Advancing Basic Science for Humanity
1st Kavli Symposium on Science Journalism
Kavli Symposium on the Future of Science Journalism
(World Federation of Science Journalists/The Kavli Foundation)
17-19 February 2014, The Hyatt Lodge, Oak Brook, IL
Click the image to download a PDF of the full report. For the summary report, click here.
The Kavli Symposium on the Future of Science Journalism brought together an international group of leading science journalists and specialists to explore the future of science journalism. The organizing committee identified the following topics to launch this dialogue, which took place collectively and in breakout sessions that encouraged the free exchange of new thinking, ideas and possible collaborations. (Limited in size, this symposium was closed to invited participants.)
Defining Science Journalism
It is becoming increasingly important for science journalism to better define and distinguish itself in the midst of a growing array of information sources. This is also a growing need with the increase in direct science communication from scientists and scientific institutions, as well as industry and other sources, which may not employ the standards of the field or serve conflicting interests. The symposium will focus on this issue, as well as how science journalism itself may be impacted by efforts to provide centralized sources of scientific information, such as the national ‘science media centers’ either established or being developed in several countries. Among the questions: How does science journalism more effectively distinguish itself from other sources of information? What role, if any, should science journalists have with these national science media centers?
International Collaboration in Science Journalism
There are areas of the world where coverage of science issues is more difficult, yet coverage is critical not only locally but to the international community. Looking forward, science journalism needs to consider how it can more effectively cover some of the key issues in the field, such as clinical trials that have moved to developing countries. It should also consider how it can collaboratively cover these issues, as well as discern ways that established science journalists and media can collectively improve their support of local science journalism in developing nations. Among the questions: When it comes to covering issues and supporting the development of the field, what are the areas where collaboration can supersede competition?
Supporting Science Journalism
There are new, innovate practices and media business models available to science journalism, but there remains a need to discuss how science journalism can benefit from these practices. Science journalism needs to identify the innovative practices and business models that can strengthen the field, as well as the ways to support their use and development for common benefit? It must also consider what tools exist or should be developed to help the field? For example, are there new ways for science journalists to mine and process the increasing amounts of data being accumulated on individuals and societies? How can new technologies and software be integrated in the tool kit of science journalists? Science journalism must also consider how new, alternative sources of funding such as crowd-funding might impact the field.
Topics for this symposium were chosen by the organizing committee under the supervision of the World Federation of Science Journalists.
Organizing Committee
-
Mariette DiChristina
Editor-in-Chief
Scientific American -
Dan Fagin
Director
Science, Health and Environmental
Reporting Program
New York University -
Jean-Marc Fleury*
Senior Advisor
World Federation of Science Journalists -
Pallab Ghosh
Science Correspondent
BBC -
Phil Hilts
Director
Knight Science Journalism Program
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
-
Robert Lee Hotz
Science Editor
Wall Street Journal -
Rosie Mestel
Chief News Editor
Nature -
Ivan Oransky
Global Editorial Director
MedPage Today -
Ginger Pinholster
Director, Office of Public Programs
American Association for the
Advancement of Science -
Volker Stollorz
Journalist
Frankfurter Allgemeine (Germany)
Participants (Confirmed)
-
Osama Abu Rub
Medical Editor
Al Jazeera (Qatar) -
Julia Belluz
Health Reporter
McLean's/The Medical Post (Canada) -
Daniel Berger
Web Developer/News Producer
Science -
Mar Cabra**
Investigative Journalist
International Consortium of Investigative
Journalists (Spain) -
Geoffrey Carr
Science Editor
The Economist (United Kingdom) -
Damien Chalaud
Executive Director
World Federation of Science Journalists -
Clive Cookson
Science Editor
The Financial Times (United Kingdom) -
Bobbie Johnson
Founder and publisher
Matter -
Dan M. Kahan**
Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law
Yale University -
Joost van Kasteren
Freelance Journalist
The Netherlands -
Chul Joong Kim
Journalist, Chosun Ilbo (South Korea)
President, WFSJ -
Manuel Lino
Editor
El Economista (Mexico City) -
Esther Nakkazi
Journalist
Uganda -
Violet Otindo
Producer/Reporter
K24-TV (Kenya)
-
Penny Park
Director
Science Media Centre (Canada) -
Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland**
Director
MIT Media Lab Entrepreneurship Program -
Nicky Phillips
Science Editor
Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) -
Debbie Ponchner
Science Editor
La Nacion (Costa Rica) -
Meghna Sachdey
Social Media Strategist
Science -
David Sassoon**
Founder & Publisher
InsideClimate News -
David Secko
Associate Professor
Concordia University (Canada) -
Ivan Semeniuk
Science Reporter
Globe and Mail (Canada) -
Jae-Eok Shim
Investigative Journalist
International Consortium of Investigative
Journalists (Spain) -
Mariko Takahashi
Science Journalist
Asahi Shimbun (Japan) -
Yunanto Utomo
Science Online Editor
Kompas (Indonesia) -
Erik Vance
Science Writer -
Ron Winslow
Deputy Editor, Health and Science
Wall Street Journal -
Mohammed Yahia
Editor
Nature Middle East
In Attendance (Confirmed)
-
Genny Biggs
Communications Officer
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation -
Kathryn Brown
Head of Communications
Howard Hughes Medical Institute -
Judith Gan
Director
Office of Legislative & Public Affairs
National Science Foundation
-
Angela Prokopiak
Director, Communications and
Parliamentary Relations
International Development Research
Centre (Canada) -
Marilyn Simons
President
Simons Foundation
Advisor
- James Cohen***
Director of Communications & Public Outreach
The Kavli Foundation
*WFSJ program leader
**Presenters and speakers
***The Kavli Foundation program leader