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. Early bird discounts end 31 March 2009 so now is the time to make that booking.

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
and Communications Manager
The Big Bang