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Fun with Science
(October 6, 2004) -
How do you sell story ideas? Journalists Deborah Blum and
André Picard tackled this vital issue with a great deal
of humour yesterday. What follows are the key points.
Understand the boss
Is your editor-in-chief an astronomy buff? To get
the editor on your side, propose stories about the latest discoveries
on Mars. Are they a hypochondriac? Suggest a health issue. "If
you find out his prostate is the size of a grapefruit, he’s
likely to be interested in a paper about the male apparatus. You’re
in context!" joked André Picard, a reporter for
the Globe and Mail. "To be part of the network,
to stay in the game, you have to cultivate relations with them.
If you keep in touch, they’ll start offering you jobs, even
if they’re running other publications," said Pulitzer
Prize winner Deborah Blum.
Science is funny
"I love writing about animal behaviour.
I thoroughly enjoyed doing an article about roosters who fool
hens to attract them. I couldn’t resist throwing in a few
jokes related to people. I try to seduce my readers by humanizing
the world. The things around us are intriguing," said
the featured reporter. Picard also shared his experience. "For
a series of reports on Canada’s most obese cities, there
was a ton of whacky data. It was a huge hit."
Watch the news
Always keep up with the latest developments and
the hot issue. "When a young MS victim committed suicide,
people were more interested in learning about the how the disease
develops," said Picard. He put health and "pigging
out" at the top of list in drawing the most readers.
Never give up on an idea
"Editors come and go. Every time a new one
comes along, I pull unpublished stories out of the drawer and
try selling them," said Picard. "You have to
take risks," Blum optimistically believes. "If
our story doesn’t create a stir or isn’t published,
we should consider it an exercise in identifying our strengths
and weaknesses."
Show your face
"You always have to keep your name in circulation.
Visibility is an investment. It can cost you money – by attending
conferences or travelling – but you have to make things happen
and make choices," said Blum.
Time to hit the keyboard! Submit your best ideas at the Meet
the Editors workshop from 10:15 to 11:45 on Thursday, October
7 in room Cartier AB.
Valérie Martin
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