Student science writers from around the world have created a set of 52 stories from the World Conference of Science Journalists 2017, spanning most of the meeting’s sessions and creating a valuable reference archive for journalists in the U.S. and abroad. The reports, along with bios of the authors, are online at the WCSJ2017 Student... Read More
By Amelia Jaycen SAN FRANCISCO—Saul Perlmutter, a Nobel Prize–winning astrophysicist and cosmologist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has spent a lot of his time ascertaining how quickly the universe is expanding. But he is also concerned with some down-to-earth issues, like the state of human interactions. As he watched public discussions unfold in the last... Read More
By Carolyn M. Wilke SAN FRANCISCO—Is fact-checking the future of journalism? That question, at once disturbing for our society and promising for the increased role science journalists might play in combating fake news, drove a panel discussion among four experts on 30 October at the World Conference of Science Journalists 2017. The panelists, all experienced... Read More
SAN FRANCISCO—Science podcasts are more popular than ever. Producing them takes time, technical savvy, and a deep passion to engage listeners with material that is both informative and fun. How does one start a science podcast and build a dedicated audience? Those topics drew an enthusiastic crowd on 27 October at the World Conference of... Read More
By Liz Kimbrough SAN FRANCISCO—When South African student journalist Sibusiso Biyela sat down to write about the launch of the MeerKAT telescope in both English and Zulu, he thought it would be simple. The English version rolled out smoothly. But when he began to translate into Zulu, his native language, he found he would have... Read More
Sibusiso Biyela, one of this year’s student travel fellows, brought a South African perspective to a panel on the decolonization of science 27 October at the World Conference of Science Journalists. ‘We were taught that science has a western origin’ @AstroSibs at #WCSJ2017 #DecolonizeScience pic.twitter.com/NnVPCuO8kL — Oscar Miyamoto (@MiyamOtOscar) October 27, 2017 The panel also... Read More
By Jennifer Lu SAN FRANCISCO—Indigenous voices are integral to science and science reporting. That’s why journalists should keep an open mind and be aware of political narratives when reporting on indigenous issues, four speakers said 28 October during a session at the World Conference of Science Journalists 2017. Key to keeping an open mind is... Read More
By Jillian Clemente SAN FRANCISCO—Loving with all of your heart is overrated. Because the brain is the organ of conscience, it’s the decision-maker when it comes to love, not the heart, said neuroscientist Christof Koch on 27 October at the World Conference of Science Journalists 2017. “For Valentine’s Day, you give your girlfriend heart-shaped chocolate,”... Read More
By Inés Gutierrez SAN FRANCISCO—For quite some time, the words “the future is now” have been chasing us. Our collective imagination envisions a tomorrow filled with holograms, interactive media and 3D images. But when we look around, we realize that day may not come soon. However, one thing has visibly changed: digital content is more... Read More
By Laura G. Shields SAN FRANCISCO—Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate. That’s one core piece of advice echoed by all speakers in a session about cross-border journalism on 28 October at the World Conference of Science Journalists 2017. “Science itself is really international, and science journalists should reflect this as much as they can,” said Helen Briggs, a... Read More
By Vicky Stein SAN FRANCISCO—Reporters of crises around the globe, remember: the people we are reporting on are us. There should be no difference between ourselves, as journalists, and the people suffering from climate change, natural disasters, and human-caused misery around the globe. That was the consensus of a diverse group of field reporters speaking... Read More
Thank you for attending WCSJ2017! We’re excited to have welcomed 1,364 registered attendees—from more than 70 countries—to San Francisco for WCSJ2017.
