Should you eat lettuce? 5 things newsrooms can do to cover the cyclosporiasis outbreak. When public health guidance keeps changing, these tips can help journalists keep audiences informed without creating more confusion.
Welcome! You are reading the Science Writing News Roundup, a newsletter for science writers. You can also read this edition online. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here.
Climate journalism shouldn’t begin with disaster: Introducing the Climate Frontline Toolkit. Four printable Field Guides to help journalists prepare before, report during and follow communities after climate hazards.
Sorting through the mixed messages about cyclosporiasis: What we know about the record number of US cases, the lettuce recalls and what health experts recommend right now.
Introducing the Journalism Source of Safety (J-SOS) app, a place to learn about safety practices that is also a space to be safe while doing the actual work of journalism.
Opportunities and calls for pitches 👉 Bonus content for monthly supporters.
Roundtable: How Science Journalism Residencies Can Shape Careers at All Stages. Science journalism residencies give writers the chance to embed at a research institution for several months or longer. Akin to a sabbatical, these residencies are a chance to step off the treadmill of one’s career to learn something new, immerse in the day-to-day of science, launch a project, or make a big move. Here, several writers discuss their recent experiences with residences—including how these programs can be accessible to writers at many stages of their careers.
Behind the recall: How to cover food safety stories. There are multiple story angles journalists can pursue when writing about food recalls.
How can we evaluate the health of climate journalism? Is climate journalism really in decline? How can we know? And is that the best way to evaluate the health of the climate beat?
Rethinking the campus mental health “crisis”: 3 things journalists should know. A developmental psychologist who studies the mental health of college students explains why it’s time to retire the “kids these days” narrative.
Ebola’s outbreak culture in a time of retreat. Outbreaks are never solely biological events. They are social, political, economic, and cultural events that reveal how societies understand risk, trust institutions, communicate uncertainty, and assign responsibility.
To protect the planet, we need to protect journalism: UNESCO’s latest World Trends Report in Freedom of Expression and Media Development was featured at two of the leading journalism events this year, underscoring the vital role of independent journalism and information integrity in tackling the climate crisis.
Cyclospora: food contamination, detection, and outbreak response
The Publishing Playbook | Siri Carpenter on Why She Self-Published First + How It Led to a Book Deal
Raging Wildfires & a Warming Planet — What’s the Connection?
Not a Straight Line: Stories about becoming a science journalist
YMF-Symposium 2026 - Panel Discussion: “Addressing Current Crises: Practical Challenges for Science”
Collaborative Knowledge: Second Journalism Science Alliance Cohort Kicks Off 2026 Investigations. The Journalism Science Alliance hosted its second Meet & Greet session to welcome the grantees from the 2026 call.
Computer scientist Juan Gilbert to present 14th Patrusky Lecture: Distinguished and award-winning computer scientist Juan Gilbert will discuss hack-proof voting and other innovative ways to apply computer science to solve social problems in the 14th annual Patrusky Lecture.
Four Journalists Win Investigative Reporting Grants From Newmark J-School. Four veteran journalists have been named the latest recipients of the McGraw Fellowship for Business Journalism. Each of the winning projects will receive editorial support and a grant of up to $15,000.
Saïbe Kabila wins science journalism award for Mongabay fellowship investigation. Mongabay Afrique’s TikTok Journalist, Saïbe Kabila, has won first prize in the “One Health” category at the 2025 World Conference of Francophone Science Journalists for an investigation produced during the Mongabay Africa Environmental Journalism Fellowship.
Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive the next post in your inbox:
Worried you missed something? See previous posts here. What would you like to see in the newsletter? Please send me your suggestions: sciencewriting@substack.com
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.