2019-2020 Balkan Science Journalism Workshops

This series of three workshop, in English, is co-organised by the Center for Ethics in Science and Journalism (CESJ), the Balkan Network of Science Journalists, Sissa/Isas and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, Italy, with funding also coming from the Central European Initiative (CEI, for the event in Belgrade).

It is designed to build science journalism capacity and skills, as well as to promote excellence in science, health and environmental coverage in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Journalists attending the workshops – which build on the experience with two previous events organised by the same team for UNESCO – will engage in interactive sessions with prominent researchers and science reporters and editors from the region – and beyond – to discuss relevant scientific topics as well as data and investigative journalism, reporting on corruption and misconduct. The sessions will be illustrated with real-life examples of good practices and great stories from the region.

Journalists will also discuss techniques for connecting with the scientific community and effective ways of accessing information from institutions.

A special focus of the workshops will be to strengthen the cross-border collaboration and the regional network of science journalists – and their links with colleagues in Western Europe.

 

THE THREE EVENTS ARE SCHEDULED AS FOLLOWS:

• Belgrade, Serbia, April 5th 2019, 9-17 at the House of Human Rights (the deadline for applications for the Belgrade event is Tuesday 15th January 2019. See bottom of the page for instructions);
  Grants covering travel and accomodation will be available for applicants from the following countries:
  Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo *, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine.
• Lausanne, Switzerland, on July 1^st 2019,with the opportunity to attend the World Conference of Science Journalists, the main such event globally (notice: the conference fee is not covered by the grant).
  THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS FOR THE LAUSANNE EVENT HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 30 2018. See bottom of the page for instructions;
  Grants covering travel and accomodation will be available for applicants from the following countries:
  Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo *, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine.
• Trieste, Italy, in June 2020, in conjunction with the Euro Science Open Forum ESOF2020.

 

The series of workshops is part of the proESOF programme,
in preparation of the ESOF2020 (Euro Science Open Forum)
conference in Trieste, Italy, to support quality science journalism
in the region.

 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE
FOR THE BELGRADE BALKAN SCIENCE JOURNALISM WORKSHOP
ON April 5, 2019, at the House of Human Rights

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS FOR THE BELGRADE EVENT IS TUESDAY 15TH JANUARY 2019

THE FUNDING PRESENTLY AVAILABLE FOR THE BELGRADE EVENT IS RESERVED ONLY FOR APPLICANTS FROM ONE OF THE FOLLOWING NATIONALITIES, and will cover travel and accomodation:

• Albania
• Armenia
• Austria
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Georgia
• Hungary
• Italy
• The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
• Kosovo *
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Turkey
• Ukraine

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

Applicants are invited to submit via e-mail:

• motivation letter
• curriculum vitae
• recommendation letter(s) (optional)

 

Journalists from other countries willing to attend the workshop are invited to write to balkan-workshops@cesj.eu.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE
FOR THE LAUSANNE BALKAN SCIENCE JOURNALISM WORKSHOP
ON JULY 1, 2019, day one of WCSJ2019

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS 30th November 2018

THE FUNDING PRESENTLY AVAILABLE FOR THE LAUSANNE EVENT IS RESERVED ONLY FOR APPLICANTS FROM ONE OF THE FOLLOWING NATIONALITIES, and will cover travel and accomodation in Lausanne for the days of the World Conference of Science Journalists:

• Albania
• Armenia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Georgia
• The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
• Kosovo *
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• Serbia
• Turkey
• Ukraine

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

Applicants are invited to submit via e-mail:

• motivation letter
• curriculum vitae
• recommendation letter(s) (optional)

 

Journalists from other countries willing to attend the workshop are invited to write to balkan-workshops@cesj.eu.

 

 

For further info, please contact:

Fabio Turone: e-mail turone (at) cesj.eu

Mićo Tatalović: e-mail micho.tatalovic (at) gmail.com

 

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Kudos to the newly-established Balkan Network of Science Journalists for becoming member of the World Federation

Many participants of the two editions of the school started discussing in Belgrade and in Podgorica about working together to improve the «quality of critical and ethical science coverage in the media» in the Balkans and South East Europe.

