At a time of continual combat for democracy and the right to knowledge, denture science journalists – by deciphering the mysteries of the laboratories – help disseminate knowledge. They act as “catalysts”, working with scientists to transform a specialised subject matter into accessible information.
Science is progressively acquiring a new role as the progress it makes is seen as vital for the future. The media are also assuming growing importance with ever more codified means of communication. At the interface between the two, science journalism is undergoing a fundamental change that is affecting scientists as much as journalists, as their specific constraints often cause expectations to diverge.
So how are we to understand and guide the necessary development of the profession? The Commission – having placed European competitiveness firmly under the auspices of the knowledge society – decided to organise the inaugural European Forum on Science Journalism in December 2007, in the bustling city of Barcelona. The aim was to bring together the partners who are engaged in telling the story of science as it unfolds.
Guide to a successful communication: for EU-funded projects that are obliged to publish their results following the 2001 Science and Society Action Plan.
ec.europa.eu/research/conferences/2004/cer2004/pdf/rtd_2004_guide_success_communication.pdf
