Events – Science Journalists Association of Australia

Author Q&A: The Memory Of Trees, with Viki Cramer

Thursday 29 June, 7pm-8.30pm AEST

Most Australians see their world through eucalypts. From towering forests to straggly woodlands, in city parks, by the coast and in the bush, these are the trees that inhabit our familiar landscapes and national psyche. Yet the resilience of our eucalypt ecosystems is being tested by logging and land clearing, disease and drought, fire and climate change. In many places they are a faded remnant of those known by past generations. How important is the memory of these trees?

In search of answers, science writer and ecologist Viki Cramer takes us on a journey through the richest botanical corner of the continent, exploring forests of rugged jarrah and majestic karri, woodlands of enduring salmon gum and burnished-bark gimlet. Spending time with the people caring for these precious places, she interrogates the decisions of the past, takes a measure of the present and glimpses hope for the landscapes of tomorrow.

Join Viki, in conversation with science journalist and author Dyani Lewis to hear about how The Memory of Trees came about, what Viki learned writing this book, the experience of being a first-time author, and what advice she has for aspiring non-fiction authors.

When: Thursday 29 June, 7pm-8.30pm AEST
Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lDPii_KvRDmHiwLSlgFoBw
Bonus: Lucky Door Prize of a free copy of The Memory Of Trees, plus a copy of the updated Chicago Guide To Fact-Checking, second edition, by US science journalist Brooke Borel.

Past events

Masterclass: Essay Writing with Ashley Hay

Wednesday 1 March 2023, 7pm-8pm AEDT

“Essays allow writers to examine the mind and heart, and speak to both.” – Michelle Nijhuis
Both journalists and scientists are well-conditioned against using ‘I’ in their writing; we are taught to be observers, narrators, translators, documentors, but never subjects. But essay writing can offer a powerful opportunity to embrace just that – to set aside that dispassionate objectivity, and be part of the story we’re telling.
Ashley Hay is not only a brilliant essayist, science writer, and author, she’s also just finished four years as editor of The Griffith Review, during which time she published some award-winning and powerful essays by writers such as Cameron Muir, Helen Garner, James Bradley and Charlotte Wood.
In this one-hour online masterclass, Ashley will talk through her essay writing process, using a current piece of her work as an example, and outline the fundamental principles and practices of science essay writing.

Book launch extravaganza: Unvaxxed, and The Age of Seeds

Wednesday 3 August, 7pm-8pm AEST, online, free

What do vaccine-hesitancy and the longevity of seeds have in common? They’re each the subject of two fascinating books recently published by SJAA members.

Unvaxxed, by Dyani Lewis, is a must-read for anyone who has struggled to understand the rise of vaccine hesitancy and opposition, or who has found themselves in baffling conversations with an anti-vaccination family member or friend. It’s a nuanced, timely look at vaccine hesitancy and how uncertainty and misinformation have influenced the Australian experience of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Age of Seeds, by Fiona McMillan-Webster, explores why it is that a 2000-year-old extinct date palm seed sprouted a healthy young date palm, but many seeds – including those crucial to our everyday lives – don’t live very long at all. It looks at how plants produce seeds to ‘hack time’, and what that means for humanity’s future.

Join Dyani Lewis and Fiona McMillan-Webster, in conversation with CNET science editor Jackson Ryan, to hear about how these books came into being, what they learned writing them, and what questions they still are seeking answers to.

The event will be recorded, and one attendee will win a lucky door prize of a copy of Dyani and Fiona’s books.

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.

Freelance journalism: How to work smarter, not harder

Tuesday 5 April, 7pm-8pm AEST

To paraphrase the saying about Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, ‘freelancers do everything that in-house journalists do, but backward and in high heels’.
Not only are they journalists, but they’re also running a business, and that means making sure they get enough work to pay the bills, the tax office, the expenses, the superannuation etc, managing relationships with publishers and editors, dealing with accounts departments, and keeping their business on track for their savings and sanity.
SJAA is delighted to present this workshop for practising and aspiring freelance writers on how to do the second part better: how to work smarter not harder, how and when to ask for better rates, understanding the payment landscape in Australia and overseas, and understanding your rights and responsibilities as a freelance writer.
The panel features:

