It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to the new Editor in Chief of Science News, Tom Siegfried. As one would expect for the venerable Science News, Tom is one of the nation’s leading science journalists, with a long track record as both writer and editor. He was the science editor at the Dallas Morning News, leading its science section to the top ranks of newspaper science departments. In addition, Tom has written several well-received books, most recently A Beautiful Math: John Nash, Game Theory, and the Modern Quest for a Code of Nature.
The future of our beloved magazine must keep faith with the core mission of Science News: to provide concise and credible news across a broad range of scientific disciplines. The historic strength of Science News is that faithful readers stay abreast of important developments in science efficiently, and with total confidence in the source. That will always be true. At the same time, the way people find and use information has changed dramatically, and Science News must change also. Tom Siegfried will be instrumental in helping Science News navigate new but exciting waters, delivering the same quality content in formats that promise to reach a broader community.
The most obvious opportunity is the explosion of online sources of science news and information. The public’s hunger for developments in science is keener than ever, but many satisfy their hunger online rather than on the printed page. In order to thrive in this environment, every publisher must bring information to its audience in the form the audience wants, including in print, on the Web, via e-mail, through podcasts, or by other rapidly evolving forms of information delivery. Our challenge is to do that while maintaining the high standards our readers have expected from Science News in print for more than 80 years. We feel fortunate to have found a new Editor in Chief who will usher in an era in which we will do just that.
We will look forward, with you, to watching and enjoying as Tom and the inimitable Science News staff bring us a version of Science News that embodies old virtues for a new time.
