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Reporting on hot-button topics as a science writer: Lessons from abortion coverage

We share a video recording, resources, and tips from a recent CASW Connector Chat with an NPR reporter and a social scientist who studies abortion news coverage.

by | | abortion, JR webinars
covering hot-button topics
(Engin Akyurt from Pixabay)

On July 11, The Journalist’s Resource and the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing’s CASW Connector hosted an online chat discussing how journalists can better cover hot-button topics, focusing on abortion as an example of a medical topic that has become increasingly political. The panelists shared lessons from their research and reporting, offered guidance for journalists covering abortion, and answered questions from the audience.

The event was moderated by Naseem Miller, senior health editor at The Journalist’s Resource, and the panelists were:

  • Sarah McCammon, a national political correspondent at NPR who covers abortion policy among other divisive topics.
  • Katie Woodruff, a public health social scientist in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Services at the University of California, San Francisco.

Below you’ll find a recording of the chat and links to resources curated by the panelists, as well as other links and tips provided during the session.

Sign up for CASW Connector’s and The Journalist’s Resource’s newsletters to receive updates about future online events.

Takeaways from Dr. Woodruff’s research:

  • Research links:
  • Her 2019 paper found most news coverage treated abortion as a political buzzword without exploring the issue in-depth.
  • Stories largely didn’t cover the experiences of people seeking abortion and omitted basic facts, such as that abortion is common and safe and that pregnancy carries a higher risk for women, especially people of color.
  • Following the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, abortion coverage significantly increased. More stories covered the policy and health aspects of this issue in depth.
  • Stories of people seeking abortion are more common in news stories in 2022-23 than pre-Dobbs, but news coverage tends to focus on atypical cases. Basic facts about abortion and pregnancy are still rarely included.
  • News coverage also rarely focuses on medication abortion, even though this is now the most common method.
  • We have an overwhelming body of evidence showing that abortion is safe, and that anti-abortion policies lead to harm. Journalists could do more to ensure these facts are clearly stated in stories.
  • Be careful of language used to describe abortion policies; terms like “heartbeat ban” or referring to people seeking abortion as “mothers” can impact readers’ perceptions.

Finding sources, navigating interviews:

  • Reproductive health clinics and providers can offer sources, including doctors and patients. Health care providers are good secondary sources if you aren’t able to talk to a patient.
  • Abortion funds and advocacy groups can also connect journalists with sources. (Don’t call an abortion hotline; connect with organizers.) However, some of these organizations have been overwhelmed post-Dobbs and may not have the capacity to or be comfortable with sharing patient information. It is also worth taking note of whether any groups pay sources, as a few do this.
  • Ethical consent is important during interviews. Make sure the source understands who you are and how their story will be used. Make it clear what it means to be on- or off-the-record, and let sources know they can choose not to answer a question if they’re uncomfortable with it.
  • Vetting information from a source can include searching public databases and checking information between patients and providers.
  • Expand your perception of who can be a source. Historians and other scholars may be able to offer historical context for news pieces.
  • Providing sources with some level of anonymity, such as using a first name only, can help protect those at more risk from speaking out about their experience. Be clear about your outlet’s policy for anonymity during the interview.

McCammon’s other tips for covering hot-button topics:

  • A framework to avoid bias: A journalist’s own experiences and perspectives are not nearly as important to a news story as the evidence. Consider your job to be informing the audience and shedding light on different aspects of an issue, not persuading anyone of a particular argument.
  • Personal stories from sources can help your audience understand the impacts of policies on real people. These may be tough to find for some stories but are important to include when possible.
  • Don’t assume you have all the answers, even if you’re experienced in covering an issue. Be curious and open-minded.
  • Aim to be as accurate and specific as possible in language to reduce misinterpretation. For example, some outlets (like NPR) have moved to use “abortion rights supporter” and “abortion rights opponent” over “pro-choice” and “pro-life.”
  • Ask rigorous questions of politicians and policy platforms and weigh their positions against scientific evidence and potential health impacts.

Articles & resources:

This tip sheet was published in collaboration with the CASW Connector, where it first appeared. It has been lightly edited for style.

About The Author

Betsy Ladyzhets is CASW Connector’s community manager, keeping the Connector database up to date, working with readers to continually improve the website, and writing and producing the newsletter. Betsy is an independent science, health, and data journalist focused on COVID-19 and the future of public health. She is an editor at The Sick Times, a new nonprofit publication chronicling the Long Covid crisis, which she co-founded after more than three years of writing the COVID-19 Data Dispatch blog and newsletter. She was recently a journalism fellow at MuckRock where she contributed to award-winning COVID-19 investigations. Her freelance work has appeared in Science News, The Atlantic, STAT News, FiveThirtyEight, MIT Technology Review, and other national publications.