Document: ADE-3-512-195

Finding the charismatic megafauna in your data.

CONOVER, A.*

Freelance Magazine Writer (Smithsonian Magazine and others) ¹

Abstract:
Several years ago the ecologist Dan Janzen pointed out that the future of biodiversity depends not only on scientists themselves but also on so-called "biocasters," by which he meant journalists who make a scientist's work widely known to the public. If the public is going to support your research -- and they ultimately have to -- they need to know what you are doing and why. One of the best ways to communicate is to tell a story, but presenting a scientist's hard-won data as a story idea can be tricky business. Having worked as both a research assistant and a journalist, I have found that the best recourse is to fall back on the information value of wonder -- which is, of course, probably why you got into science in the first place. Magazine articles are an ideal medium for biocasting because there is room to put scientific information into its biological and historical contexts, and to team up words with pictures. With these advantages, popular articles can make your data as exciting to the public as charismatic megafauna.

Keywords: journalism,media

This abstract is being presented at: 8:45 AM in session:
Symposium # 13: Ecology in the Media.