A Scientist and a Journalist Walk into a Bar… | Cell

In the journal Cell, Susan Matheson asks:

"Who are science journalists, and how can journalists and research scientists work together to improve science communication?"

Intensive interactions between scientists and journalists in a supportive environment is one route, Matheson reports. "The Marine Biological Laboratory's Logan Science Journalism Program creates just this sort of nonjudgmental environment. The program allows working journalists to immerse themselves in a scientific community, where they 'get unfiltered, unrestricted access to scientists,' says Brad Shuster, biologist at New Mexico State University, who has taught the [program's] ten-day biomedical research course for 6 years.

“'We’re together for 12–14 hours a day, and we have informal discussions about anything they want: politics, the ethics of funding, the state of science journalism,' says Shuster. The [journalists'] day starts with coffee and a short lesson at the white board and then lab work all day. The journalists use sea urchins to study early development, and they perform genetic screens on yeast, looking for interesting mutations. The scientists and journalists eat meals together, attend community-wide talks, and return to the lab after dinner."

Source: A Scientist and a Journalist Walk into a Bar… | Cell