"Written So You Can Understand It" : the process and people behind creating an issue of Popular Mechanics

Abstract

At 112 years old, Popular Mechanics has one of the longest legacies in magazines. Looking at the editorial process, editor-in-chief Jim Meigs talks about what makes great science journalism at Popular Mechanics. He talks on topics of style, content, and accuracy and how these come together to form every issue. This paper benefits the industry by analyzing how a consumer science magazine in a rapidly changing industry covers science and technology. These pages not only give industry professionals insight on how to find and craft a science magazine story, but this project also gives potential magazine students insight into the editorial process of a national magazine and the kind of journalism chops that are needed to succeed in this industry.