Yet, like science, journalism is not a monolithic culture. There are different personalities, different approaches, different levels of scientific expertise, and most importantly different deadlines. Other reporters have the luxury of time to write a feature story for a newspaper or magazine or produce a documentary. A producer for a cable channel science show, for example, might spend a day in the lab learning more about ongoing research before she brings in a camera crew. Different kinds of reporters can ride in on hourly or monthly deadlines.
Some reporters specialize in science.
Most of them like science the way sportswriters like sports. Other reporters may cover city hall and traffic disasters more often than science and medicine. Sleep researcher Mary Carskadon, on the other hand, has been interviewed by reporters with a wider range of scientific literacy, from high school newspapers to parenting magazines to the New York Times. Regardless of the nature of reporter who seeks information, there are good reasons to work with all kinds of journalists. By some reports, the public appetite for science and medicine news is at an all-time high.