 

The formal establishment of the Balkan Network of Science Journalists took place in June 2016 in Erice, and then in July 2016 in Manchester, and was immediately followed by the application to join the World Federation of Science Journalists, that  today announced it was accepted.

Kudos for the good work done, and best wishes for the future work!

This is a group of science journalists, writers and communicators from across South East Europe, interested in improving quality of critical and ethical science coverage in the media.

Its origins go back to PCST2012 conference in Florence, Italy, where UNESCO convened “Panel Discussion: Science Communication in the South East European Region – Overview of the Current Situation and Quality and Accountability of Science Communication” that brought some of us together for the first time.

An e-mail group and links made there carried on, and other science journalists joined along the way, at numerous meetings. Two schools of science journalism were held in Belgrade, Serbia in 2013 and Podgorica, Montenegro 2014, where the network grew and improved.

The network was formally founded at International School of Science Journalism, in Erice, Italy, in June 2016 and at the 3rd European Conference of Science Journalists, in Manchester, UK, in July 2016.

The Montenegro State TV broadcast a long segment on the workshop

Montenegrin science journalist Snezana Radusinovic, who attended both workshops in Belgrade in 2013 and Podgorica 2014, realised a long segment on the Podgorica workshop, broadcast at the end of March 2015 on the State TV of Montenegro.
Several trainers – Fabio Turone, Connie StLouis, Mićo Tatalović and David Ropeik – were interviewed (the voice over is of course in serbo-croatian-montenegrin).

Some of the trainers of the UNESCO Podgorica 2014 workshop on science journalism. From left, standing: Slobodan Bubnjević (Serbia), Peter Mayr (Austria), Joost van Kasteren (The Netherlands), Fabio Turone (Italy); from left, sitting : Mićo Tatalović (Croatia/UK), David Ropeik (United States).

Call for Applications: 2nd edition of the South East European Science Journalism Workshop (Deadline: 18 August 2014)

The UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, Venice (Italy), is pleased to announce that the 2nd edition of the specialized South East European (SEE) regional workshop on science journalism will be conducted from 19 to 22 September 2014 in Podgorica, Montenegro, during the Open Science Festival.

The relationship between science and society can be challenging. Linking science to society, improving public understanding of science and encouraging and attracting the participation of citizens (of all ages) to science are essential in creating societies where people have the necessary knowledge to make professional, personal and political choices, as well as being a part of the stimulating world of discovery. UNESCO believes that Science for a Sustainable Future is fundamental.

In order to better understand how to manage our planet and our lives, scientific knowledge and how it is communicated should be facilitated by developing a qualitative science journalism culture.

Last year, the specialized SEE regional training workshop on science journalism organized on 3-5 October 2013 in Belgrade (Serbia) was very well received by the 16 journalists and communicators from South East Europe who attended. The realization of this type of a specialized regional capacity-building workshop was the first tangible result to discussions held during a parallel session organized by the Venice Office at the PCST 2012 (April 2012 in Florence, Italy) and as a follow up to the recommendations endorsed during the SEE Ministerial Round Table on Science, Technology and Innovation convened on 22-23 November 2012 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The second edition of the specialized SEE regional workshop on science journalism will take place from 19 to 22 September 2014 in Podgorica, Montenegro, during the Open Science Festival. This regional training workshop will remain politically independent and objective, building the capacity to critically reflect on scientific activities and results as well as science programmes and policies.

