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Implementing a Science Journalism Curriculum
Submitted by Augustin.Denis on Thu, 07/07/2011 - 23:11
Why does science matter? How do we write about science? How do we implement a science journalism model? These were some of the questions raised today in the “Implementing a Science Journalism Curriculum” workshop. Bruce Lewenstein from Cornell University, USA opened the workshop with insightful comments about the role of preparing journalists to cover the field of science. “It is important, in order to facilitate an easy exchange, that the journalists need to be trusted with their reporting skills. As for the journalists, it is crucial that they care about facts and ask the right questions," he said. In Doha, Science Journalism can be an interesting field to explore, with branch campuses of both Weill Cornell and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism located in the city. Lewenstein feels that while developing a Science Journalism curriculum, journalism should come first and science journalism second. He also addressed the importance of educating students about topics integral to the production of science like funding and the source of the funding. “As a journalist, you need to know and understand the numbers mentioned in reports in order to write about them correctly”, he added.
Marina Joubert from the Southern Science Organization in South Africa emphasized the importance of making science relevant to the public. She outlined key recommendations: Understanding the nature, policies, ethics and methodology of science should all be taken into consideration when preparing a curriculum of science journalism. She also focused on the importance of following up with and mentoring students who show interest in the field. “One of the things I noticed in first and second year undergraduate students in South Africa was that they were very intimated by the idea of such a course and so it is important that we expose students and encourage hands on engagement with science from an early stage of the curriculum”, she added.
Richard Roth, the Dean of Medill School of Journalism is hopeful that their program can have modules of science journalism as well. “The world of journalism is becoming more specialized with time. In a country like Doha, educating students about reporting on things like sustainability and environment can become an important part of the kind of diverse issues we prepare our students to report on,” he said.
Science journalists often face obstacles when addressing pivotal issues- climate change, biodiversity and so called science "brain drains"- due to the lack of available training on how to report on those topics. In order to rectify this, a generic course outline was submitted at a UNESCO workshop held in association with the 2007 World Conference of Science Journalists. Some of the recommendations enlisted were: a) Continue to develop a generic course to train science journalists, such as a one year post-graduate course suitable for people with previous qualifications in science or journalism at local universities and accredited institutions. b) Work with universities to adapt science-based modules of the generic course to incorporate into existing undergraduate programs. c) Support media skills training workshops for scientists by developing a generic one or two day course outlines and then training local people to run workshops. d) Work with regional media agencies to gain their understanding and support for science journalism. These are suggestions that continue to be important to note when developing a science journalism curriculum.
As science expands in complexity and scope, the field of science journalism should likewise be kept apace in order to bring these findings and information to the general public.
Nayaab Shaikh
Marina Joubert from the Southern Science Organization in South Africa emphasized the importance of making science relevant to the public. She outlined key recommendations: Understanding the nature, policies, ethics and methodology of science should all be taken into consideration when preparing a curriculum of science journalism. She also focused on the importance of following up with and mentoring students who show interest in the field. “One of the things I noticed in first and second year undergraduate students in South Africa was that they were very intimated by the idea of such a course and so it is important that we expose students and encourage hands on engagement with science from an early stage of the curriculum”, she added.
Richard Roth, the Dean of Medill School of Journalism is hopeful that their program can have modules of science journalism as well. “The world of journalism is becoming more specialized with time. In a country like Doha, educating students about reporting on things like sustainability and environment can become an important part of the kind of diverse issues we prepare our students to report on,” he said.
Science journalists often face obstacles when addressing pivotal issues- climate change, biodiversity and so called science "brain drains"- due to the lack of available training on how to report on those topics. In order to rectify this, a generic course outline was submitted at a UNESCO workshop held in association with the 2007 World Conference of Science Journalists. Some of the recommendations enlisted were: a) Continue to develop a generic course to train science journalists, such as a one year post-graduate course suitable for people with previous qualifications in science or journalism at local universities and accredited institutions. b) Work with universities to adapt science-based modules of the generic course to incorporate into existing undergraduate programs. c) Support media skills training workshops for scientists by developing a generic one or two day course outlines and then training local people to run workshops. d) Work with regional media agencies to gain their understanding and support for science journalism. These are suggestions that continue to be important to note when developing a science journalism curriculum.
As science expands in complexity and scope, the field of science journalism should likewise be kept apace in order to bring these findings and information to the general public.
Nayaab Shaikh