The newsmagazine of the chemical world Published weekly by the American Chemical Society since 1923 Circulation of about 150,000

What makes something newsworthy for print? My readers will find it interesting, informative, and/or entertaining new of broad interest tells a good story ….not really print specific

What makes news for ……. ? Its all in the name Should be of interest to chemists Should be of interest to St. Louisians Should be of interest to engineering educators ….but timing is important too

How is different from other media? AUDIENCE – scientists and others well-versed in chemistry we never have to explain what a molecule is we demand considerably more technical detail we can write repeatedly about a specific field for the most part, chemists trust us SPACE – weve got more of it…sometimes ART – we like pictures

How to get my attention: First, do some research sending me something on my beat sending me something someone else covers me before your paper comes out after Science, Nature, the New York Times, etc. writes about it write a concise that in the first paragraph explains what youve done, what makes it stand out, and why its important me your abstract or introduction write something thats so long, complex, or jargony that I cant understand it Send a nice picture clear too conceptual or complicated

Things to remember now that you have the medias attention – what the scientists say: Use your universitys press office Ask to see the final version of press releases Research the person interviewing you Keep in mind that there may be political fallout from all of the attention you get – jealous colleagues, scientists who publicly criticize your work Once you hang up the phone, you lose control of your work

Bethany Halford's Tips for Scientists in Communicating with the Press Don't go on vacation the week your paper comes out. The press wants to talk to you, not the P.R. person. Don't just give a powerpoint presentation. Your work is interesting, but you must learn to talk to people who aren't scientists. You do it all the time family dinners, with your dentist, on airplanes. Reporters are just the same. Just because someone doesn't understand everything about your work, that doesn't make them stupid. Just make it simple. Try to say it in a sentence or two. An analogy or image even if it is flawed can really bring a point home. I have described the layers of the atmosphere like an onion, and self-assembling carbon nanotubes as Slinkys, Lifesavers candy and spiral staircases. A good picture will get your work a lot of attention. People like cool things to look at. Reporters don't generally work on the same kinds of deadlines that you do. Respond as soon as you can. It would not be unusual for a reporter to have to turn something into a story within a few hours. Reporters are also limited in terms of time and space. They are not your advertising firm. A good reporter will write a balanced story. Don't be afraid of that. Be kind if a reporter makes a mistake. Often the error occurred sometime after the story left their hands. The editorial process is labyrinthine. A good reporter wants to be accurate, and if they've messed up, they'll generally try to correct things, or get them right the next time they report. If you throw a fit, they'll just find someone else to put in the paper... and they'll tell their friends.