About

These “Scicomm Tips” were developed at the Kavli Symposium on Science Communication: Sharing the Values of Journalism with Science Communicators held May 6-8, 2018.

This Kavli Symposium explored the benefits—and challenges—of scientists and engineers bypassing traditional media outlets to tell their stories, thus becoming unfiltered sources of news and perspective. In particular, it focused on how the values of journalism—values that build trust between the media and the public—can be more fully shared with the growing body of scientist-communicators who are reaching their audiences directly, often through blogs and social media.

Hosted by the Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute at Johns Hopkins University, twenty-four editors, journalists, researchers, communication experts and scientist-communicators joined the symposium, taking part in plenary discussions and breakout sessions. This included senior editors at media outlets who work routinely with scientist-communicators, as well as leading researchers and science bloggers. Together, the participants used this opportunity to:

  • discuss the reach and impact of this direct communication;

  • explore the changing role and relationship between scientists and media;

  • discern how journalistic values can foster more effective communicators; and

  • bring together publications that use the writing of scientists as both a means to support scientists’ communication efforts and effectively integrate journalistic values in their communication.

The underlying question: Can the values of traditional media be shared, fostered, accepted, distributed and perhaps even demanded by those who are building audiences and influencing the public?

A symposium report is available here.

Organizing Committee

  • Tim Appenzeller***
    News Editor
    Science

  • Deborah Blum*
    Director
    MIT Knight Science Journalism Program

  • Lindsay Borthwick
    LABmedia

  • James Cohen
    Director of Communications & Public Outreach
    The Kavli Foundation

  • Mariette DiChristina*
    Editor-in-Chief & SVP, Scientific American
    Director, Editorial & Publishing, Magazines, Nature Research
    Springer Nature

  • Kevin Finneran*
    Editor-in-Chief
    Issues in Science and Technology

  • Jeff Inglis
    Science + Technology Editor
    The Conversation US

  • Fenella Saunders*
    Editor in Chief
    American Scientist

  • Jamie L. Vernon, Ph.D.***
    Executive Director and CEO
    Sigma Xi

  • Rick Weiss***
    Founding Director
    SciLine

Participants

  • Monya Baker
    Senior Editor
    Nature

  • John C. Besley, Ph.D**
    Associate Professor | Ellis N. Brandt Chair in Public Relations
    Michigan State University

  • Dominique Brossard, Ph.D.**
    Chair, Department of Life Sciences Communication
    University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Anthony Dudo, Ph.D.**
    Associate Professor University of Texas at Austin

  • Karen Florini
    Vice President for Programs
    Climate Central

  • Jen Gunter, M.D.****
    OB/GYN | Pain Medicine Physician
    New York University

  • John Hawks, Ph.D.****
    Paleoanthropologist
    University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Natasha Hussain, Ph.D.
    Scientific Director, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute
    John Hopkins School of Medicine

  • Paige Jarreau, Ph.D.*
    Director of Social Media & Science Communication, LifeOmic
    Science Communication Specialist, LSU College of Science

  • Itai Maytal**
    Senior Legal Counsel
    Springer Nature

  • Phil Plait, Ph.D.****
    Astronomer | Science Communicator

  • Dietram A. Scheufele, Ph.D.**
    John E. Ross Professor
    Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor
    University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Mićo Tatalović
    Editor
    New Scientist

  • Samantha Yammine****
    Ph.D. Candidate & Science Communicator
    University of Toronto

*Session Leaders | **Presenters | ***Breakout Leaders | ****Panelists