The ReLaTe project finishes its last sessions
30 November 2010
Belgium
78 journalists from 21 European countries, visited 27 laboratories from 13 outstanding research centres in 7 European countries. These are the numbers of ReLaTe -REsearch LAbs for TEaching Journalists-, whose main goal is to strengthen the relation between scientists and journalists so as to improve the dissemination of scientific topics to the general audience. This initiative has given to the young journalists the chance to enter in research laboratories and spend one week side by side with scientists.
ReLaTe project is managed by Minerva, a communication agency based in Brussels and benefits from the participation of other European organisations like the EJC (European Journalism Centre) in Netherlands; ENEA (Italian National agency for new technologies, Energy and sustainable economic development); École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, in Switzerland; and TUBITAK, - Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu.
ReLaTe training sessions, took place in November 2009, March 2010 and November 2010, have been successfully completed. During the trainings the young journalists had the opportunity to interview researchers.
The journalists have produced around 80 valuable articles and audiovisuals some of them have already been published by printed and on line media all over Europe, and others are ready to be distributed to media outlets. The aim of these journalistic outputs is to ‘make sense of science’ while remaining true to principles of good journalism.
The ReLaTe project has become an interesting and enriching encounter for journalists and scientists. After the ReLaTe experience scientists consider that it is important for young journalists to be introduced to science, so that they can communicate it clearly and more efficiently; with this sense, the ReLaTe project helps science to reach out to the general public.
Also journalists are satisfied about their participation in ReLaTe, like Marie-Laurance Fleitour from France, who stayed one week at the Bilkent University (Turkey) during the last training session. Marie-Laurance says that “the ReLaTe project gave us the opportunity to discover scientific journalism, to meet scientists. To learn”.
For Jonhanatan Focke, from Germany and participant in the second training session at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (Spain), ReLaTe has been such an illuminating experience “spending one week as a journalist with top researchers really confirmed my decision to study science journalism”. Also Anna Korolyuk from Finland confirms “now a new trip stars for me: being a science journalist”.
Another young journalist, Zara Barlas, from United Kingdom, considers that “through projects like this one (ReLaTe), it is hoped that journalists can help to mediate and to convey the latest scientific research to a general public audience.”
Her colleague, the Spanish participant Ana Torres, reached the same conclusion, “you visit different labs and you realise that reality is just there, but it's necessary that someone get interested in. Journalists have the power to decide what is going to become news, and this field is absolutely necessary to spread”.
The ReLaTe Final Conference, will take place in Brussels in January 2011, and will be an occasion for European journalists, scientists and researchers and representatives of the European institutions to meet and discuss about scientific communication. The best journalistic output will be awarded and all the participants will receive a diplome.
More:
RELATE project website: http://relateproject.eu(opens in new window)
RELATE is a supporting action funded under the FP7 Capacities, Science in Society programme, under the Third Action Line: Science and society communicate, Activity/Area 5.3.0.2 Training actions to bridge the gap between the media and the scientific community targeting the public, call SiS-2008-3.0.2.2 Support training activities of journalists and authors in the EU Member States and the associated countries in EC funded research laboratories.
ReLaTe project is managed by Minerva, a communication agency based in Brussels and benefits from the participation of other European organisations like the EJC (European Journalism Centre) in Netherlands; ENEA (Italian National agency for new technologies, Energy and sustainable economic development); École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, in Switzerland; and TUBITAK, - Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu.
ReLaTe training sessions, took place in November 2009, March 2010 and November 2010, have been successfully completed. During the trainings the young journalists had the opportunity to interview researchers.
The journalists have produced around 80 valuable articles and audiovisuals some of them have already been published by printed and on line media all over Europe, and others are ready to be distributed to media outlets. The aim of these journalistic outputs is to ‘make sense of science’ while remaining true to principles of good journalism.
The ReLaTe project has become an interesting and enriching encounter for journalists and scientists. After the ReLaTe experience scientists consider that it is important for young journalists to be introduced to science, so that they can communicate it clearly and more efficiently; with this sense, the ReLaTe project helps science to reach out to the general public.
Also journalists are satisfied about their participation in ReLaTe, like Marie-Laurance Fleitour from France, who stayed one week at the Bilkent University (Turkey) during the last training session. Marie-Laurance says that “the ReLaTe project gave us the opportunity to discover scientific journalism, to meet scientists. To learn”.
For Jonhanatan Focke, from Germany and participant in the second training session at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (Spain), ReLaTe has been such an illuminating experience “spending one week as a journalist with top researchers really confirmed my decision to study science journalism”. Also Anna Korolyuk from Finland confirms “now a new trip stars for me: being a science journalist”.
Another young journalist, Zara Barlas, from United Kingdom, considers that “through projects like this one (ReLaTe), it is hoped that journalists can help to mediate and to convey the latest scientific research to a general public audience.”
Her colleague, the Spanish participant Ana Torres, reached the same conclusion, “you visit different labs and you realise that reality is just there, but it's necessary that someone get interested in. Journalists have the power to decide what is going to become news, and this field is absolutely necessary to spread”.
The ReLaTe Final Conference, will take place in Brussels in January 2011, and will be an occasion for European journalists, scientists and researchers and representatives of the European institutions to meet and discuss about scientific communication. The best journalistic output will be awarded and all the participants will receive a diplome.
More:
RELATE project website: http://relateproject.eu(opens in new window)
RELATE is a supporting action funded under the FP7 Capacities, Science in Society programme, under the Third Action Line: Science and society communicate, Activity/Area 5.3.0.2 Training actions to bridge the gap between the media and the scientific community targeting the public, call SiS-2008-3.0.2.2 Support training activities of journalists and authors in the EU Member States and the associated countries in EC funded research laboratories.