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SJAA event: conflicts of interest in science and science journalism

Thursday 23 June, 7.30pm-8.30pm AEST

In 1999, a high-school student in Arizona died while participating in a phase one clinical trial of a gene therapy that, it was hoped, might cure him of a rare inherited metabolic disorder. 
The case sparked a storm of recriminations when it was discovered the lead investigator and his university had substantial – and undeclared – financial stakes in the company developing the treatment.
The tragedy shone a much-needed light on financial conflicts of interest in scientific and medical research. But despite organisations and institutions around the world developing policies and guidelines on the issue, the problem of conflicts of interest in science persists today.
These financial ties in science and scientists are a key issue for science journalists, but there is little guidance on how and when such conflicts of interest should be considered, disclosed or investigated.
But science journalists themselves are not exempt from conflicts of interest. Whether it’s a paid-for trip to visit a remote research facility, an institutional residency, or a freelance side hustle writing for a pharmaceutical company, journalists must also increasingly manage their own conflicts. 
In this free online panel event, the Science Journalists Association of Australia is delighted to welcome four experts share their experiences, insights and wisdom on these important questions.

  • Investigative science journalist Hristio Boytchev, whose work uncovering medical researchers’ undisclosed financial ties with industry won him the European Science Journalist of the Year award in 2021;
  • Research scientist Associate Professor Barbara Mintzes from the University of Sydney, whose work focuses on pharmaceutical policy and the effects of pharmaceutical promotion on the prescribing and use of medicines; 
  • Freelance science journalist, editor and film-maker Wilson da Silva, whose work has won numerous awards;
  • Nature Asia-Pacific bureau chief Nicky Phillips, also previously science editor at the Sydney Morning Herald.

The event will be moderated by freelance science journalist and SJAA president Bianca Nogrady, and will be recorded.

When: Thursday 23 June, 7.30pm-8.30pm AEST

Where: Online

Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_C7JpbcEgTlWhCWzGdyT94A

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SJAA grant program: entries due in one week!

There’s one week left to apply for one of the six $1500 grants being offered by the Science Journalists Association of Australia to support SJAA members to realise a science reporting project in print, online, audio or visual, or for professional development. Entries are due by 5pm, 31 May 2022.

This year, the SJAA grants program is offering six reporting or professional development grants worth $1500 each, for student/early career and established science journalists, thanks to the generous support of the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.

The grant program aims to foster the career development of Australian science journalists, to encourage and support excellence in science reporting, and to build capacity in the Australian science journalism community.

The grants will support SJAA members to undertake a science reporting project – print, audio, visual, or online – or professional development opportunity that would otherwise be difficult for them to do because of financial or time constraints. More information and application details here.

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SJAA members take home Eureka Prizes for science journalism

At the Eureka Prize award ceremony on 7 October 2021, SJAA members Dyani Lewis, Carl Smith and Joel Werner took home prizes for their extraordinary science journalism.

Freelance science journalist Dr Dyani Lewis was awarded the Finkel Foundation Eureka Prize for Long-Form Science Journalism for her Cosmos feature ‘Role Models in a Time of Pandemic’, which explores how the little-known field of mathematical disease modelling was behind pandemic policies that upended life as we knew it.

ABC science journalists Carl Smith and Joel Werner are part of the team at ABC Science that won the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Science Journalism for their Patient Zero podcast. This series tells stories of disease outbreaks: where they begin, why they happen and how we found ourselves in the middle of one.

And congratulations also to CNET science editor Dr Jackson Ryan, who was shortlisted for both these awards.

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Winners of the inaugural SJAA grants program announced

The Science Journalists Association of Australia is delighted to announce the three winners of our inaugural independent reporting grants program.

The SJAA judging panel was thrilled with the breadth of ideas and stories pitched by members across the country for SJAA’s inaugural grants program – funded for members by members. 

It was especially impressed with and excited by the quality and clarity of the proposals from early career and student applicants. The future of science journalism in Australia is in good hands!

Lydia Hales won the inaugural Independent reporting grant, enabling her to travel from Tasmania to Newcastle to explore how Australian scientists are freezing reptiles for posterity.

Clare Watson was also awarded a grant for her superb pitch to seek out seagrass near Port Pirie. The Wollongong-based freelance science journalist will travel to the mining town to explore the cascading impacts of climate change and industrial pollution through the lens of a little-known underwater meadow and the people living nearby.

