The truth of the matter is that there are many things to write about. The problem is that the science reporter does not know how and where to find them.

        The following are some of the sources of science news and feature articles: science bulletins boards, science exhibits, students’ experiments, teacher’s demonstration lessons, science meetings, science workshops and seminars, fairs, quizzes and camp – local, regional or national.

        For feature stories, there are science club projects and activities. There are the libraries and the museums. News is a relative thing. A million-year old object can be new today. This holds true with science news. A student may write about a rare object exhibited at the school museum.

        Also, in this era of development communication, students are becoming more concerned with national issues. The student writer should therefore extend his jurisdiction to the community, to the province, to the region, and to the nation, for the matter.

        Is there a fishery school nearby? A biological station nearby? An archaeological digging taking place? An internal expert visiting a nearby office? Or a UN project in the region being undertaken? These are  possible sources for science news and feature stories.

       In this era of fast- moving discoveries, inventions and technical development, science reporting has become a must.
       
        Science is not the private domain of scientists. Even the layman is interested in science because it affects his daily life. He thirsts for scientific literature, one of course which he understands.

       The science writer should be able to communicate clearly and effectively so that he can popularise and translate scientific reports into stories which Mr. Average Reader or the layman understands.
         
What is science reporting? How does it differ from technical writing?

        A science reporter should be an all-around man, somewhat of a botanist, zoologist, a chemist, an electrician , and etc.

        Assuming that the science reporter was all these people, how can he bridge the gap between the scientist and the layman? As previously stated, scientists normally write using technical terms which the ordinary reader would not understand. The science reporter’s mission therefore is to know and understand science so that he can translate what the scientists are talking about for the common man.

        Just take the classic example of some news items which appeared in some metropolitan dailies warning the people of “endemic conjunctivitis”. The reporter lazily repeated the words of the doctor who talked of the disease, its preventions and of its cure but did not explain what the disease was all about.

        An active staff should include for its regular beat the science and vocational departments. The reporters should interview regularly the teacher in charge of the vocational course, or the chemistry class.  Is there an experiment going on?