Thank you for attending the 6th World Conference of Science Journalists 2009 in London this summer – now please help us to continue to improve by completing our feedback form!

London called for science journalists and received a resounding reply! Over 1,000 attendees descended on London from over 70 countries for five days of jam-packed activity. In the sweltering London heat (proving that the sun can shine in the UK!) our delegates consumed over 5565 cups of tea and got through more than 500 litres of water!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skills building workshops, science briefings, post conference trips and many social events took place, along with the world-class conference programme featuring the top names in the science media.

All of this would not have been possible without the support of the lead and major conference sponsors:

Department for International Development (DFID)
British Council Darwin Now

European Commission, Directorate General Research

European School of Oncology

Johnson & Johnson

Joint Research Centre - European Commission

Qatar Foundation

Research Councils UK

And a thanks also goes to all other sponsors who contributed to the conference success.

We also wish to acknowledge support from the following organisations who provided seed funding to help us in the early development stages of WCSJ2009:

EurekAlert!, Nature, The Royal Society, Wellcome Trust, WFSJ

The conference buzz lives on with the WCSJ2009 news website being constantly updated with news, session summaries, photos, podcasts, vodcasts, tweets and blog posts; see www.wcsjnews.org

Speaker presentations are now available by clicking here or going to: http://www.wcsjnews.org/page/conference-programme. Audio files will be available here shortly - so please keep checking back.

WCSJ2011 – The 7th World Conference of Science Journalists will take place in Cairo, Egypt, following a successful bid by the Arab Science Journalists Association and the US National Association of Science Writers. We shall keep you informed of new developments.

Two vital surveys!

Your feedback is invaluable in helping to ensure that the WCSJ 2011 conference in Cairo is even better. We have already had a strong response to the Conference Evaluation form (distributed at the Conference as a white 1-page handout). If you did not get a chance to complete this at the conference, please take 5 minutes now to complete the form online by clicking here.

Separately, The London School of Economics is also conducting research on ‘The Future of Science Journalism’. This survey will add to the growing body of research on the rapid changes taking place for science journalism, so do please take the time to complete it. Click here for the survey.

Thank you once again for ensuring that the WCSJ2009 conference achieved its aim of bringing together established and aspiring reporters, writers and science communicators from around the world to debate, network and contribute to the future of science journalism.
The WCSJ Conference Team

Join Pallab Ghosh, for the closing plenary of the WCSJ2009 in the Great Hall ‘Science based policy making: Advising Government’, keep your seat in the Great Hall for our evening entertainment that follows straight after the Plenary.   The two Chris’s will provide a humorous overview of the Conference in both words and film.    Pallab Ghosh will then hand over Presidency of the World Federation of Journalists to Nadia El-Awady, of Egypt where WCSJ11 will be hosted.  

09:00 Science Press Briefing – Media Room

A press conference with the authors of a key Science paper. All information released during the press conference will remain under embargo until 2:00 pm US ET (7:00 pm BST) Thursday 2 July 2009. The paper will be published in the journal Science online, at the Science Express website, on 2 July.

Media Contact:Natasha Pinol, AAAS, Tel: 202-326-7088, Email: npinol@aaas.org

9.30 Research4Life Press Briefing – Media Room

Increasing Research Output in Developing Countries

Research4Life presents data showing the impact of access to research on the research output of developing countries

Speakers:

Dr Andrew Plume, Senior Publishing Information Manager, Elsevier

Maurice Long, International Association of Scientific, Technical, & Medical Publishers

Shira Tabachnikoff, Corporate Relations Director, Elsevier

Media contact: Emma Potter Tel: 0203 043 4191/07500 082361 Emma.potter@kaizo.net

Press briefing resulting from lunch session 1: Building research capacity and healthcare solutions in Africa to fight TB, river blindness and malaria

Boakye Boatin, Research Manager TDR

Michael Brennan PhD Senior Adviser for Global Affairs Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation

Annette Kuesel PhD Research Manager TDR

Location: Media Room

This afternoons press briefings are:

14.30-15.30 European Commission - DG Research Press Briefing

Leading European scientists will unveil the latest results from EU-wide Research projects in the field of HIV-AIDS, Influenza, Tuberculosis, Breast Cancer and Heart Disease, as well as strategies to protect Europe from the next viral outbreak

