Meet Oxford University Scientists - Reception 3 July

3 July – Meet Oxford University scientists

As The Oxford Science Blog (http://www.ox.ac.uk/scienceblog) reports the post-conference trip to Oxfordshire on July 3rd will feature an informal (and free!) reception at Magdalen College, Oxford. The evening event will be hosted by Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics and Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, the star of recent TV programmes such as BBC Two's 'Horizon: Alan and Marcus Go Forth' and BBC Four's 'The Story of Maths'. Visitors will get the chance to enjoy drinks in an attractive riverside location and chat with a range of high-profile Oxford scientists including Professor Sir Richard Peto, Professor Lionel Tarassenko, Professor Fred Taylor and Dr Ian Goldin. You’ll find more details on the Oxford Science Blog. Free coaches will then take delegates back to London.

The reception will round off a day of free events that take in some of the UK’s most important and impressive science facilities including: CLF - the UK's Central Laser Facility Diamond Light Source - the UK's new synchrotron science facility ISIS - the world-leading neutron and muon source JET - Europe's premier fusion research facility Topics covered will include everything from fundamental research in physics, chemistry, biology and materials science to research into nuclear fusion power and archaeological artifacts. There’s more on the 3 July trip to Oxfordshire here: http://www.wcsj2009.org/post-conference_trips.php

Stories that Matter to a Changing World - article from ABSW Science Reporter

An edited version of this article was first published in The Science Reporter - the online newsletter for ABSW members

WCSJ2009 – Stories that matter to a changing world

Someone once said that in journalism you are only as good as your last article. Sit back on your laurels in the face of financial constraints and fierce competition for column inches and air time and you may find you no longer have a seat. Ignore the technological changes impacting on journalism and you may find yourself outwitted by a new generation of reporters. If you want to find out where science journalism is going and be part of those shaping its future then read on.

An overview
From 29th June – 3 July 2009, upward of 600 science journalists will arrive at Westminster Central Hall, in the heart of London for a week of workshops, debates, briefings, trips and networking/social events. Programme Director Fiona Fox of the Science Media Centre hopes that debate will be the main focus of the Conference. “Our intention is to really hone in on issues that are key to journalism, and in particular science journalism, rather than just become yet another conference on science. We want to see people disagreeing, we want to see difficult questions asked and we want to help journalists shape their future. We all have something to learn, we can all become more professional and expert in our roles and this is no different for science journalists. We want journalists to go away with new contacts, new ideas, new skills and new enthusiasm for their vital job. “

The WCSJ2009 is not a Conference about science, it is not a place for journalists to report on science, it is a Conference where journalists take an active role in the debate. As Pallab Ghosh, President of the World Federation of Science Journalists says, ‘The WCSJ is not really about news it is about improving standards of science journalism. It is about science journalists organising our own international event on issues we think are interesting and important to our profession, such as how we should cover climate change and how we take advantage of the opportunities provided by new media. But most of all it’s for reporters and producers from across the world to get together and develop the culture of critical, hard-hitting journalism. Once upon a time our job was to translate and enthuse about science. Now it’s to provide mature, independent analysis of scientific developments that will shape the future destiny of communities across the world.’

The programme
The main programme for the conference is now online at www.wcsj2009.org, including session summaries and speakers. More will follow over the coming weeks; lunch and breakfast briefings, satellite events, receptions and drop in workshops. Highlights include a plenary session of editors reflecting on the position of science reporting within media outlets. James Harding, the Editor of the Times, and Ian Katz, Deputy Editor of the Guardian, will join other key players in the media to reflect on the status of science in the print media. No journalism conference could take place in the 21st Century without some discussion of the overwhelming influence of the internet and broadband. The WCSJ New Media plenary invites experts such as Krishna Bharat, founder of Google News and Ben Hammersley, Associate Editor of the new UK edition of Wired magazine to consider where news reporting might be in 20 years time all under the watchful eye of the BBC’s Nick Higham in the chair. For those who want a more hands on approach workshops on new media techniques are being held as part of a series of skills building workshops at the start of the Conference. The Knight Science Journalism Fellowships Programme of MIT and Harvard bring their expertise to London, for those who are only taking their first steps into these forms of reporting. Drop in workshops on podcasting and other new techniques are also planned.

The heavyweights of environmental policy Sir David King Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford, and Professor Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are on board for a plenary session that will set out a route map for reporting in the run up to the crucial United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Copenhagen, this December. A Conference widely believed to be our final chance to find global agreement on tackling climate change. For Government’s around the world to come to an agreement on climate change scientific advice is vital. A further plenary at WCSJ2009 brings together a panel of Government Scientific Advisers, including the UK and Ireland Advisers, Professor John Beddington and Professor Patrick Cunningham.