Recent journalism graduate Jordyn Beazley from Melbourne was awarded the student or early-career reporting grant. She’ll be exploring the sounds of the Murray River for an audio project – to understand what they can tell us about the river’s health.

The $750 SJAA grants enable journalists to seek out projects that they’d otherwise be unable to report on. 

Alongside the grant funds, the winners will also have access to one-on-one mentoring and support from within the SJAA community.

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SJAA launches a grants program

We’re proud and delighted to launch our grants program for 2021, which will provide two grants for a student/early-career and an established science journalist to support them to undertake an independent reporting project.

The grants are worth $750, and come with the option of mentoring. Entries are now open to all SJAA members, and details are here.

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SJAA’s first year

Goodbye and good riddance 2020? Sure, it’s been a roundly crappy year on so many fronts: bushfires, COVID-19, climate, politics, toilet paper shortages. But it isn’t all bad. 

For one thing, 2020 brought 58 people together as inaugural members of the Science Journalists Association of Australia. Thank you for being a part of this organisation’s first year, for participating in events, chatting and sharing on Slack, helping each other out, celebrating each other’s achievements, and making SJAA what we really hoped it would be when the founding committee first started sketching it out.

In 2020, SJAA is proud to have delivered six online events this year, including panels on Freedom of Information requesting, longform science journalism, covering COVID-19 and how to pitch editors. 

What’s coming in 2021? The big news is SJAA is launching a grants program at the start of the year. We’re offering two $750 grants for members – one for student/early-career, and one for established writers – to support a science journalism reporting project with both money and mentoring.

Thank you to the founding committee of Dyani Lewis, Natasha Mitchell, Jonathan Webb, Stephen Pincock, Sara Phillips, Carl Smith, Nicky Phillips, Wilson da Silva and Fran Molly for putting so much time and thought into creating this organisation, for caring so much about science journalists and science journalism in Australia, and for being just a great bunch of people.

Thank you to SJAA’s first elected committee of Neena Bhandari, Ruby Prosser Scully, Michelle Starr, Sara Phillips, Carl Smith, Nicky Phillips, Dyani Lewis, Fran Molloy and Natasha Mitchell for building and nurturing SJAA through a challenging year, and making this organisation so valuable, relevant and exciting.

If you’re interested in being part of this great group, become a member!

Bianca Nogrady
President.

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SJAA joins the World Federation of Science Journalists

The Science Journalists Association of Australia is delighted to have been accepted as a member organisation of the World Federation of Science Journalists, joining more than 60 national, regional, and international science journalism associations which represent over 10,000 science journalists around the world.

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SJAA event: online speed-mentoring for early career/student science journalists

Amidst the current flux in the media industry, and the difficulties brought about by the pandemic, breaking into science journalism or landing your next job might feel a little tricky.
If you’re a student, an early career science journalist, or a freelancer, this informal, members-only, online speed-mentoring session is for you. Join us, bring a beverage, and we’ll set you up for 10 min rotations through Zoom breakout rooms to ask some of SJAA’s established freelancers and journalists how they got their start and built momentum. This is also a great opportunity to meet some of the other early career science journalists in the community.
The session will be hosted by ABC’s Carl Smith, and our mentors are freelance science journalists Dyani Lewis and Bianca Nogrady, and science and medical journalist Ruby Prosser Scully.

This event will be held on Thursday 4 June at 5.30pm. It’s a free, members-only event, so if you’re interested, join SJAA now to take part!

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SJAA elects new committee

The Science Journalists Association of Australia is delighted to introduce its newly-elected committee, who will steer the organisation for the next year:

Bianca Nogrady – president
Nicky Phillips – treasurer
Sara Phillips – secretary
Neena Bhandari
Dyani Lewis
Natasha Mitchell
Fran Molloy
Ruby Prosser Scully
Carl Smith
Michelle Starr

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Events News

World Conference of Science Journalists 2019: call for session proposals

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:

  • sessions on investigative and critical science journalism,
  • proposals from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East,
  • innovative session formats such as interactive debates and collective brainstorms,
  • hands-on learning opportunities ,
  • sessions that encourage networking outside delegates’ own spheres,
  • sessions that showcase important science.

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.