For full details of speakers and biographies see http://www.wcsj2009.org/press_briefings-fringe_events.php

Media contact: Martin Konecny, EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Tel: +32 498 982 492 Martin.Konecny@ec.europa.eu

16.00-16.30 Johnson & Johnson Press Briefing

The Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research 2009 winner announcement

Established by Johnson & Johnson, The Dr. Paul Janssen Award salutes the most passionate and creative scientists in basic or clinical research whose scientific achievements have made a measurable impact on human health. It’s named for Dr. Paul Janssen, one of the 20th century's most gifted and passionate researchers, who contributed to the discovery and development of more than 80 life-saving medicines. Previous winners have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, so don’t miss your chance to be among the first to learn the 2009 recipient and hear about the outstanding science behind his work. Visit www.pauljanssenaward.com for more information.

Media contact: Brenna C. Terry, Porter Novelli, Tel: 212.601.8236

Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition - breakfast preview at 8:30 at The Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, SW1Y 5AG
Nature Press Briefing 09:30 in the Media Room - hear from the researchers of papers published in this week's Nature
See www.wcsj2009.org for full details both events are in your printed programme

Press Briefings WCSJ2009

Correct as of: 29 June 2009

Planned Operating Hours for Media Working Room:

Tuesday 30 June 09.00 – 18.30

Wed 1 July/Thu 2 July 08.00-18.00

Facilities: PC workstations, WiFi (throughout venue), desk space, power points, printer. Quiet (but not soundproofed) interview rooms on request. There will be no down-the-line broadcast facilities on site at the Conference.

All Press Briefings will be held in the Media Working Room unless indicated below

Tue 30 June:

12.30-13.30 Darwin Now Press Briefing

Results of Global Survey on Attitudes in Evolution to be announced

Presenting the global results will be Fern Elsdon-Baker, Head of Darwin Now, the British Council’s contribution to the global celebrations around the anniversary of Darwin’s birth and the publication of Origin of the Species. Joining Fern on the panel to discuss the results will be recognised figures and experts in the fields of science and education.

Media enquiries:

Tony Stephenson, Adam Michael, Benjamyn Tan

Tel: 020 7866 7864

Email: DarwinNow@collegehill.com.

15.30-17.30 Fred Kavli, Founder and Chairman of the Kavli Foundation http://www.kavlifoundation.org/

Fred Kavli is available for pre arranged interviews

Contact Sallie Robins to book interviews Tel: 07733 330344

Wed 1 July:

09.30-10.00 Nature Press Briefing – focus on key papers being published in Nature

Media enquiries:

Ruth Francis

Tel: 020 7843 4562

11.00-11.30 Sir David King announces The Times/Smith School World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment

NB: This Press Briefing is NOT in the Media Room but in the Great Hall as it will follow immediately after the Plenary session in the Great Hall in which Sir David is speaking.

Al Gore and former UK Government Chief Scientist Sir David King will be amongst speakers at the first The Times/Smith School World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment in Oxford from July 5-7 2009. The event, at Keble College, University of Oxford, will address the question: ‘Is there a model for low carbon growth?’ with discussions focusing on how we ensure economic growth while simultaneously de-fossilising our economies. More than 200 politicians, business leaders and academics are expected to attend the World Forum with the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, Indian Science Minister Shri Kapil Sibal, former BP Chief Executive and former London Mayor Ken Livingstone also addressing the conference. International plans of action for governments, the private sector and academia should emerge from the event, feeding into climate change talks in Copenhagen in December. The World Forum will be an annual conference with support from The Times for the first two years.

Media Contact:

Cath Harris

Email: cath.harris@smithschool.ox.ac.uk

Tel: 01865 614925 / 07917 338266

14.30-15.30 European Commission - DG Research Press Briefing

Leading European scientists will unveil the latest results from EU-wide Research projects in the field of HIV-AIDS, Influenza, Tuberculosis, Breast Cancer and Heart Disease, as well as strategies to protect Europe from the next viral outbreak

For full details of speakers and biographies see http://www.wcsj2009.org/press_briefings-fringe_events.php

Media contact:

Martin Konecny, EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Tel: +32 498 982 492

Martin.Konecny@ec.europa.eu

16.00-16.30 Johnson & Johnson Press Briefing

The Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research 2009 winner announcement

Established by Johnson & Johnson, The Dr. Paul Janssen Award salutes the most passionate and creative scientists in basic or clinical research whose scientific achievements have made a measurable impact on human health. It’s named for Dr. Paul Janssen, one of the 20th century's most gifted and passionate researchers, who contributed to the discovery and development of more than 80 life-saving medicines. Previous winners have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, so don’t miss your chance to be among the first to learn the 2009 recipient and hear about the outstanding science behind his work. Visit www.pauljanssenaward.com for more information.

