Yale Climate Media Forum: I Heart John Fleck

By Tracy Dingmann

It’s a little early for Valentine’s Day – and I’m a little late with this post – but I wanted to call attention to the consistently good writing done by Albuquerque Journal science reporter John Fleck.

Fleck, who covers science, climate change and water issues and blogs here for the paper (subscription required) is a veteran science journalist and admitted weather geek. He also writes a personal blog, and he just published a book on climate change for middle-schoolers called “Tree Rings’ Tale.”

He’s a great writer with a devoted following. Here’s part of what I think makes my former colleague so distinctive among his peers.

Newspaper reporters know that scientists of any kind are a tough crowd to cover, mostly because they’ve spent years earning advanced degrees and mastering their subjects and don’t look kindly upon writers who’s job it is to boil it all down for the masses.

But Fleck, who has been writing for the Journal for nearly 20 years,  has earned the respect of the people and institutions he covers by making science news readable and enjoyable without dumbing it down or getting it wrong.

Late last month, the Yale Climate Media Forum included Fleck in a pretty heady crowd of journalists it singled out for being the best in the nation at covering climate change for a broad print audience.

A story on the site reviewing Associated Press science reporter Seth Borenstein’s efficient smackdown of global warming deniers included this (emphasis mine):

Along with The New York Times‘ Andrew C. Revkin, Science magazine’s Richard Kerr, the Christian Science Monitor’s Peter Spotts, the Albuquerque Journal’s John Fleck, and the Houston Chronicle’s Eric Berger, and a small sampling of additional journalists, Borenstein is considered by most of his professional colleagues to be among the best reporters covering climate change science for a broad print audience.

Praise like this couldn’t happen to a nicer or more talented guy. Good job, John!