Natasha Khullar Relph, international award-winning freelance journalist with words in The New York Times, Time, Vogue etc and author of The Freelance Guide series, Shut Up And Write, and Trans In Exile;
Fran Molloy, freelance science journalist, journalism lecturer and NSW president of the MEAA’s media council
Sara Phillips, commissioning editor at 360.info, former executive editor at Nature, and former environment reporter at ABC;
The session will be moderated by freelance science journalist and SJAA president Bianca Nogrady. For more information, email contact@SJAA.org.au

SJAA Annual General Meeting and election 2021

Tuesday 9 November, 7pm-9pm AEDT

For more information, email contact@SJAA.org.au

The insiders’ guide to book publishing

Wednesday 20 October, 7pm-8pm AEDT

Everyone has a book inside them, so the saying goes. Getting it out and onto the page, into the hands of a publisher and finally into bookshops is a wonderful, wild, and sometimes challenging ride.

There are numerous steps along the way, from choosing who to pitch your idea to, how to craft a book proposal and pitch it, how to deal with contracts, the process of editing and publishing, and finally, how to give your book the best chance of selling well.

To talk through the marvellous but often mysterious world of book publishing, SJAA is delighted to host this online panel event featuring:

Kathy Bail, CEO of UNSW Press; one of Australia’s leading non-fiction publishers and source of the much-loved Best Australian Science Writing anthology,
Alex Adsett, literary agent and publishing consultant at Alex Adsett Literary, who represents authors including Melissa Lucashenko, Isobelle Carmody, Hugh Breakey and Ruby Hamad,
Bianca Nogrady, SJAA president, freelance science journalist, and author of three non-fiction books,
and chaired ABC Radio National/ABC Science’s Natasha Mitchell – science journalist, presenter, host and producer of the Science Friction podcast and program.

So you think you can social?

Monday 31 May, 6.30pm-7.30pm AEST

Some of us avoid social media like an anti-mask protest, some of us occasionally dip a toe in when work demands it, and some of us live there very comfortably.

Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok or whatever is just around the tech corner, understanding how to make the most of social media as a journalist can help not only promote your and your work, but engage with audiences, network with experts and other journalists, find stories and even report them. But being a journalist on social media can also raise ethical issues, and attract unwanted attention.

To explore these issues, SJAA is delighted to host an online panel session featuring climate and clean tech author, journalist and analyst Ketan Joshi (joining us from Oslo), ABC senior social media manager April Chan, and the legendary Dr Karl and his TikTok manager (his daughter) Lola. The session will be moderated by ABC science journalist and podcaster Carl Smith.

This event is for SJAA members. To join SJAA, visit our membership page or email us at contact@SJAA.org.au.

Writing your best grant and award applications

Wednesday 10 March, 7pm-8pm AEDT, online

You’ve got a brilliant idea for an article/episode but you can’t make it happen without outside support. Or perhaps you’ve already written that article or made that podcast episode, and you think it might have a chance of winning professional recognition.
But to achieve either of these, you have to convince a complete stranger of the worth of your precious creation.
Science journalists may not spend nearly as much time as scientists applying for grants and awards, but many still find it challenging, especially when it comes to selling ourselves or our work.
SJAA is delighted to welcome this expert panel to offer some valuable insights into what judges and assessors are looking for in award and grant applications: what makes an application stand out from the crowd, how to tailor your applications to selection criteria, and what are some of the traps to avoid when writing applications.
Join Lisa Main (Director of Grants at the Judith Neilson Institute), Catherine Ferrari (Cultural Fund Coordinator at the Copyright Agency), Jonathan Webb (ABC Science Editor and a judge for the Australian Museum’s Eureka Awards, and moderator Carl Smith (Walkley Award-winning science reporter in the ABC’s Science Unit, and a judge for the Young Walkley’s) for this free, online panel event.
This event is for SJAA members. To join SJAA, visit our membership page or email us at contact@SJAA.org.au.

Why I Love … Trello and Scrivener

Wednesday 3 March, 6.30pm-7.30pm AEDT

In SJAA’s first event for 2021, The Medical Republic‘s Francine Crimmins and SJAA president Bianca Nogrady will talk about why they love Trello and Scrivener (respectively) and do a 10-minute demo of how to get started with their favourite program.

The secrets to longform science journalism

Wednesday 21 October, 6.30pm-7.30pm AEDT

You’ve got several thousand words to write, a narrative to weave, a host of fascinating characters and interviews to thread through it, complex science to explore, and a looming deadline.

