Examples of great science journalism

October 2, 2009 3:36 PM

Poor science journalism gets trashed regularly on the blue. What are some sources of good science journalism? Do you have a favorite science writer? Is there one article that you read years ago that stands out in your mind as truly excellent?

And if you know of any, examples of shorter articles that are written well.

posted by SouthCNorthNY to Science & Nature (24 answers total)

This was posted recently on the blue: http://futurity.org/

Also, check out: http://scienceblogs.com/
posted by Xoebe at 3:39 PM on October 2, 2009

It's more encapsulations and interpretation of other peoples' writing, bur Ars Technica's science page is generally clear, entertaining, and good at being scientifically valid
posted by kid_dynamite at 3:54 PM on October 2, 2009

I think Radiolab is often very good.
posted by wobh at 3:59 PM on October 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

This is one of my favorite pieces on a complicated subject that explains the science in a straightforward manner while also acknowledging the politics. I usually use it as an example of good science journalism.
posted by allen.spaulding at 3:59 PM on October 2, 2009

I'd highly recommend the Best American Science Writing collections. Not all of them are science journalism, but most of them are, and they are all often incredible, award-winning pieces.
posted by tachikoma_robot at 4:32 PM on October 2, 2009 [2 favorites]

Olivia Judson's contributions to the New York Times are excellent.
posted by grouse at 4:36 PM on October 2, 2009

The Economist has consistently excellent science news reporting.

The news articles in New Scientist are quite good, in my opinion, though the features are something of a crapshoot.

This article from The New Yorker is one of the best I've read. I don't think I've read anything else by that author, Atul Gawande, but my Dad (a former science journalist) says he's got a very good reputation among his peers and this article certainly bears that out.
posted by Commander Rachek at 4:49 PM on October 2, 2009

The NPR On Science podcast is pretty great. Also, Matt Wald at NYTimes is pretty solid on energy/climate issues.
posted by General Malaise at 5:38 PM on October 2, 2009

I generally like reading Scientific American.
posted by torquemaniac at 5:47 PM on October 2, 2009

Meh, Newscientist often drastically simplifies things like newspaper journalists who know nothing about science will do. I always find that TED talks are great examples of bringing science to the masses, though they're not technically journalistic since they will often come straight from the source.
posted by tybeet at 5:58 PM on October 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

Olivia Judson's father is MacArthur Fellowship winner Horace Freeland Judson. He wrote The Eighth Day of Creation as part of his work as a journalist. It is a classic.

Science News is a good print and web source of current news on a broad array of sciences. Full disclosure: longtime Science News editor Ivars Peterson was my high school physics teacher before he changed to a career in journalism.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 6:16 PM on October 2, 2009

The Planetary Society Blog by Emily Lakdawalla is fantastic. She is just so earnest and hardworking and has a real gift for engaging writing. It's rather remarkable how much she is able to produce -- I have trouble keeping up, and I'm really into this stuff. She has a whole army of fans, both academic scientists and amateurs, that she can use as resources for writing her articles.

It's mostly about the exploration of outer space, which is done almost entirely by unmanned probes, like Cassini, the Mars rovers, Hubble, et cetera. If that doesn't sound appealing, go read a few entries first ...
posted by intermod at 6:53 PM on October 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

Seconding TED talks and Radiolab. I also really really love the news and especially the features sections of Nature (registration required, unfortunately).
posted by you're a kitty! at 7:17 PM on October 2, 2009

2nding Science News - it is clearly written and easily understandable by anyone with a college degree in some field that is NOT the topic being discussed. I love it as a way to keep up with general advances in sciences across wide range of disciplines. (When it was a weekly, I used to keep in the bathroom. A week was just enough time to read it cover to cover during those "personal" moments. Now it is thicker but bi-weekly but they have added more additional, related material to their website.
posted by metahawk at 7:47 PM on October 2, 2009

It's hard to go wrong with either Carl Zimmer or Ed Yong. They each do an amazing job, both online and in print.
posted by chrisamiller at 7:58 PM on October 2, 2009

In my mind, New Scientist is the epitome of bad science journalism.
posted by grouse at 8:13 PM on October 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

For a regularly updated site that has assorted articles that are rated for both their science and their journalism - ksjtracker is recommendable.
posted by birdsquared at 9:14 PM on October 2, 2009

http://www.badscience.net/
posted by RawrGulMuffins at 12:22 AM on October 3, 2009

I'd highly recommend the Best American Science Writing collections. Not all of them are science journalism, but most of them are, and they are all often incredible, award-winning pieces.

AAARRRGHGHGHGHGHGH!!! This is exactly why I immediately put down the BASW collection immediately after picking it up.

The most prevalent problem in science journalism is bad writing combined with bad scientific understanding. The second most prevalent problem is good writing combined with no science at all.

I don't care how award-winning the writing is, how deeply into the emotional lives of the protagonists the writer delves or what beautiful human insights are revealed. If it doesn't contain clear explanations of recent science, it is not good science writing.

I'm looking at you Sean B Carroll.
posted by DU at 3:01 AM on October 3, 2009 [2 favorites]

Nature and Science have good journalism desks (in addition the the original research articles they publish).
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 5:25 AM on October 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

I like the writing in American Scientist. If it's in my field, I still recognize the science (often I don't in Scientific American) and generally like their choices of analogies and of where to simplify; if it's not my field, I learn a lot.
posted by Killick at 12:30 PM on October 3, 2009

I liked the Sean Carroll book that DU hates so, but I work in that field so might be judging by different standards. It's an overview of an emerging field, and proposes a particular viewpoint that not all of the people in the field share, so it's certainly not 'science journalism' of any kind, but I think it's lovely 'science writing'.
I also like Nicholas Wade at the New York Times, and have recommended his book "Before The Dawn" to anyone I've ever met who has stood still for long enough to listen.
posted by nowonmai at 3:59 PM on October 3, 2009

Don't know if you would be open to podcasts, but The Science Show from ABC Radio National (Australia) is excellent. Current research is often featured, and the stories are long enough to go into some detail of methods, etc. Besides that, the host used to make guest appearances on MP's Flying Circus and Doctor Who!

Also check out the science offerings from the CBC. I've been very impressed with their science podcasts, as well.
posted by shifafa at 1:27 AM on October 5, 2009

I enjoy reading JAMA and a blog called Life in the Fast Lane
posted by doctorwhitecoat at 4:55 PM on April 7, 2010