I am Rebecca Burton, a 22-year-old journalist who has a passion for science reporting. My goal is to articulate newsworthy scientific data to the mass media. I want to ensure there is no misinterpretation of facts to the public and policymakers. My goal of becoming a science and health reporter began when I started taking introductory environmental classes during my undergraduate career. Hearing t
he numbers and what they meant, I wondered why some information wasn’t on the front page of the paper. I decided to get my minor in marine biology, where I focused on the conservation of marine life. For my media management class senior year, I had to come up with a business proposal of a media company. I came up with a mock company, Layman’s Terms Media. In my company, I would collaborate with research universities and find news stories in their peer-reviewed journals. I still wish to make this a dream one day, or at least be able to be a science beat reporter for a newspaper or magazine. I’ve already purchased the domain name and am currently blogging about my journey to get there. I have been a freelance reporter or intern at several publications, trying to make ends meet and save up for graduate school. I am currentlyu attending the University of Florida to pursue my master’s in science/health communications. I will be sharing the stories I write, the videos I shoot and and the odd jobs I do to make it out alive and do what I love to do for a living. Stay tuned for hula-hooping adventures, tales from a waitress and the journey of a struggling journalist.
