Yesterday, I wrote a short post about a few all-star science journalism events taking place this week in New York and Chicago. I missed another one, which bears mentioning and, unlike the others, this one is being webcast (is that an acceptable verb?) so anybody can watch.
Tomorrow morning, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars will host a panel discussion titled, “The Future of Science and Environmental Journalism.” The plug from the center’s Web site reads:
Even as interest in environmental issues skyrockets, the reporters who cover these topics are being laid off left and right. What does the future hold for science and environmental journalism, in print, broadcast, and online? Will the new administration repair the relationship between environmental agencies and reporters? Will the renewed focus on climate change lead to the rebirth of environmental journalism-but outside of the traditional media?
Those are some weighty and tough-to-answer questions. Fortunately, the Wilson Center has assembled a sharp and well-qualified group of panelists to address them. The group includes Peter Dykstra, a Wilson Center public policy scholar and former executive producer for CNN’s science team; Seth Borenstein, a science reporter for the Associated Press; Jan Schaffer, the executive director of the Pew Center for Civic Journalism; and Elizabeth Shogren, an environment correspondent for National Public Radio.
Should be a lively discussion. I’ll be sitting in the front row of the cyber audience!
Curtis Brainard writes on science and environment reporting. Follow him on Twitter @cbrainard.