Activities

The regional training course will focus on developing participants’ skills in:

• Critically reflecting and reporting on scientific results
• Understanding the related media mechanisms
• Communicating with non-scientific public

The workshop will cover the following topics:

• How to improve the quality of science reporting and avoid pseudo-science?
• How to build (and maintain) trust between science and journalism.
• The watchdog role of journalism. Rebuilding public trust in science.
• Dealing with uncertainty and risk
• Understanding the interdependence of the Media and the public – Who influences whom? Empirical facts and figures

Target Audience

• Science journalists and media communicators from the SEE Region
• Press officers and communication officers of international organizations, agencies and institutions active in science communication
• Scientists and researchers

Call for Applications

To participate in the workshop, please submit your brief CV (1-2 pages maximum), a motivation letter (1 page maximum) in English with your photo before and no later than 18 August 2014 to: Rosanna Santesso, UNESCO Venice Office, Email: r.santesso(at)unesco.org.

No registration fees for the workshop will be requested.

The UNESCO Venice Office will offer 10 participation grants to selected applicants coming from the SEE countries. The selection of the UNESCO Venice Office sponsored participants will be based on the information provided and will be reviewed by an international selection committee.

All applicants will be notified of acceptance or rejection by email by the end of August 2014.

Travel costs should be personally ensured by all other workshop participants.

Further detailed information about the invited speakers, venue and the preliminary program of the workshop will be updated on http://www.unesco.org/venice, and thehttps://balkanscijc.wordpress.com/

Workshop Partners:

• Ministry of Science of Montenegro
• National Commission of Montenegro for UNESCO

The official working language of the workshop is English.

This event will be a closed workshop with a maximum number of 25 participants.

Some evaluations from the participants of the 2013 workshop

The participants of the first edition of the workshop held in 2013 in Belgrade, Serbia, were invited to fill an articulate online survey, to help us identify weaknesses and try to do better in the next editions.

Here are their answers to a few key questions.

The 2013 Balkan School of Science Journalism and Communication will be held in Belgrade (Serbia) in Oct 3-5

Call for participation
Deadline: 8 September 2013

South-East European* Science Journalism School (SEE-SJS)

  

It has been increasingly underlined that the gap that exists between science and the public has been expanding. The communication of science to society requires improvement and change. Media can play a key role in facilitating the interaction between the scientific community and the public by providing high quality reporting on science and its impacts on society. Journalists can play an effective role as ‘mediators or facilitators’ between researchers and the public but to do this effectively they also need specialized training to understand common caveats and complexities of reporting on science.

The UNESCO Venice Office is pleased to announce a specialized SEE regional interactive school on science journalism will be conducted in parallel with the 1^st Regional Science Promotion Conference in Belgrade, Serbia from Thursday 3 October to Saturday 5 October 2013. (http://cpn.rs/conference/)

This school is oriented towards improving the quality and quantity of ethical science reporting by the SEE media and will contribute to increasing public awareness on the importance of scientific knowledge and towards developing a critical science journalism culture in SEE.

International science media experts and science reporters from the SEE Region will be offered an opportunity to share and exchange information and data as well as laying the foundations to establish a regional forum/network to discuss emerging ideas and plans relevant to better societal understanding of science and technology. 

The SEE Regional school will be focusing on developing participants’ skills in:

•          Critically reflecting and reporting on scientific results

•          Understanding the related media mechanisms

•          Communicating with non-scientific public

And cover the following topics:

•          How to improve the quality of science reporting and avoid pseudo-science?

•          How to build and maintain trust between science and journalism.

•          The watchdog role of journalism. Rebuilding public trust in science.

•          Dealing with uncertainty and risk.

 

The official working language of the school is English.

Target Audience

• Science journalists and media communicators from the SEE Region
• Press officers and communication officers of international organizations, agencies and institutions active in science communication
• Scientists and researchers

No registration fees for the school will be requested. Travel costs should be ensured by the participants.

The UNESCO Venice Office will offer a limited number of participation grants.

The maximum number of school participants will be 25 persons.

Upon successful completion of the school, participants will be issued an official certificate of attendance.

Applications:

To participate in the School, please submit your brief CV (1-2 pages maximum), a motivation letter (1 page maximum) both in English and your photo before and no later than 8 September 2013 to:

Rosanna Santesso, Programme Specialist, UNESCO Venice Office, Email:  r.santesso@unesco.org, tel.:  +39-041-260-1513