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> There are lots of science journalists who write about a
> different technical topic every week, yet they somehow manage to
> get it right. Sports journalists somehow they manage to provide
> us with all our information about sports (and occasionally win
> Pulitzer prizes). That's because they are WRITERS and they have
> knowledge, not necessarily experience, of their subject.
Wrong. Good science writers often have formal science education and training.
Most sports writers played sports in their life (and continue to do so).
Thus, software writers should have software development experience,
biotechnology writers should have biology experience/education,
telecommunications writers should....you get the idea.
Read Ira Flatow's bio at NPR.org. He specifically notes his passion for
technology and science. Calling himself an "educated layman." In other words,
he has some formalized education, a passion for the subject matter, and a
highly developed communications abilities.
> Who do you think would write the better piece about boxing -
> Mike Tyson or Mike Lupica? (Not that I wouldn't be interested in
> an article by Tyson)
That's a pointless argument. Mike Tyson isn't a writer. So he wouldn't write an
article. But Mike Lupica probably has boxed at least a few times, known the
sport very well, lives and breathes sports, and moreover - enjoys learning and
writing about sports. His bio on the NY Times site explains how he was the
youngest writer of sports ever at the NY times. This is clearly a person who is
very passionate about sports.
Some people seem, and I emphasize SEEM, to be advocating that a writer can live
and breathe something else other than the topic they are documenting. Most of
the best journalists are good at what they do because they have some formal
training and passion with whatever it is they are writing about. Sports writers
are a perfect example. Most sports writers live an breathe sports. They can
recite statistics like mad, and know every possible sports trivia fact. This
is the "content skills" I speak of. An intimate and comprehensive understanding
of the subject matter.
Andrew Plato
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