Jonathan Wosen
Jonathan Wosen, PhD, is a biotech reporter at The San Diego Union-Tribune. He also writes about the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. Jonathan earned his doctorate in immunology at Stanford, where he pivoted toward science writing mid-PhD. During this time, he spent a summer working at STAT News as a AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellow. He was also awarded the National Association of Science Writers Taylor/Blakeslee Fellowship. Before joining the Union-Tribune, he was enrolled in the UC Santa Cruz Science Communication Program. He has written for STAT News, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Stanford Medicine, and Knowable magazine, among other publications.
Can you describe your academic and professional background? What path led you to pursue this field?
As a child, my go-to answer for what I wanted to be when I grew up was always a scientist. That was a big part of my identity. I liked writing, and I was good at it too, but I had a clearer picture of what a researcher’s life looked like than a writer’s, so I stuck with science. I got my bachelor’s in biology and went to Stanford to get my doctorate in immunology. I came into graduate school thinking that I wanted to one day have my own lab and work as an academic. What could be cooler, I thought, than leading a team of researchers to unravel how the human body worked? But after a few years in the lab, I realized that it wasn’t the environment for me. I was spending more time troubleshooting experiments and focusing on my niche project than engaging in the big-picture, curious thinking that got me into science to begin with. On the other hand, I always felt in my element when I was talking and writing about science in language that anyone could understand. But that seldom happens in academia — think of all the acronyms and Greek symbols in a scientific paper! I didn’t know much about science writing, but I took a two-week mini course at Stanford where I discovered people who cared as much as I did about making science accessible and relatable. After that point, I pretty much jumped at any science communication opportunity I could get – writing and hosting a student-run science podcast, applying for a summer fellowship to work in a newsroom, freelancing and contributing to a blog. I finished my PhD but then transitioned immediately into a one-year master’s program in science communication. During that program, I found out that the Union-Tribune was looking for a biotech reporter and applied for the position. I’ve been at the paper since April.
Can you tell us about your current responsibilities? What is a typical day or week like in your role?
Like any reporter, it’s my job to come up with story ideas and then turn them into well-researched and clearly written articles. Typically, I’m up by 7:30 a.m. to check emails. I get a lot of emails each day from biotech companies and universities that want me to write about their science. Most of these pitches wouldn’t make for interesting stories, so I read through them quickly to see if an announcement is timely and important. If I find one or two that are worth writing about, I’ll send my editor a quick note to tell her what I’m planning and will then set up interviews ASAP. The trickiest part is usually arranging a time to talk with the subject! I’ll do some background reading before the interview and come in with a list of questions. Afterward, it’s just a matter of doing a quick outline and writing a basic news story that explains what the news is and why it matters. I balance these short and sweet stories with longer-term stories. For example, I’m working on a story right now about how public health in San Diego might be affected by whether there’s a COVID-19 vaccine in both the U.S. and Mexico. While working on that story, I’ll probably do a few quick stories on the side. Sometimes coworkers and readers suggest story ideas, sometimes I come up with them myself, but I can generally write whatever I want – which is one of my favorite things about this job.
What’s changing in your industry? Are there any future trends we should be aware of?
Do you read a print newspaper in the morning? Probably not. Old-school journalism has been in decline for about 20 years now. Newspapers employ fewer full-time reporters. Most people get their news online and prefer not to pay for it. That’s a problem for publications, because online ad revenue is hard to come by. It’s hard to get staff jobs at traditional newspapers and magazines. Not impossible, just hard. There are plenty of people who freelance, but it’s not easy paying the bills without steady income from one employer. None of these trends are changing any time soon. Thanks to the internet, though, it’s easier for new science news publications to pop up. How long any of them last is an open question. I think one of the most successful recent examples has been STAT News, a national health publication that started in 2016 and that I interned for in 2017.
What activities, internships, or organizations would you recommend someone get involved with to help them break into this field?
Start with student-run organizations where there’s no barrier to entry. Look for science communication groups that do blogs, podcasts or any other kind of outreach. If you can take or audit a course on science writing or go to a lecture by a writer, you should. The trick is to get as much real-world exposure as possible and start to build a growing network of mentors and likeminded peers who can support you. Don’t worry about whether any of the activities you’re doing are “high profile.” That’s not the point. You’re figuring out whether you actually enjoy doing this and building your portfolio.
While in grad school, I applied for the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship, which is a summer science journalism fellowship for STEM grad students and postdocs. Some fellows work at NPR, the LA Times, National Geographic, Slate, Wired and many other places. I spent my summer at STAT News in Boston, and the stories I wrote about biotech and pharmaceutical companies definitely helped me land my current job. After getting my PhD, I applied to a one-year science communication program at UC Santa Cruz to get more formalized training. That program equips you to write for a wide variety of science publications and connects you with a vast network of alumni that write for top publications nationwide.
Is it common for people in your field to have a scientific/academic background (i.e. have PhDs)? Can you think of any advantages or disadvantages someone with a PhD might experience while pursuing or working in your field?
Most science journalists don’t have PhDs! If you’ve got one, you’ll be able to read papers, evaluate data and understand what the heck scientists are saying faster and better than reporters without that background. But you might also struggle to write in clear, simple English. And if you write for a newspaper like me, you’ll need to make sure your stories are important and interesting to everyone, not just people with an inherent interest in science.
Do you have any final words of advice for those navigating these career questions?
Whatever career you pursue, you’ll be infinitely happier if you enjoy the day-to-day minutiae. The amount of time you spend celebrating completing a project (in my case, a story) will always be dwarfed by the amount of time it took you to complete it.
Find people who are one or two steps further than you are in whatever career you’re pursuing. Those people will have entered their field recently, so whatever challenges, opportunities and lessons they share will probably apply to you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions — even (and especially) the ones you think are dumb.
Oh, and when you get some big internship or other opportunity, thank the people who helped you. They deserve to share in your success. Before you know it, you’ll be answering questions about how you ended up where you are — just like I am right now!
