanderson, Senior Reporter, Nature, Anna Lombardi, Senior Data and Graphics Journalist, The Times and Sunday Times, Katy Evans, Managing Editor, IFLScience, Sarah Richardson, Editor-in-Chief, Research Professional News, Ben Deighton, Managing Editor, SciDev.Net and more tbc

Online visibility: Getting eyes on your stories

You may be able to write text that grips readers, but how do you make sure that the articles get read in the first place? What can you do as a writer to make sure that search engines come to your articles first? What should your headline be? How should you think about search engines as you write and structure your story? Does this change whether an outlet is paywalled or freely readable? And how much of this responsibility is the writer's, compared to editors and other specialists that outlets might employ? In this session people who know best how science media can grab attention will answer all these questions. 

Producer/Chair: Andy Extance, ABSW Chair

Speakers: Anne Marie Conlon, Chief Editor, Audience and Engagement, Nature magazine, Alexander McNamara, Editor-in-Chief, Live Science & Alice Mason, The Conversation.

Pitchathon

NB: Interactive workshop so not available online. Session requires pre-registration - look out for an email providing details of preparatory work required and how to pre-register.

Come along with a story idea that you can pitch to a group who acts as the editorial team for a publication. Each group will include at least one current or former editor. This will all be done in a warm, constructive spirit. So please bring along a story idea safe in the knowledge that you will receive support to develop it.  You may even get commissioned to write your story!

Producer/Chair: Andy Ridgway, ABSW Board Member

Speakers: Alexander McNamara Editor-in-Chief Live Science, Katy Evans Managing Editor IFL Science, Anna Lombardi Senior Data and Digital Graphics Journalist The Times & Joshua Howgego, Feature Editor, New Scientist

Statistics 101

A session on the basic statistics terms you need to understand to report on scientific research, how to interpret stats and report accurately and with clarity, and the 'red flags' to look out for in press releases.

Producer/Chair: Alex O'Brien, ABSW Vice-Chair

Speaker: Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics, Open University