Getting good access
A couple of fine bloggers, to whit GrrlScientist and Hsien Hsien Lei, have said that they have a hard time covering science because they cannot get access to embargoed sources. For those who don’t know about this sort of thing, press releases, including many science stories, get to journalists with an embargo: a time before which nothing should be published. The idea is to give the inky wretches time to understand the story, contact sources, get quotes and write up their piece. Embargoes can be very strictly enforced, by blocking a miscreant’s access to future releases, to ensure a level playing field for all. But it isn’t level if serious bloggers, who aren’t paid-up journalists, are excluded.
Hsien Hsien Lei has been getting some solid support from her employer and sundry other bloggers, so maybe what I have to say is irrelevant. For my money, the best route in would be to register with professional bodies such as the National Association of Science Writers or one of the “two dozen journalist organizations in north america†that her boss cites. Maybe the Association of British Science Writers would be more welcoming. (You can say I sent you, but my name has probably been forgotten.) I’d also not be above taking advantage of the system. There must be people Hsien Hsien knows who do have access. Anonymous remailers being what they are, I would imagine it would be possible to share embargoed releases. It happens all the time in old fashioned newsrooms.
Ok, I know, there are matters of principle at stake. But pragma beats principle every day.
- Published:
- 18/3/2007 / 2pm
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