Freelance Science Journalism Opportunities: Where to Find and What to Expect

 

 

If you’re a writer with an interest in new studies and research breakthroughs, science journalism may be the niche route for you. This can also be a path for writers who stem from a science background. Before you start pitching, however, there are a few things you should consider. Science journalism stories may be a tad harder to find and may require some more digging in unexpected places. Here’s a guide to breaking into science journalism:

Read Up On Science Journalism

Miriam Fauzia, a science reporter, recommends that the best way to find opportunities is to keep up with science news organizations which are “offering internships” and regularly reading science outlets to get a better understanding. She specifically cites The Open Notebook as a resource. 

Craft A Compelling Pitch

After you’ve familiarized yourself with science journalism, you can start crafting pitches. Hannah Docter-Loeb, a science journalist who has been published in the Washington Post, advises that “single studies are probably the best way to start” because “it’s not too hard to read a study and summarize it.” 

She finds studies on Eurekalert. However, she warns that since staff reporters are also checking Eurekalaert,  you should subscribe to a variety of other journals to find studies. Docter-Loeb, for instance, subscribes to cannabis science journals. The more niche you get, the more likely it is that this study isn’t being covered by someone else. Keep in mind that scientific breakthroughs are usually reported on by an in-house team. How are you bringing something fresh? 

Fauzia says that it’s crucial for science stories to have a central character” that grounds it in a human narrative. 

Mostly, it’s important to be adding something fresh to the conversation. 

Marlee Baldridge recommends finding a “topic that you’re really interested in” and seeing if there are “questions about that topic that aren’t being addressed in the articles you’re reading.” 

“That’s usually a good hook for your pitch,” she adds.

Negotiate a Fair Rate

Landing your first story can be a long process — it may take a lot of trial and error for you to refine and polish your approach. Once you get your first green light, you should be prepared to do some negotiating for a fair rate if needed. 

Docter-Loeb recommends keeping in mind “what the lift is going to be.” In other words, think about these things before settling on a rate:

• How many sources are you going to talk to?
• What’s the word count going to be?
• What’s the turnaround? 

Sustain Editor Relationships

Docter-Loeb stresses that freelancers need to sustain relationships with the “people that you like and like to work with.” If you had a great experience with an editor, remember to stay in touch with them even if you aren’t pitching something new. Ideally, you will want to get to the point in which you start getting assignments from editors. However, it’s important to keep in mind that it may take a while for that to happen.

Networking Events

Nothing beats in-person networking. Fauzia suggests that science journalists go to events hosted by the National Association of Science Writers to build connections. 

 

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