Code for Life

Follow the World Conference of Science Journalists on-line Grant Jacobs Jun 27

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For those interested in science communication, a quick heads’ up: the World Conference of Science Journalists, moved from Cairo to Doha, Qatar, starts ’today’. (Where they are, that is!) Details of how to follow the event on-line can be found on a page at the US National Association of Science Writers.

Update: looks as if videos will be coming under the WCSJ2011 YouTube account. There are no presentations up (yet), but there are some interviews. I’d include one below as a taster, but the WordPress blog editor doesn’t seem to want to embed these, so you’ll have to make the trek over there yourself!

Other articles in Code for life:

Follow arsenic life science ’live’

Media thought: Ask what is known, not the expert’s opinion

To link or not to link: mainstream media and no links at all

Of use of the active voice by scientists

XMRV prompts media thought: ask for the ’state of play’

Three kinds of knowledge about science and journalism

Scientists can’t write?

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Grant Jacobs 694 days ago

If youâ€™re looking for the hashtag to follow the conference on twitter yourself, itâ€™s #wcsj2011.
Grant Jacobs 694 days ago

Stuff like this makes me envious of those attending! (From the #wcsj2011 twitter stream: don’t forget to select ‘All’ next to ‘Tweets’ or you’ll miss most of them) -

@SAeditorinchief (Mariette DiChristina)
726 delegates from 90 countries–50% from developing nations–here at #wcsj2011 in Doha, Qatar [I love travel to out-of-the-way places - sounds as if those attending would make for interesting conversations.]

@edyong209 Ed Yong
Zewail: We’re good at collecting information; the challenge is to use that information to create new knowledge [I wrote about a closely related issue in bioinformatics some time ago: http://sciblogs.co.nz/code-for-life/2009/11/26/computational-biology-natural-history-v-explanatory-models/

@mwikramanayake (Marisa Wikramanayake)
The #wcsj2011 tweets are nice to see but they make me want to bang my head against a wall at the general ignorance of people. Study history! [Something Iâ€™ve suggested, too: http://sciblogs.co.nz/code-for-life/2010/08/11/know-the-history-of-your-field-be-it-science-or-pottery/

@mwikramanayake Marisa Wikramanayake @Tuna Shouldn't sci journos be aware of the history of science? Shouldn't they question any gaps in their knowledge? Why wait for #wcsj2011?

Not to mention tit-bits like this:

@seanmcarroll (Sean Carroll; re-tweeted by deborahblum)
US military spends more on air conditioning in Iraq & Afghanistan than NASA's annual budget. is.gd/Y0d24h

@ivanoransky (Ivan Oransky; author of Retraction Watch and Embargo Watch)
Zewail: Too much negative reporting on what has _not_ happened in science #wcsj2011 (I know what he means, but we need accountability)

@alexwitze Alexandra Witze
Mohammed Fathy Saoud, Qatar Foundation, calls for 2.8 percent GDP investment in sci/tech #WCSJ2011 - that'd be just above US levels [What's NZ's GDP investment?]

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OK, OK… I have to force myself off to work. These people are way too distracting…
Grant Jacobs 693 days ago

There are a few early photos here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/103211982728550435693/WCSJ2011DohaJune26

Canâ€™t see Peter Griffin in them (of SMC, who host our blogs).

They look an international crowd.
Grant Jacobs 693 days ago

I’ve just added a link to a YouTube for the WCSJ meeting. Some interviews (worth viewing) and general coverage is offered so far.
Grant Jacobs 693 days ago

The Science and Development Network blog has posts on some of the sessions.

[Edited - the "toss away the slash in the close tag" bug continues to haunt me...]
Grant Jacobs 693 days ago

Radio Kate has some interviews: http://audioboo.fm/RadioKate