Nancy Shute: Science News Editor & Science Journalism Leader

Nancy Shute is the editor in chief of Science News Media Group, a role she has held since December 20, 2017. The appointment, announced by the Society for Science & the Public, came as Science News approached its centennial year, with Shute tasked with overseeing the publication’s digital transformation and expansion of its readership.

Prior to leading Science News, Shute served as cohost of NPR’s health blog, Shots and contributed to NPR’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Her journalism has also appeared in National Geographic and Scientific American. She previously held a position as assistant managing editor at U.S. News & World Report, where she directed coverage of science and technology.

Shute’s leadership at Science News follows a career marked by contributions to multiple prominent news organizations. The publication itself reaches approximately 127,000 print subscribers and attracts 23.2 million unique visitors to its website annually, according to data released by the We Are Family Foundation. Science News also maintains a significant social media presence, with 4.4 million followers on Twitter and 2.7 million on Facebook. Through its Science News Learning program, the organization’s reporting reaches over 17,300 teachers and approximately 5.8 million students across the United States and its territories.

Shute is a past president of the National Association of Science Writers, the largest and oldest professional organization for science journalists in the United States. She has frequently lectured and trained journalists and scientists in the use of social media and fresh media technologies, and has held positions at Johns Hopkins University and several other universities as a science writing instructor. She founded the first bilingual newspaper in Kamchatka, Russia, while serving as a Fulbright Scholar.

In a recent discussion, Shute addressed the intertwined relationship between science and armed conflict, tracing its history back to ancient Greece and citing contemporary examples such as the use of tear gas in recent protests. She has also discussed the challenges of finding unique stories in the scientific landscape, and the growing field of research into animal emotions and personalities.