After the Interview

After the Interview

• Open channels: 92% of journalists responded that they are always open to scientists calling them if they have more information ; and 94% of journalists said that always or most of the time scientists can contact them if they feel that they misspoke or if they feel there was some misunderstanding during the interview.

• If things change: Almost 67% of journalists would always or most of the time let a scientist know if the focus or tone of the story they are working on changes while writing or editing.

• Who does fact-checking: 50% of journalists noted that research assistants, copy-editors or fact-checkers at a publication do the fact checking for their story; however, more than 50% noted that journalists do this job as well.

• Who writes headlines: Less than half of journalists write their own headlines; 68% of respondents noted that an editor would write the headline for their piece, while 28% noted that it may be the copy-editor assigned to the piece who writes the headline.

• Who to contact if not satisfied:  If a scientist feels that they were misquoted or misrepresented in a published story or the science was not correct (more than one response allowed), who can they contact:
  • Journalist who did the interview: 211
  • Editor for piece: 170
  • Publication: 101
  • Leave a note in the Comment section of published piece: 67