EUSJA News Newsletter of the European Union of Science Journalists’ Associations U Summer/Autumn 2014
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EUSJA European Union of Science Journalists’ Associations EUSJA News www.eusja.org Newsletter of the European Union of Science Journalists’ Associations u Summer/Autumn 2014 In this issue w Letter from Satu Lipponen, EUSJA president n A letter from the president pages 1-3 Networking and n Reactions to Copenhagen declaration pages 4-6 conferences are future n Science picnic page 7 tracks for EUSJA n Mining the moon pages 8-9 n Moments at ESOF2014 page 9 n Social media page 9 n Hippy science page 10 n Digital Estonia page 11 n Visit to Russia Some of the participants at the EUSJA Strategy Day © Satu Lipponen pages 12-13 n WFSJ news y first half-year as ing of the Hungarian association, the page 13 EUSJA president has 2nd ECSJ would also benefit from been full of activities. the World Science Forum, which will n Board and delegates EUSJA was very visible be happening in Hungary during the page 14 in the European Science Open time of our conference. FMorum (ESOF) this summer in The setting for our strategy day Copenhagen. We organised the first in Copenhagen was inspiring: a spa - This newsletter is published European Confer - cious room and the lovely garden of by EUSJA, which has its secre - ence for Science the Carlsberg Academy welcomed tariat in Strasbourg. The Journalists (ECSJ) the participants that formed five views expressed in it are those together with the working groups. According to their of the individual writers, and Danish Association not necessarily those of the of Science Journal - work and outcomes, the board is de - EUSJA board, the EUSJA sec - ists. Then we an - veloping strategic plan for the retariat, the newsletter editor nounced the 2nd EUSJA General Assembly to ap - or the layout/design director. European Confer - prove. ence venue and An example from working group Editor: date. The 2nd ECSJ 5 led by Dino Trescher and Jop de Anna Nolan will be in Budapest Vrieze: the working group suggested [email protected] President Satu Lipponen © Jouko Keski-Säntti in November 2015. that EUSJA digital spaces should be It will be organised more user-driven and be more at - Design & layout director: by EUSJA and Hun - tractive to young audiences. The Menelaos Sotiriou garian Association. Its president Ist - working group also recommended sotiriou@ scienceview .gr van Palugyai noted that while 2015 is the 25th anniversary of the found - the creation of a directory of Euro - continued on page 2 1 EUSJA News u Summer/Autumn 2014 u European Union of Science Journalists’ Associations u www.eusja.org w Letter from Satu Lipponen Networking and conferences are future tracks for EUSJA Wolfgang C. Goede (on left) and Menelaos Sotiriou flying the EUSJA flag as they work on the exhibition booth at ESOF © Satu Lipponen continued from first page pean science journalists, and that member organisa - marised in seven words: membership, networks, tools tions and individual journalists should be encouraged and skills, and conferences. to use this. Valuable knowledge from EU projects Digital divide and ethical codes EUSJA will be participating in some meetings that There are two things very close to my heart: how are preparations for the EU Horizon 2020 pro - we can bridge science journalism over the digital di - grammes. It was a delight to get encouragement of our vide and what do we need to build a digital toolbox work from Director-General Robert-Jan Smits, who in with ethical codes? Independent science journalism is his letter this summer invited EUSJA to participate in needed more than ever, but it is specific themes. in a struggle for survival. I also If EUSJA is involved in future EU projects, as we want to emphasise the ability to do hope, there is a need to restructure our governance There is more in - formation on this be critical. This means that and accounting. This work is now very topical and we event on the knowledge comes first and sci - hope that it will be done in a few months. EUSJA website at ence journalists should be The strategy process will continue when the board www.eusja.org/mi competent enough to pose crit - and delegates meet for our annual General Assembly ngling-changing- ical questions and engage next year. I am confident that the pleasant atmosphere critical-together/ , themselves in public debate. developed in Copenhagen will continue. We are gain - a post by Wolfgang The future of EUSJA ing valuable knowledge from our EU projects and C. Goede. strategic tracks can be sum - continued on page 3 2 EUSJA News u Summer/Autumn 2014 u European Union of Science Journalists’ Associations u www.eusja.org Dino Trescher at the Strategy Day © Satu Lipponen continued from page 2 there is a need to get more members involved. Uncertainties in Europe and beyond EUSJA is also gearing its activities towards the First and second 9th World Conference of Science Journalists next June in Seoul, Korea. The