An MIT Alumni Association Publication

Navigate the Seas of Science Journalism

  • Nancy DuVergne Smith
  • slice.mit.edu

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In the 21st century, news sources may be burgeoning but the rate of discovery in science research is even more astonishing. How is a science-savvy reader to keep up with important research day to day?

A 19th century naturalist's desk re-discovered.

One answer is the Knight Science Journalism (KSJ) Tracker, a peer-review service for science journalists, created by MIT's Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program. The KSJ Tracker, with several posts a day, compares global coverage of a news topic and links to the best sources.

Today, for example, a report on the Census of Marine Life project led to stories on the newly discovered diversity swimming in the two polar seas. Other topics? Hot climate change news that emerged from an AAAS gathering last weekend. The discovery of a 19th century naturalist's desk—fully loaded—in a D.C. antique shop. Earlier stories focused on the decoding of the cold virus genome, space junk collisions, and the biology of romantic love.

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