Any science writer who has been around for more than a few months gets asked questions about the profession. Scientists are puzzled by the business. Many of them cannot understand the need for science writers.
Scientists can, after all, write papers by the thousand.
Scientists with a deeper understanding of the skills present a complicated story in terms that many people can understand are more sympathetic, even if they still have their suspicions about what we get up to. To try to dispel some of the myths about science writing I have written various articles and given numerous talks. Many of them are best forgotten. One talk that might spark an interest if only for its topicality covered the business of science writing in the age of the internet. I upset some younger members of the profession by suggesting that the internet is less than perfect.