The 8th World Conference of Science Journalists, a gathering that draws hundreds of science communicators from around the world, will begin this Monday in Helsinki, Finland. Hosted by the Finnish Society of Science Editors and Journalists (FASEJ), this year's conference is projected to draw some 850 participants. You can follow the proceedings on Twitter at #WCSJ2013.
The biennial conferences are affililiated with the World Society of Science Journalists (WFSJ), a Canada-based non-profit best known for operating science journalism education programs in developing countries. Members of the federation bid to host a conference – the 2011 WCSJ, for instance, was held in Doha, Qatar and organized by the Arab Science Journalists Association (ASJA) and the United States-based National Association of Science Writers (NASW); the latter is also an official sponsor of the Helsinki meeting. Previous conferences have been held in countries including Britain, Japan, Australia and Canada.
The Helsinki conference is titled "Science Journalism: Critical Questioning in the Public Sphere" and will be held on the University of Helsinki campus. Pre-conference workshops on Monday range from data journalism to investigative reporting to examining the current standing of the profession. The formal program starts Tuesday and includes presentations on everything from covering pandemics to the rise of science blog networks to the role of watchdog media (a session that will include a report on the doings of the Knight Science Journalism Tracker). You can find the full timetable here.
If you aren't able to attend, the conference plans to video-stream some of the main events. And if you are – looking forward to seeing you there and celebrating the international connectedness of our profession.
— Deborah Blum
Leave a Reply