Finally Colin Blakemore, professor of Neuroscience, will chair a plenary on what philanthropy means for the future of science and humanity featuring Fred Kavli, Founder and Chairman of the Kavli Foundation and Mike Lazaridis President and CEO of Research in Motion.


Debating face to face not on ABSW-L
What of the issues that have raged on the ABSW discussion list over the past year? Embargoes in science reporting: Friend or foe? Features Richard Horton Editor-in-Chief of the Lancet and Geoff Watts of the BBC. Lack of scrutiny of press releases leading to inaccurate, ‘lazy’ reporting, Nick Davis who coined the phrase ‘churnalism’, in his book Flat Earth News, will be in conversation with Fiona Fox. In need of more contacts for freelancing? Meet the Editors, does exactly what it says on the tin with editors telling you how and what to pitch. What is all this Twittering and RSS feeding – new media is covered in both plenary, parallel sessions and workshops. Are the actions of CNN indicative of a wider problem in science reporting? Miles O’Brien formerly of the culled CNN science and environment unit will speak in a session that asks is science journalism in crisis? What ever happened to the ABSW awards? They are back in a short and sweet format with awards for life time achievement and best newcomer being made at the WCSJ2009 Gala Reception, and this just might be a stepping stone to the return of the full awards – watch this space.

Wot, no science reporting?
All sounds good but you still have a day job? Although the primary aim of the Conference is to allow journalists to step back from reporting clearly science coverage can’t come to halt. A fully functional media room will allow you to file from the conference, breakfast and lunch briefings and press conferences will also provide stories on a plate – others you may need to seek out - perhaps egged on by a session entitled ‘Investigative science reporting: Does it exist?’


The small print
You will have to pay, something I know that journalists are not used to doing. No offence meant, I have never known a journalist not stand you a drink, but generally conferences are free as the organisers want you there to provide coverage for them. We don’t, we want you there to ensure lively, informed debate, fly the flag for UK science reporting and play host to the international science media coming to London. The full fee structure including day rates is at www.wcsj2009.org but in summary, ABSW full members get the cheapest rate of any category at £225 plus VAT for the entire conference, including workshops, trips, receptions, breakfasts, lunches and more. For ABSW associate members the rate is £335 plus VAT.

Speakers are still being confirmed and there may be some surprises yet. To keep right up to date visit the WCSJ2009 blog (www.wcsj2009.org) or sign up to our Twitter feed
(http://twitter.com/srPR )

See you in Westminster if not before.

Sallie Robins – Co-Director WCSJ2009
sallie.robins@wcsj2009.org
07733 330344

Science Journalism in Crisis? Article from the Euroscientist

This article was first published in the April issue of The Euroscientist - the Euroscience Newsletter http://bit.ly/LAqVj

In December last year CNN axed its entire science and environment unit. This action sparked protest from a range of organisations including The World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ). Is the action at CNN indicative of a wider crisis in science journalism? Last month (February 2009) a press briefing posed this question to the science press pack, gathered in Chicago for the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The briefing, organised by the World Conference of Science Journalists (that will take place in London this summer), gave a platform to science journalists who have been monitoring the health of science journalism in their region. Cristine Russell, President of the USA Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, kicked off the briefing with some sobering figures on science journalism in the States.

Membership of the USA science journalism association, the National Association of Science Writers (NASW), stands at over 2000 but of these only 79 are now full time staff science writers for newspapers. The decreasing number of staff science writers is no doubt linked to cutbacks in the number of science sections in USA papers, which have decreased by more than half from 95 in 1989 to 34 in 2005. Russell gave the Boston Globe as an example of this process in action: “First the health and science section moved inside the news section, then in January 2008 it went from 3 to 2 pages and by March it had been cut altogether. Health is now covered in the lifestyle section and science and technology in the business section with an emphasis on technology.” The moves at the Globe reflect recent moves in the UK at the national daily newspaper The Times. Body & Soul - the health and science supplement - moved into a new Weekend Section, earlier this year. It remains to be seen if it will continue to follow the path taken at the Boston Globe. Russell was keen to point out that science journalists are not being singled out for cutbacks and that it is just a reflection of wider problems in the newspaper business in the USA. To try to end on a more upbeat note Russell suggested that on-line opportunities were increasing. New models are also being used with the New York Times combining the expertise of science writers and other specialists to report on issues such as
climate change.

