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.
This is a free event for SJAA members. To join SJAA, visit our membership page.
Past events
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.
For information on registering, email contact@SJAA.org.au.
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).
For information on registering, email contact@SJAA.org.au
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.
For information on registering, please email contact@SJAA.org.au.
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.