Presenting forefront science to the general public sometimes makes surprising demands on the writer. Among them: Lie; cheat; steal; dare to be stupid; don't trust your sources (or your editors); waste peoples' time; quote out of context; make arbitrary calls; don't expect anyone to understand you; don't expect anyone to believe you; prepare to make mistakes; avoid "hardening of the categories"; debase yourself, but never your readers; eschew objectivity; emote.