Media contact:

Brenna C. Terry

Porter Novelli

Tel: 212.601.8236

Thu 2 July:

9.00-9.30 Science Press Briefing

A press conference with the authors of a key Science paper. All information released during the press conference will remain under embargo until 2:00 pm US ET (7:00 pm BST) Thursday 2 July 2009. The paper will be published in the journal Science online, at the Science Express website, on 2 July.

Media Contact:

Natasha Pinol, AAAS

Tel: 202-326-7088

Email: npinol@aaas.org

9.30-10.00 Research4Life Press Briefing

Increasing Research Output in Developing Countries

Research4Life presents data showing the impact of access to research on the research output of developing countries

Speakers:

Dr Andrew Plume, Senior Publishing Information Manager, Elsevier

Maurice Long, International Association of Scientific, Technical, & Medical Publishers

Shira Tabachnikoff, Corporate Relations Director, Elsevier

Media contact:

Emma Potter

Tel: 0203 043 4191/07500 082361

Emma.potter@kaizo.net

13.30-14.30 European Centre for Disease Control Press Briefing

Meet the European CDC – a source of data, comment and analysis for science journalists

Since becoming operational in 2005 the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has worked on diseases ranging from “bird flu” to XDR-Tuberculosis and from Chikungunya Fever to Clostridium difficile. The Centre is currently deeply involved in supporting the EU’s response to the new H1N1 influenza virus. Ben Duncan is ECDC’s Corporate Communications Officer and a member of WHO’s IHR Risk Communication Working Group. Ben will present ECDC’s work, explain the services it offers journalists and answer questions.

Media contact:

Ben Duncan, Corporate Communications Officer, ECDC

Tel: +46.761251566 (mobile)

14.30-15.30 European Commission- DG Research Press Briefing

Nanotechnology: Addressing the risks, fulfilling the promise

Key European scientists and industry representatives will brief participants on exciting new nanotechnology applications from European research in the field of healthcare, environmental technologies and sustainable industrial production. They will also illustrate European strategies on risk assessment and safety issues of nanotechnology

See http://www.wcsj2009.org/press_briefings-fringe_events.php for speakers and biographies

Media contact:

Martin Konecny, EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Tel: +32 498 982 492

Martin.Konecny@ec.europa.eu

Sallie Robins

Co-Director WCSJ2009

07733 330344

Martin Bauer of the London School of Economics Methodology Institute is conducting research on science journalism at the WCSJ2009. The research examines professional situation, working practices and the future of the profession. A survey is now available to complete online at http://www.psych.lse.ac.uk/surveys/wcsj_2009_questionnaire/ It would be very much appreciated if you could take 10 minutes to complete this survey. Paper copies of the survey will also be distributed in delegate bags at the Conference, but why not take the time to do this now. We look forward to seeing you in London and thank you for your help with this research.

How do people form their attitudes and beliefs about cancer? This is a topic that in some societies is difficult even to mention – as if talking about cancer made it more likely to strike.

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Many think of it as a death sentence, although 1 in 50 Europeans is in fact living with cancer or in remission. Some people believe strongly that taking exercise or eating organic food will stop them getting cancer, or cure it, if it occurs. Others believe there is nothing modern medicine cannot deal with, and that patients will not die if they get the latest treatment at the best centres, and have a positive attitude.

Where do these ideas come from? Like all beliefs they are complex and derive from a number of sources. But media surely play a defining role in how society relates to significant disease.

On the one side is lifestyle journalism, where we can find features assuring us that kiwi fruit “repair damage to our DNA” or that potatoes “inhibit tumour growth”. On the other side we have serious science journalism, which often assures us we are close to understanding (and combating) the causes of cancer, but does not warn its readers that advances in basic science can take decades to result in improvements for patients – if at all.