World Federation is taking European conferences new directions under the leadership of its CEO Damien Chalaud. We had a meeting after the WFSJ for science journalists General Assembly in Copenhagen about future col - laboration. The programme for the first conference Recent activities within our continent prove that EUSJA is still very much needed to provide a bridge is on www.eusja.org/first-european- for science journalists. Information warfare, disinfor - conference-for-science-journalists-ecsj/ mation, low quality of official news flow and unethical You will find a report on this first con - uses of social media are examples of a very complex ference and a mini-preview of the sec - media landscape. Various discussions about plagia - ond confer ence being planned for next rism in the social media show that digital frontiers still year on www.eusja.org/2nd-european- lack basic codes. Fast copying and pasting is not journalism but is widespread. I think EUSJA has a conference-for-science-journalists-in- clear mandate to represent the journalistic pursuit in november-2015/ order to work for the best of society. 3 EUSJA News u Summer/Autumn 2014 u European Union of Science Journalists’ Associations u www.eusja.org w EUSJA Copenhagen Declaration at ESOF 2014 More participation of public in research and policy demanded EUSJA’s science debate about nanotechnology resulted in a declaration. This is a call to bridge, after 20 years, the widening gaps between research, industry and civil society. Nano journalist Dino Trescher (on right) in discussion with two of the experts who delivered the initial statement: nano physicist Dr Markus Lackinger, Technical University Munich TUM Deutsches Museum (middle) and Dr Steffi Friedrichs, representative of European nano indus - tries (on left) © EUSJA BY WOLFGANG C. GOEDE, EUSJA HONORARY SECRETARY he paper recommends more solid databases as a source of public information. The engagement of ci - tizens must be ensured in the early stage of research, in nanotechnology and other fields of science and te - chnology. The Copenhagen Declaration and some internatio - Tnal reactions collected by this writer are below. 1. Nanotechnology remains a research field with many promises. Prof. Dr Ortwin Renn, 2. In many fields, such as graphene, it has not been adviser to the presi - able to show its benefits for electronics. dent of the European 3. One of the major reasons is that the scientific com - Commission José munity is divided and the general public is only badly informed. Manuel Barroso 4. These deficits shall be resolved by establishing na - © Renn tional and Europe-wide information centres, which provide sound databases with detailed information, as agreed upon 9. All in all, the nano example shows that the public by stakeholders and the audience during the ESOF debate. needs to be engaged in the early phases of research, not only 5. Transparency will be further enhanced if more nano- with nanotechnology, but also in all fields of research, science products are labelled in a clear consumer language and at and technology. conspicuous places. 10. This new type of cutting edge science policy will em - 6. Regular and intensive stakeholder dialogues and power Europe to compete globally and to reaffirm its number polylogues are needed to bridge the gap among scientists and one position in world-class science. between research, industry and the general public, including representatives of the civil society and NGOs. 7. A new participative culture of communicating and re - Reactions to the Copenhagen Declaration Prof. Dr Ortwin Renn, Member of the Science and Te - porting, dissemination and education which has been ponde - chnological Advisory Council to the President of the EU red for many years needs to be introduced at all levels of Commission José Manuel Barroso, Environmental So - society. ciologist and Technology Assessor ( www.ortwin- 8. With these conditions fulfilled, nanotechnology may renn.de ) after 20 years enter its second phase, its realisation and the “The Copenhagen declaration reflects the need for promoting exploitation of its full benefits, in close contact and consensus with the consumers, taxpayer, and voters. continued on page 5 4 EUSJA News u Summer/Autumn 2014 u European Union of Science Journalists’ Associations u www.eusja.org Round table discussion: 70 participants in the science debate discuss the experts’ input © EUSJA continued from page 4 technological change as an agent for improving life and con - Dialogue, Berlin, organiser of science festivals, science serving essential resources and, at the same time, taking the slams, science debates and student parliaments necessary precautions for reducing risks and avoiding painful (www.wissenschaft-im-dialog.de ) learning by trial and error. Nanotechnology has been used as “I appreciate the realisation that not only providing suffi - an example in the declaration to demonstrate this dual stra - cient information, but also already engaging the public in the tegy.