E1: How scientific findings make newspaper headlines

(A. Gerdes, Bremen)

In recent years funding agencies have encouraged scientists to enhance communication with non-scientific audiences. Outreach funds granted to Collaborative Research Centres (Sonderforschungsbereiche) by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft are one example for a new approach in science communication. According to the European Commission the impact of science is such that communicating research activities and results to the public must be encouraged; consequently framework projects are contractually required to include communication in their strategy.

However, communicating to the general public via newspapers is a tricky task, and transforming scientific findings into newspaper headlines and articles appears to be a daunting task for many researchers. This workshop on science communication offers the unique opportunity to gain information from and exchange opinions with eminent journalists and science writers from leading newspapers and journals:

• Dr. Heike Langenberg, chief editor, nature geoscience;
• Dr. Patrick Illinger, science editor, Süddeutsche Zeitung;
• Ute Kehse, free lance science writer, Delmenhorst;
• Jürgen Wendler, science editor, Bremer Tageszeitungen AG.

To begin with the speakers will deliver brief statements introducing their journal and their daily work respectively. These talks are then followed by a “round table” discussion between all participants of the workshop touching amongst others following topics:

• What do scientists expect from journalists and vice versa?
• How should scientific information best be communicated to the media?
• Are journalists mere translators between the science sector and the public?
• How do newspapers` science departments function?
• Do scientific journals determine the agenda of science writers?
• Which role do public relation departments play in the process of communication between scientists and the media?



Organizer:
Albert Gerdes
MARUM_Research Center Ocean Margins
University of Bremen