With cancer, we know that there are large variations in the five-year survival rates not just globally, but across <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Europe, and even within individual countries. The differences seem to be related not to the quality of our kiwi fruit, or even the quality of our doctors, but perhaps to organisation of cancer services, a topic that is low down on the excitement scale for news editors.

You would think that at least the media was good at explaining things. In 2007 the Swiss Health Literacy Survey showed that magazines and newspapers were the top source of information for health (46%) followed by doctors (general practitioners) (33%) and the Internet (31%). However, while doctors scored well for being easy to understand, only one in four people found information about health in the media or on the Internet easy to understand.

This is especially difficult for cancer, which is not one disease but more than 200, and for which there are multiple causes and multiple treatments. Many cancers can be prevented – most cannot. Others can be cured if caught early – but screening for cancers has its own problems and is possible only in a few cancer types. Even where a cancer is not entirely cured it is possible for people to have many years of active life living with the disease. Some cancers, lung cancer and certain brain tumours among them, still have a very poor prognosis.

Journalists writing about cancer need access to good information, and to a range of sources. They also, in our view, need to go beyond purely scientific and medical stories to look at how cancer affects different people and families. Elderly cancer patients may be denied their best chance for a cure because of assumptions about treatments they can tolerate, or even a feeling that it is a waste of resources to treat the very old. Some survivors live damaged lives and feel they were panicked into accepting treatments that did more harm than good. Newly diagnosed patients may struggle to find out about the treatment options and centres that would give them the best chance of surviving with their quality of life intact. Perhaps the least told story is about the growing proportion of our populations who are living with cancer – the good news about survival and being able to live an everyday life, and the less good news about stigma and discrimination from employers, bankers, insurance brokers and sometimes even friends and colleagues.

These are human interest stories and they need all the usual qualities of good reporting, plus a willingness sometimes to challenge the way that services are provided. Should there be fewer but more specialist cancer centres? Should patients have better access to information about the quality of different cancer services? Why are many cancer patients still suffering in pain, when good quality drugs are cheap and effective? Should more be done to help patients get back to their normal lives after treatment has ended?

There are many examples of good reporting – the Best Cancer Reporter Award made every year by the European School of Oncology (ESO), struggles to choose a winner from the large number of journalists who give their readers rational and balanced coverage of this important range of diseases.

But there are also journalists for whom strong beliefs replace objective inquiry. At one event where we were present, one journalist suggested that Yemeni men had high levels of smoking but almost no cases of lung cancer, and attributed this to their being “the most ethnically pure Arabs”. An epidemiologist pointed out that in fact Yemen has no national cancer registry and was therefore not recording the number of cases of lung cancer, which were, according to data he had seen, “very high”.

As Ben Goldacre points out in his book, Bad Science, some of the doubtful health claims that do the most damage exist at a purely national level. In the UK, childhood immunisation against mumps, measles and rubella, fell dangerously after (insubstantial) research claiming that the combined MMR vaccine led to autism was widely promoted in the media. In the 1990s there was a health scare in France that the Hepatitis B vaccine caused multiple sclerosis. Neither of these scares caused a ripple beyond their national borders. No doubt journalists attending the WCSJ will have examples from their own countries.

Once a scientific (or quasi-scientific) theory is adopted as editorial policy then it becomes very difficult for the public to know what is real and what is hype.

We are journalists because we want to go beyond what “everyone knows” and find out things that people do not know, but might be better off for knowing. The need for good reporting is growing. Most cases of cancer by 2020 will not be in the affluent west but in low and middle income countries, and the incidence of cancer becomes more common as people live longer.

