The First Step to Persuading All: Understand Scientists Are Not God

You are a science writer. You report ONLY the findings of doctors and researchers. The news that you report is correct, will always be correct, because it comes from science. Hours and hours of research have been done just for you to write a short article that will be put only at the back of the newspaper once a week. Therefore, what you write will always be correct.

WRONG!

Science makes mistakes. Scientists come to many wrong conclusions.

As Lemony Snicket said in The Blank Book, “It is very unnerving to be proven wrong, particularly when you are really right and the person who is wrong is proving you wrong and proving himself, wrongly, right.” It is frustrating to those who think they are right but told their thoughts are wrong. This happens amongst science writers and scientists alike. Science advocates essentially tell science writers that their ideas are incorrect. It is difficult to not take it this negativity to heart.

Think about Nietzsche’s view, “There are no facts, only interpretations.” Many people will ignore scientific evidence because that is not their interpretation of the world. Science writers need to understand that because something is perceived as correct and science proves that it is correct does not mean that it is correct. There could be many other answers or avenues that science has not yet discovered. Science writers should not laugh at their potential readers since the readers do not have the same interpretation of the research being presented. Embrace your readers or the result may be that you will have no readers. Do more research. Science is not willing to hand you the answer.

The First Step to Becoming a Better Science Writer: Write for All

Science might not be the love of everyone’s life, but as a science writer you want it to be. Every day, you hope that many people read your work, reflecting on your thoughts and research from the first word to the last. However, this does not always happen, causing a dilemma for both the writer and the readers. One solution: write for all.

As Alexandre Dumas said in The Three Musketeers, “All for one, and one for all!” A science writer has one shot, one chance to let readers understand the topic and believe in that written subject. This one shot MUST be for all. People need to read and understand the topic and heed its warnings.

Now, realistically, is one article going to touch every person? Probably not. Science writers need to come together and recognize this as a problem. Here are some ideas:

-Write as if your reader knows nothing about the topic. Give them background information. Make them feel as if they did the research themselves.

-Understand that not everyone is going to agree with your opinion. Write without a bias so that more people can appreciate your work.  

-Don’t use superfluous and perplexing words! People just get confused.

-Don’t choose sides. People have many political views. If your views shine through your work, others make decide to reject your news.

-Read this blog. More tips will be posted as I become a better science writer myself.

This problem may not be fixed overnight. Certain people do not like to read about science and as science writers, our goal is to change that train of thought. The more readers who are able to interpret, understand, and appreciate science, the more scientific articles will be read.