Thinking AI is a viable means of improving public understanding and awareness of complex but meaningful issues?
That’s not what AI does.
It “averages” already published material.
It mashes together already-expressed ideas.
It identifies arguments that get attention - not those that convey comprehension.
AI does not understand.
Therefore, it cannot identify fresh connections.
It cannot pull-in previously unidentified context.
It apply the literary power of connections.
I’m an enthusiastic writer who likes to see the big picture.
I have 35 years of experience reporting in everything from science to international affairs, newspaper to glossy magazine design, as well as digital and social media production.
I like to find surprising, revealing - and inspiring - connections.
It all adds up to a fast, responsive, flexible - and professional - freelancer.
Communicating experience
Communicating. It sounds so easy. But, stepping out of a comfort zone and into the public arena can be a rude shock. Language is a many-faceted thing. And then there’s the challenge of winning - and retaining - an audience’s attention.
It’s always been this way. And, now, communicators must contend with a news cycle on steroids, search engine algorithms, ‘engagement’ scores - and internet-soaked readers with impossibly tight time budgets.
It’s not an environment suited to conveying new, complex ideas.
But it can be done. And it can be fun.
Story sampler
SCIENCE
TECHNOLOGY
DEFENCE
SOCIOLOGY
HISTORY
SPACE
POP CULTURE
PROMOTIONAL
STEM
Attention can be enticed. Storytelling can install a sense of wonder. Paced ‘reveal’ can convey detailed information. I’ve been developing my digital readership, literary, psychological and technical techniques since 2000. Currently, I’m regularly writing leads for digital news productions on subjects as diverse as international relations, defence, science and sociology.
Areas of expertise
NEWS PATHWAYS
As a News Corporation Network reporter, my science and international affairs articles featured in national print and as website homepage ‘splash’ lead stories. As a freelancer, little has changed. Years as a news editor and homepage editor have exposed me to a torrent of readership habit metrics. And I’ve learned how to ride these waves of public interest.
CONCEPTUAL TRANSLATION
It doesn’t matter if it’s international politics or quantum mechanics, each has its own specialist language. And every year these arenas get more specialised. Little wonder the general public understanding of what is going on lags so far behind. But complex concepts and implications can be accurately conveyed in plain language, as you can see in my work.
SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
Brightening up, or dumbing down? It’s an eternal debate. But writing for the Royal Institution of Australia’s Cosmos Magazine showed that projecting new ideas across a wide range of generations and education needs ‘scaffolding’. That’s the art of providing just enough information to build up the framework of an idea - while also remaining enticing.
MULTIMEDIA MESSAGING
A picture may be worth a thousand words. But a picture and a thousand words is worth 10,000. Add to the mix some footage, interactive graphics and sound bites - and you get compelling modern media. Storytelling in the internet age has no boundaries. Only tools, and opportunities.
DIGITAL CONTENT
While words remain at the core, there is so much more to digital storytelling. Exploiting the many and varied tools available can create an immersive experience. Video snippets. Moving graphics. High resolution images. All combine to bring a story to life. And that is what modern media consumers expect.
INTEGRITY PROMOTIONS
You’ve probably noticed traditional spin doesn’t work all that well anymore. At least, not beyond preaching to the converted. So putting aside all the hackneyed self-indulgent praise and zeroing down on your inspirations, aspirations and achievements will refresh and relieve your readers.
My job is my hobby
To develop my web design, video and graphic art skills over the past decade or so, I’ve been building up this comprehensive website on the more obscure aircraft carrier designs and actions of World War II. Using extensive archival documents, diagrams and videos, I’ve sought to combine this with as many first-person accounts as I could find to paint a detailed picture of these forgotten fleets.
“We must all obey the great law of change. It is the most powerful law of nature.”