How do we try to make our journalism both interesting and informative and something that really makes a difference? How do we convince our newsrooms that the evidence-based journalism can also be good and lively journalism? And how do we find and evaluate the evidence ourselves? This is what we hope to explore in our skills building workshop on Tuesday 30 June in Westminster Hall (starting at 9.30am). To make this session work, we need your experience and your input. If you would like to register for the workshop e-mail julie.clayton@wcsj2009.org

Anna Wagstaff and Peter McIntyre

(Anna and Peter both write for Cancer World magazine published by ESO)

As a lead up to the World Conference of Science Journalists, Science have dedicated an editorial to the issue of global science journalism. /ScienceEditorialFinal.pdf Author of the editorial, Cris Russell, senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and President of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, has produced two sessions for the WCSJ2009, 'Science Journalism in Crisis' Tue PM and 'Climate Change Coverage: the messy marriage of science, policy and politics' Thu PM. Cris's editorial reflects on the 'great opportunities and great peril' for science journalism at a time when global science-based stories, such as swine flu, are more prevalent than ever. Hear more from Cris at the WCSJ next week.

Three new sessions are now up on the programme timetable. On Wednesday AM the UK's Science Minister Lord Drayson will defend the UK science media against claims from Professor John Martin, one of the world's leading heart disease experts, that science journalists are like the greedy bankers who have sparked the economic meltdown. Wednesday PM sees a new session on the media's coverage of Swine Flu, was this another senseless scare story? Scientists and journalists at the heart of the story will argue it out. On Thursday Breakonomics asks the question would specialist science correspondents with their 'superior grasp' of probabilities, risk and mathematical modelling have covered the global financial crisis differently? Could a different kind of reporting really have saved the economy? See the full timetable for more www.wcsj2009.0rg/programme_timetable.php.

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

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

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

Euroscience is pleased to announce that its existing journalism awards will, from 2009, be expanded to include awards for popular television and research media relations. Original sponsors, Euroscience Stiftung have been joined by Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, Europe, and the AlphaGalileo Foundation to provide an opportunity for everyone involved in securing more and better media coverage for European research to showcase their work. The journalistic awards have the support of the European Union of Science Journalists Associations.

The awards will be presented annually; in the autumn of 2009 in Hannover and in July 2010 at the Euroscience Open Forum Torino.

The awards are:

· The Euroscience Stiftung Young Journalists Award

· The Euroscience Stiftung Lifetime Journalism Award

· The Johnson and Johnson Award for R&D/Science TV journalism
Award

· The AlphaGalileo Award for Research Public Relations Award

The closing date for the competitive awards – television and public relations – is 30 June 2009.

The judging panels will be:

Young Journalists and Lifetime Journalism

These awards will be made by the Board of Euroscience Stiftung with advice from EUSJA

Popular R&D/Science TV journalism

Derek Nelson, AlphaGalileo Foundation, ex-BBC producer and former ESA media consultant

Carl Johan Sundberg, Euroscience and Karolinska Institutet

Philippe Bijvoet, VRT – The Flemish Radio- and Television Network

Frederik Wittock, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Europe

Barbara Gallavotti, Italian TV journalist

Media relations

Antonio Marín Ruiz, GDESCO, Spain

Tom MIller, Imperial College

Andreas Archut, Press Office, University of Bonn

Peter Green, AlphaGalileo Foundation

Tina Zethraeus, Vetenskapsrådet


Applications for the TV and media relations awards must be made via the web site http://www.eurosciencemediaawards.org/

Awards will be worth €5,000 each apart from the Young Journalist category where the sponsors reserve the right to award one award of €5,000 or two awards of €2,500.

Additional sponsors of new or existing awards will be welcome in future years.

Further information at http://eurosciencemediaawards.org/

Source: ABSW discussion list

A news feature published in Nature and available online http://tiny.cc/GwO2V reports on a survey of 493 Science Journalists. The survey shows that jobs are being lost and the workloads of those who remain are on the rise. At the same time, researcher-run blogs and websites are growing in both number and readership. The article asks many influential science writers and bloggers, such as WCSJ2009 speakers Fiona Fox, Deborah Blum and Robert Lee Hotz what the future holds and whether blogs can replace more traditional ways of reporting science.



How blogs are changing the way science news develops, and is reported will be debated at the WCSJ2009 in a session 'Blogs, Big Physics and Breaking News'. During the session the commissioning of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN will be used as a case study, who will be the first with news of the fabled Higgs Boson, and how will we know if they're right?



A further session at the Conference will ask the question: Is science journalism in crisis? The session will reflect on the Nature survey and other surveys to establish the world wide picture and see what can be done by Science Journalists themselves and by bodies such as the ABSW to ensure a healthy future for science journalism.