Tomoko Otake
Senior Writer , The Japan Times
Tomoko Otake is a reporter at The Japan Times. After working as a reporter and editor at the English-language paper for over 20 years, she took a break from journalism in 2018, joining the University of Tokyo’s international communications team. In 2022, she returned to The Japan Times as a senior writer and has been covering a range of health, environment and other science stories.
Sessions
Think like a journalist: understanding and engaging with the media
This workshop will provide researchers and science communicators insights into how journalism works and tips on how to effectively engage with the media.
In Part 1, participants will learn about different forms of science reporting, how to interact with reporters and build long-term relationships.
Part 2 is a hands-on session where participants will “think” like a journalist by discussing story ideas in groups and collectively crafting a pitch to make to a media outlet. Through these activities, they will understand the thinking — and the struggles — of journalists at a deeper level.
Finding the Story: Perspectives on the Journalism/Public Relations Divide
Journalists and public relations officers often want the same thing: to find interesting stories and tell them to a wide audience. But the way that journalists and PR officers approach the challenge of finding a good story is very different. In this session, we speak to a mass-media science journalist, a niche science journalist, and an ex-journalist turned public information officer to discover how they go about finding the right story for their audience.