PressEthic

Last week for the first time, I read “Mrs. Kelly’s Monster,” the 1979 Pulitzer Prize-winning Feature article by Jon Franklin. In the story the 57-year-old Mrs. Kelly has suffered two aneurysms and years of pain because of a tangled mass of blood vessels in her brain. Doctors spend the duration of the article trying to remove the aneurysms. You'll have to read it to find out what happens to her.

“Mrs. Kelly’s Monster” is a compelling story that, despite the difficult subject matter, is clearly written, making it easy for almost any reader to understand.

With this story top of mind, my interest turned to another science article, the cover story for the September 5th issue of Time magazine, How To Stop A Heart Attack Before It Happens .

The Time article gives a detailed description of the different types of technology available to heart patients and the goals for improving it all in the future. Again, I wasn't disappointed. It’s thorough, concise and, though lacking the characters and tension of “Mrs. Kelly’s Monster,” you feel required to read it through for the conclusion.

These are qualities that journalists of all kind strive for in their writing, making it the most important thing that good science reporting has to teach other journalists. For a lesson outside of the classroom, see the article on the Time website.