Working on a piece of longform science journalism is a challenging gift. On one hand, it gives the writer room to really stretch out into a subject, to give a story the space it needs, and to give the actors in that story enough time on the stage to make them compelling. On the other hand, there’s the risk of blowing out the story, losing the pace and tightness that will hold a reader to the last word, and getting lost down dead ends.

To talk about how they approached their favourite longform feature, SJAA is delighted to host three extraordinarily talented science journalists:
– Jo Chandler, Walkley and Quill Award-winning freelance science journalist, author, editor and lecturer at University of Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing Journalism;
– Dr Elizabeth Finkel, Crawford Prize and Eureka Award-winning science journalist, author, founding editor and now editor-at-large of Cosmos magazine;
– Graham Lawton, author, staff writer and columnist at New Scientist magazine
– The session will be moderated by Ruby Prosser Scully, science journalist at The Medical Republic and SJAA committee member.

Happy hour zoom catch-up

Friday 4 September, 5.30pm – 6.30pm AEST, online

Remember when we used to actually leave the office and go interview real people and see things and visit sites? Good times.
Join SJAA from 5.30pm-6.30pm AEST, Friday 4 September for a virtual drink or two, reminisce about our favourite field trips – the good, the bad, and the #fieldworkfails – and talk about the stories that came out of those excursions.
We’ll be having fun with the break-out room function again, with your hosts Bianca Nogrady (freelance), Sara Phillips (Nature), Carl Smith (ABC) and Dyani Lewis (freelance).

How has COVID-19 changed science journalism?

Thursday 25 June, 7pm-8.30pm AEST, online

Few stories are as deeply felt and rapidly evolving as COVID-19, and science journalists have been lighting the way at every step.
Reporting on the pandemic isn’t just about parsing the ballooning pool of scientific evidence. It’s about informing an anxious public and scrutinising policy decisions. It’s about deciding what to cover, and what not to cover; who’s an expert and who’s not.
Join SJAA for an online panel event discussing the curveballs that the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown at our profession. Hear from science journalists working on the frontlines to find out how they have faced the challenges and what lessons we can take from COVID-19 to other science stories that demand to be told.
The panel features:
– Alina Schadwinkel, an award-winning science journalist based in Berlin. She is digital editor-in-chief of the German science magazine Spektrum der Wissenschaft.
– Claudia Di Giorgio, an Italian-based science journalist and author with over 40 years’ experience in print, radio and online reporting. She is currently managing editor for Le Scienze, the Italian edition of Scientific American.
– Liam Mannix, a Eureka-award-winning Australian science journalist. He’s the national science reporter for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
– Melbourne-based freelance science journalist Dyani Lewis will moderate the discussion and take questions from the audience.

Online speed-mentoring for student/early-career/aspiring science journalists

Thursday 4 June, 5.30pm-6.30pm (AEST), online

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 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.

Online masterclass: Pitch perfect

Wednesday 8 April, 7pm-8pm (AEST), online

The verb ‘pitch’ means ‘to throw casually or roughly’, but when it comes to pitching to editors, you want to be throwing with pinpoint accuracy, great style and a dash of panache.

Many approach pitching with fear and trepidation, but it can help to think of a pitch as being a test-run for writing the real thing.

Join freelance science journalists Dyani Lewis and Bianca Nogrady, and Nature Asia-Pacific bureau chief Nicky Phillips for a free, members-only, online masterclass on pitching: how to craft your best pitch, aim it at the right editor, at the right time, and get your story over the line.

Online masterclass: The how, what and why of Freedom of Information requesting

Wednesday 26 February, 7pm-8.30pm (AEDT), online

What really goes on behind the closed doors of politicians’ offices or in the locked filing cabinets of government departments? Many spectacular and impactful works of journalism have been built around these gleaming pearls of information, and Freedom of Information (FOI) laws are the oyster knife that journalists can use to prise them out.

The Australian Freedom of Information Act gives citizens the right to access documents from Australian government ministers and most Australian government agencies. It’s also an essential tool for journalists to winkle out important information that might otherwise not see the light of day; information on government policies, programs, data, and decision-making processes.

Join Michael Slezak, ABC national science, technology and environment reporter, and Lyn Kemmis, senior lawyer at SBS, as they talk about their considerable experience with FOI, how FOI requests can be made, what they can uncover, what are the challenges and limitations, and how FOI laws and regulations work.

The one-hour webinar will be held on Wednesday 26 February at 7pm, moderated by SJAA president Bianca Nogrady, and there will be up to half an hour for questions at the end.