Science Journalists Association of AustraliaThe Science Journalists Association of Australia aims to support and foster the professional interests of practising and aspiring science journalists in Australia, and to champion and advocate for independence and excellence in science journalism.
Written or reported anything about food, agriculture, hunger, obesity, food waste or starvation in the last year? Entries to the Food Sustainability Media Awards, from the Thomson Reuters Foundation and Barilla, close this Thursday 31 May, with EU10,000 up for grabs in prizes. The awards honour reporting on issues such as obesity, hunger, agriculture, food waste and starvation, in published or unpublished written articles, multimedia or photography. More details here.
BuzzFeed News is offering a paid, 12-week fellowship in science journalism at its Sydney office. The fellowship, which was established in partnership with the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science and the Australian Science Media Centre, is based with the head of news and social news reporting in Australia but will also work with BuzzFeed’s international science desk.
They’re looking for a candidate with experience in science news, strong writing skills, an established social media presence and a “genuine love for and excitement about science and the internet.”
More details are here. No closing date advertised.
Arizone State University offers a Fellowship in Transdisciplinary Science, to support a journalist to be “on the frontlines of research to see how scientists grapple with the problems of today’s world and forge new directions in science”. The one-month fellowship provides a stipend of US$8000, and is aimed at mid-career science journalists with at least seven years of experience in reporting on the selected topic. Applications for the 2018 round are due May 15, 2018. More details here.
The Australian Antarctic Division’s Media Program offers journalists the chance to visit Antarctica and Macquarie Island to report on the AAD’s activities. The program offers either a one-week trip to Antarctica or two weeks on Macquarie Island during summer. Applicants must have clearly defined story ideas or a targeted proposal, and will work with the AAD media team to refine their project. Applications for the 2018/2019 program are due by 18 May 2018. Details are available here.
The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics – also known as the Albert Einstein Institute – is inviting experienced science journalists to apply for residencies at the Potsdam, Germany location. The residencies are open to journalists in any medium, freelance or in-house, and go for up to two months. “The goal is to strengthen the communication between journalists and scientists and to offer journalists the opportunity to learn more about the institute’s research areas.” The Institute will provide office space, a 3,500 Euro/month stipend, and will assist with travel costs if necessary. More details can be found here, applications are due June 11, 2018.
The entry window for CancerWorld magazine’s annual journalism award closes soon (May 1), so any journalists who have done in-depth or investigative pieces on cancer are encouraged to get their entries in soon.
The categories for the award are patient and carer experience; research, science and treatment; policy, services and affordability; and prevention. The award is open to print, online, radio, video and television journalists, and seeks entries “that move beyond documenting experience, science, policy and practice. We want to find work that challenges, addresses urgent questions, increases awareness and prompts change. We are particularly looking for serious investigative journalism.”
More information is available here.
The Heidelberg Laureate Forum brings together recipients of the Abel Prize, ACM A.M. Turing Award, ACM Prize in Computing, Fields Medal, and the Nevanlinna Prize, along with 200 young researchers from all over the world, in Heidelberg, Germany.
This year, the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation is offering 15 travel grants for journalists to cover the event, “creating a space to interact with the preeminent scientists of mathematics and computer science”. The grants will cover travel and accommodation costs.
The grants are open to international journalists in any medium. To apply, send a short CV, three samples of work (indicating respective medium), a synopsis of publications to date (indicating respective medium), planned contributions regarding the HLF as well as a preliminary travel itinerary including estimated costs, to media@heidelberg-laureate-forum.org. Applications are due May 15, 2018.
The 2019 World Conference of Science Journalists, held in Lausanne, Switzerland from 1-4 July 2019, has put out a call for session proposals. They are particularly interested in:
They also stress the importance of paying attention to the gender and background of panels and speakers. Successful proposals may be eligible for travel support for the session producer and up to four speakers.
The World Conference of Science Journalists is a biennial conference hosted by the World Federation of Science Journalists. The 2017 conference in San Francisco attracted 1300 delegates from all around the world (including myself) and was a fantastic experience.
The deadline for submissions is 31 May 2018. For more information, visit the website.
It’s an ongoing source of tension between scientists and the science journalists reporting on them: many scientists believe they have the right to review any reporting of their work, while many science journalists and science outlets argue they don’t.
In this piece in Undark magazine, reporter Dana Smith looks into the issue, interviewing both scientists and science journalists to see what they think. “At first glance, this fundamental journalism question appears to be black and white, but it turns out to have a lot of gray,” she writes.
It’s a timely article that picks up on some recent discussions on social media, such as this Twitter post by scientist Kyle Jasmin and another by neuroscientist Chris Chambers.
It’s a red-letter week for science writers looking for one of the precious few in-house jobs going in Australia in the area of science writing and science journalism; there are not one but two jobs advertised in the past week.
The first is the position of environment reporter at The Guardian in Sydney, with applications due March 22, 2018. According to the job advertisement, the 12-month, full-time position would suit an experienced reporter with “a proven ability to generate exclusives and must-read coverage at a national level in a complex specialist area”. More details are available here.
The second is media and content manager for UNSW’s science, medicine and engineering faculties, which will involve leading the team responsible for multimedia content for these faculties. Applications are due by the 26 March 2018, and details are available here.