the-BA : Web diary 2

Monday 15 August

On Friday night, I stayed behind to observe the first edition go ‘off stone’ (be sent to the printer). The whole process appeared very calm and controlled. By-lines were written, people conferred on layout, pages were printed and checked over.

This morning I went to the Science Museum exhibition launch. It was daunting but exciting to be there by myself, notebook and pen in hand, looking for a story. I met some of the people originally involved in manufacturing and flying Spitfire planes which was fascinating. I managed some good quotes but upon returning to the newsroom it was clear any piece was to be limited to a few paragraphs. So I put together something short to accompany one of the photographs taken by Paul, one of the Times photographers.

My ‘Sunday-for-Monday’ piece on prostate cancer made it in as a ‘NIB’ (News in brief).

This afternoon I attended the Body&Soul editorial meeting. I pitched my features ideas, but none were really right. A story not only has to pose an interesting question or issue, it can’t have been covered already and must have a personal angle or case. One of my ideas remained somewhat intact so I sent off a couple of emails to see if I could find a case study to go with it.

Tuesday 16 August

Another busy day; I’m almost missing my (comparatively nonchalant) life in academia… The Spitfire piece got a very brief mention today, on page 48.

This morning I went to the launch of the Department of Health’s Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act. It’s a really broad review, which was interesting for me academically, but hard for the press to choose a particular story angle. Mark pitched a few to the news editors and they decided that sex selection was the best one to focus on.

I wrote another ‘expert side-panel’ this time covering history, ethics and statistics. I found it a slog to write and wasn’t sure about the flow (although Mark did give me a great first line to get me going), but was pleased to find that the news editors liked it.

I also wrote a ‘Q&A’ piece for the website about the review. I received some valuable feedback; my language is still too technical and a bit repetitive.

This evening saw another flurry of activity as one of the 6pm TV news bulletins carried an exclusive. The story will be carried tomorrow so everyone stood around the TV sets taking copious notes.

Wednesday 17 August

The pieces on the new fertility inquiry came out today – there was a big ‘spread’ (two-pages of similar stories) in the paper, including my ethical commentary. Headlines certainly make a big impact and can really change an article’s spin.

It’s becoming apparent that journalists not only have to write well, they also have to build networks of scientists who will give them the good stories. Scientists tend to use journalists they know they can trust and who will represent their work in a fair way.

I filed two stories today, one on the mass-move of insects at the Natural History Museum and one about foetal stem cells being found in the brain of female mice. They were both interesting stories but the fleetingness of news was illustrated over a drink with the other BA Fellows after work, as it took me a full 10 minutes to remember what one of the stories was about!

A well-written media release can make such a difference. Trying to use a quote containing a sentence more than 60 words long is nigh impossible. Equally, given quotes full of qualifications and long-winded justifications don’t get in. If you can’t cut to the chase on something it’s not worth saying anything at all.

Thursday 18 August

I still can’t get over the transient nature of news and the short time-frame journalists have to decipher the central issues. A stark contrast to academia, with its luxurious self-imposed deadlines.

Another live media appearance about paternity testing this morning, on the BBC world service programme ‘Outlook’. I was interviewed via a high-quality ISDN phone line from the Times newsroom, which was a learning experience in itself. The interview was nice as the format allowed for a more in-depth discussion of the issues.

Mark had another story raising ethical issues today, about pre-implantation genetic diagnosis for the rare eye cancer retinoblastoma. I helped him with some background research about the condition (how did we ever live without Google?) and wrote another commentary. I’m now feeling much more confident in setting out my views in a few hundred words.

As the page was coming together, I was able to speak directly to one of the senior sub-editors about cuts to my piece. It was difficult deciding what not to include, as I believed I was making several very subtle but important distinctions in the argument!

Friday 19 August

Mark wasn’t in today, which was a little daunting – although he had kindly left me some embargoed releases to work up with the news editors. Friday is often a quiet news day in the science world.

I briefed one of the news editors with the story ideas, arising from two releases from the American Psychological Association’s annual conference. In briefing the desk, you are basically selling a story as newsworthy, so you have to be ready with a few slick statements to justify the piece. Being drilled on the spot about something you have only just read is quite daunting… one of the pieces carried a subtle research finding and I floundered under heavy questioning!

I filed both pieces, again noticing how much easier it is to deal with a jargon-free, clearly written media release. One of the releases included phrases such as “effects of affective expressions” which took some time to work through. One piece about expressive writing, didn’t make it in but it was very good practice to file a piece from a complicated study.

The piece on links between video games and increased aggression was published. Recognising problems with these kinds of meta-analyses, it was accompanied by another story which indicated that playing video games can also improve memory.

I also filed a ‘Sunday-for-Monday’ piece on a newly-discovered plant gene that might provide a real alternative to the use of bacterial markers in GM crops. It went in as a NIB (news in brief).

Read week 3 of Ainsley's diary

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