Doug Levy, who has participated in science communications from both sides of the fence, will lead a workshop covering the essential steps that reporters should take before deciding if they have a story, including ways to judge a scientist’s (or a news release’s) credibility and questions that should always be asked.

The session will also include a discussion on the balance between hype and substance. In preparation, participants are asked to review an abstract from a recent medical journal article and be prepared to discuss possible story angles and one or more possible story leads.