The downward trend reported by Russell was not reflected by Nadia El-Awady who had gathered data on science reporting in the Arab World and Africa. Seemingly in these regions the appetite for science stories is increasing. El-Awady’s informal survey of 35 journalists found that specialised science sections were still valued and that science staff writers provided the majority of coverage as opposed to freelancers. In direct contrast to the situation in the USA, outlets surveyed were employing more science writers and using fewer freelancers. Despite this the freelance science journalists surveyed also reported an increase in opportunities for freelance science contributions. The amount of space allocated to science coverage was increasing in 14 of 20 media outlets employing the fulltime journalists surveyed. These increases were suggested amongst other reasons to be down to the media outlet becoming more specialised in all aspects of reporting.

El-Awady’s stats were backed up by the experience of Akin Jimoh of Nigeria. “In Africa national science journalism associations are being set up throughout the region”. Valeria Roman of Argentina was also upbeat on science journalism in Latin America.

Reflecting on her survey in a blog post for the WFSJ, El-Awady suggests that there may just be a time lag between the Arab World, Africa and Latin America and the USA, and questions what might be done to prevent a future down turn in science coverage in these regions. “It might be the fault of journalists themselves who are hyper-specialising – covering small and specialised parts of science rather than science as a whole. Are hyper-specialised science journalists writing more about the science stories that interest them rather than the science stories that interest the general public?” El-Awady was being deliberately provocative in her blog post as this subject needs further debate, a debate that will continue at the World Conference of Science Journalists later this year in London.

From 29th June – 3 July 2009, upward of 600 science journalists will arrive in the heart of London at Westminster Central Hall for a week of workshops, debates, trips and networking/social events. Programme Director Fiona Fox of the UK’s Science Media Centre hopes that debate will be the main focus of the Conference. “Our intention is to really hone in on issues that are key to journalism, and in particular science journalism, rather than just become yet another conference on science. We want to see people disagreeing, we want to see difficult questions asked and we want to help journalists shape their future. We all have something to learn, we can all become more professional and expert in our roles and this is no different for science journalists. We want journalists to go away with new contacts, new ideas, new skills and new enthusiasm for their vital job.”

Highlights of the WCSJ2009 include a plenary session of editors reflecting on the position of science reporting within media outlets. James Harding, the Editor of the UK’s Times Newspaper, and Ian Katz, Deputy Editor of the UK’s Guardian Newspaper, will join other key players in the media to reflect on the status of science in the print media. No journalism conference could take place in the 21st Century without some discussion of the overwhelming influence of the internet and broadband. The WCSJ New Media Plenary invites experts such as Krishna Bharat, founder of Google News and Ben Hammersley, Associate Editor of the new UK edition of Wired magazine to consider where news reporting might be in 20 years time. For those who want a more hands on approach workshops on new media techniques are being held as part of a series of skills building workshops at the start of the Conference. The Knight Science Journalism Fellowships Programme of MIT and Harvard bring their expertise to London, for those who are only taking their first steps into these forms of reporting.

The heavyweights of environmental policy, Sir David King Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford, and Professor Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are on board for a plenary session that will set out a route map for reporting in the run up to the crucial United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Copenhagen, this December. This Conference is widely believed to be our final chance to find global agreement on tackling climate change. For Governments around the world to come to an agreement on climate change scientific advice is vital. A further plenary at WCSJ2009 brings together a panel of Government Scientific Advisers, including the UK and Ireland Advisers, Professor John Beddington and Professor Patrick Cunningham.

Apart from plenary and parallel sessions, skills building workshops and science briefings, the WCSJ2009 also provides plenty of opportunities for networking at receptions and informal gatherings. Pitch slams with editors and with commissioning editors of book publishers are planned alongside lunch and breakfast briefings on a host of hot topics. Finally the WCSJ enables journalists to get to the heart of UK scientific research with a series of free trips and visits to top research institutions. For those who wish to go further afield then Delft University in the Netherlands invites delegates to their Kavli Institute of Nanoscience and Water Research Centre.

Registration for the Conference is now open at www.wcsj2009.org, with significantly discounted rates for journalists.

So is Science Journalism in Crisis? From initial discussions it would seem both yes and no, but undoubtedly science journalists should gather together to consider their role and their future so they can continue to report on stories that matter in our changing world.

World Conference of Science Journalists 2009
Central Hall, Westminster, London
30 June - 2 July 2009
www.wcsj2009.org
Sallie Robins
Co-Director, World Conference of Science Journalists 2009