Virtual Expert: Pamela Henderson

Pamela Henderson of Farm Journal magazine received AAEA's highest writing honor ­ the Writer of the Year Award ­ in 2005. She also placed first in the Story of the Year and Technical Feature categories in the 2005 AAEA Writing Awards Program.

The planning stage: Please give some background on why you chose the story topic that won your award. What gave you the idea for that topic? What were your goals when you began to plan the story?

I was attending a meeting about bioterrorism. There was a segment of the program devoted to invasive pathogens and the prospect of soybean rust hitting the United States was mentioned. I met some of the researchers who had been dogging this disease for years without recognition and they captured my imagination with stories of how devastating the disease could be in the United States. That was about four years before the first outbreak in the continental U.S.

When the first outbreak was discovered in Louisiana, everyone and his aunt was writing about it. Websites popped up like weeds after a spring rain. I knew we needed to cover it, but wanted what we did to stand out. I began picking the disease apart and looking at pieces of what made it work. I tried to ask myself what farmers would want to know and what they might ask a researcher. I tried to plan ways of presenting the story that others might not thing of. Mostly, I wanted to think beyond "the sky is falling" story.

The fact gathering stage: How did you choose the people to interview for your story? What were your primary sources of information? Did you use the Web?

I interviewed scientists involved at the ground level of the disease. Also farmers in Brazil who had first-hand experience with the disease. USDA-ARS plant pathologists for the disease information. Ag mech/engineers for the applied information. University extension pathologists working on Section 18 projects.

How and where did you conduct interviews? Did you do the interviews face-to-face, phone, or email, and which is best?

I did all of the above. However, since soybean rust was not available to see in the U.S., I traveled to Ft. Detrick to see the disease in containment and meet with the scientists on the front line of battle before I went to Brazil to see it in a field setting. In my opinion, the training I got at Ft. Detrick in learning how to look for the disease helped my articles and set them apart from others.

How did you get information and good quotes from your sources? How did you determine whom to interview, and when did you know that you had done enough interviewing/researching?

I spent a lot of time developing a network and learning who was cutting edge on this topic. I'm never done interviewing. Usually deadlines determine when I have to be done interviewing.

The writing stage: Why or how did you choose the story lead? Did you outline the story or organize the general flow ahead of time, before you began to write? What writing style did you choose, and why? How many re-writes did you do? How did you choose sidebar stories? Did you have an editor or colleague review your story, offer suggestions, look for holes in your reporting? How do you check facts?

I had many different elements to my story. It was more of a package of stories that ran each issue with one big splash to start the whole thing rolling. I used several writing styles. Some articles were more scientific and research oriented. Others I used the Wall Street Journal approach and profiled the farmer first. One sidebar focused just on questions that farmers are most likely to ask/wonder about and answers. Probably the most unique style was one piece done in the "How Things Work" approach. It was a spread drawing of the life cycle of rust with brief descriptions of how Asian Soybean Rust arrives and infects. I researched the topic to gain information; devised the concept of what I wanted to look like and then worked with an artist for the drawing and a couple of plant pathologists for the technical information for the text. In these stories I used mostly the experts to check for holes and interestingly, sometimes I was able to point them to practical aspects of the disease that they had not thought about.

How do you check facts?

I send full check copies to all my sources by e-mail.

How did you begin your career? What advice do you have for those just graduating in ag comm? What does it mean to be a member of AAEA? How do you maintain a high standard of ethics in your writing and your career?

I graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in agriculture and an emphasis in communication. I was first a field editor for Prairie Farmer and then freelanced for 20 years before taking a full time position with Farm Journal.

What advice do you have for those just graduating in ag comm?

Read. Don't restrict yourself on subject matter. Good journalists should be able to write about any topic. I've always considered myself a journalist who happens to specialize in agriculture. That may seem a small distinction, but I still believe journalists have a responsibility to look at all sides of issues.

What does it mean to be a member of AAEA?

It's important for me to network with those who write. Other writers inspire me to want to do a better job.

How do you maintain a high standard of ethics in your writing and your career?

Try to look for balance in coverage. I set a writing goal for myself each year - something to improve upon.

Any other advice for young people considering a career in ag communications?

Live with passion. Don't be afraid to fail. Maintain a balance in your life. All work and no play makes for dull writers and copy. Just because the topic you're writing about might be serious doesn't mean it must be dull.