That’s why we’re building a resource that guides journalists along several paths to integrate more science into their coverage

We’re excited to announce that The Open Notebook is partnering with the Reynolds Journalism Institute to build a resource that will help journalists integrate more science directly into their daily work. This training module and interactive toolkit will provide journalists with efficient and practical information, so even reporters on deadline can get what they need to deliver accurate, nuanced stories that incorporate scientific data, voices, and perspectives. 

Science intersects with nearly every issue journalists cover. Stories about water and air pollution, extreme weather, vaccines, gun violence, reproductive health, education, artificial intelligence, infrastructure, and countless other topics — whether overtly or not, build on a foundation of scientific evidence. 

What we’re building

The resource we’re developing is an extension of the ongoing work at our nonprofit organization, The Open Notebook, to support local journalists. Our goal is to help journalists understand how to quickly evaluate scientific claims and incorporate science concepts in their reporting with confidence. By design, the resource will provide tips and templates specific to your questions, such as how to read a scientific study, how to interview scientists, and how to spot pseudoscience.

You’ll also be able to choose how you interact with it according to your immediate need. On deadline? Scan a handy list of modules to find exactly what you’re looking for or search through a lexicon of common terms. Have a little time to explore or want a guided experience to help you handle a reporting dilemma? Pick a learning path to follow and dig deeper into the craft of covering science.  

The choose-your-own-adventure-style modules will allow you to forge your own path through example scenarios you might encounter when covering science news. We’ll also help you identify how topics you encounter often — heat waves, flu season, school start times, or traffic safety, for example—all have science threads you can pull to enhance and deepen your coverage.

This resource will live on The Open Notebook’s website and will be freely accessible to all, in keeping with our practice of providing free educational and training resources to the journalism community for almost 15 years. 

We’ll be updating you on our progress in the coming months, but for now, please fill out this short survey to help us understand what you’d like to learn from this toolkit.

How we got here

Local and community-centered newsrooms, which make up a sizable portion of U.S. media outlets, are on the front lines of critical health and science coverage. They’re also some of the most trusted sources of news, with nearly half of Americans reporting that local media is very important to the well-being of their community.

It’s crucial that community reporters and editors are equipped to consistently deliver accurate information that includes science. Yet, by our calculations, less than 3 percent of journalists in the U.S. are trained to cover science, health, or the environment—and access to such training is both scarce and inequitable. 

At The Open Notebook, we’ve been working since 2010 to foster a supportive, diverse, and inclusive global community that enables reporters and editors who cover science to learn and thrive. We’ve published a vast library of more than 600 publicly available articles centered on the craft of science writing and developed a host of other training opportunities, including a series of free email courses and multiple mentoring programs. 

But it’s become increasingly clear to us that there exists a harmful and unnecessary gulf separating science journalism — where reporters are often trained in the sciences and write for science outlets—from the rest of journalism, where the overwhelming majority of reporters work. 

We’re trying to shrink that gulf by investing in the local journalism community through a suite of resources aimed specifically at reporters who don’t specialize in covering science. We run a community of practice, for example, in which over 100 local reporters and editors gather with experienced science journalists to learn from and support one another as they seek to weave more science into their reporting. Our new toolkit will complement these resources, offering just-in-time guidance for reporters who want to incorporate scientific evidence and perspectives into their stories.

Cite this article

Zamzow, Rachel; and Carpenter, Siri (2025, March 18). Every story is a science story. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Retrieved from: https://rjionline.org/news/every-story-is-a-science-story/