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Tim Radford, the Guardian’s former science editor has died aged 84.
“He wrote for non-specialists, believing that science was part of our culture and that key ideas could be rendered accessible to us all.”
Sir Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal.
Back in 2011 Tim Radford wrote “25 commandments for journalists“, though it should be a manifesto for us all. It is brilliant. I’m going to quote from the piece over the next couple of weeks in the Briefing, but for now I’ll pick out commandment number 5…
5. Here is a thing to carve in pokerwork and hang over your typewriter. “No one will ever complain because you have made something too easy to understand.”
And commandment number 9, which is what I’ve been saying to spokespeople for years, yet nowhere near as eloquently…
9. If an issue is tangled like a plate of spaghetti, then regard your story as just one strand of spaghetti, carefully drawn from the whole. Ideally with the oil, garlic and tomato sauce adhering to it. The reader will be grateful for being given the simple part, not the complicated whole.
So for those of you who have been on our media training:
Top Line + specifics = one strand of spaghetti + oil, garlic and sauce.
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