Timing: 07:00 & 12:00 GMT | 08:00 & 13:00 CET | 15:00 & 20:00 Singapore/Hong Kong Time
Programme | Science in the Newsroom Global Summit 2020
Science in the Newsroom Global Summit 2020
The media’s role in proving accurate, evidenced-based information around COVID-19 is vital. While there is optimism that vaccines will help see the back of this pandemic in 2021, scientists are warning there will be worse health crises to come. What may lie ahead and how do newsrooms skill up to ensure their coverage accurate and valuable for the citizens they serve?
Top scientists will use their outlook to frame this event taking place online on 23 and 24 November.
Journalists and editors will participate in sessions on how to tell the story with impact, how to build specialists skills in the newsroom when budgets are tight and how to bolster your evidence-based journalism when misinformation is rife.
The four 90 minutes sessions are:
Sessions
November 23
Monday
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15:00
Into the Future: Getting science right for future health crises
Location:3:00 PM Singapore · 12:30 PM India · 8:00 AM Germany · 1:00 AM MexicoScientists predict future pandemics and public health emergencies as the climate warms and diseases spread more frequently from animal to human. Media, as an important player in any response, needs to prepare now to avoid worse crises. Top scientists will share how they are using the lessons from SARS and 2020 to prepare.
This session, which will frame the Science in the Newsroom Global eSummit will be led by Straits Times Senior Health Correspondent Salma Khalik.
Moderator
Senior Health Correspondent, The Straits Times, Singapore Press Holdings
Getting ready for future crises
What global health theats are anticipated - and what lessons from COVID-19 wiill shape future interventions?
Speakers
Director of the Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness department (GIH), World Health Organisation
Escaping the Era of Pandemics
A recent report on Pandemics and Diversity from IPBES warned future public health crises are inevitable, and could be far worse. What are drivers of risk and what should journalists be watching out for?
Speakers
Director of Research and Internationalization, Norwegian Veterinary Institute
Evidence-based facts and the fight for the truth
Data can show uncomfortable truths: why independent statistics are so critical in tackling misinformation and holding governments to account.
Speakers
Past Principal of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, UK
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20:00
Innovative Storytelling: Data, tools and techniques for impactful, memorable journalism
Location:8:00 PM Singapore · 5:30 PM India · 1:00 PM Germany · 6:00 AM MexicoThis year has changed journalism. For many months all newsrooms were focused on a single issue - demanding fresh ways of telling the story.
Moderator
Professor of Journalism at City, University of London
Building blocks for good storytelling
Journalism is not for journalists, but for citizens, is the stand-out message. What are the hooks that will increase the impact of your coverage among your community?Speakers
Award-winning Journalist
Visualising the pandemic at the FT
The visualisation of data in a way that made COVID-19, its spread and impact easy to understand, has been a key to the success of the Financial Times, which has seen record readership thanks to its data journalism.Speakers
Senior data visualisation journalist, Financial Times, UK
Telling the human story of COVID-19 deaths
The human tragedy of COVID-19 often gets lost in the numbers. Not at News24.Speakers
Engagement editor, News24, South Africa
Frontline Investigations
Speakers
News editor, China, South China Morning Post
November 24
Tuesday
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15:00
Countering Misinformation: how you can make a difference
Location:3:00 PM Singapore · 12:30 PM India · 8:00 AM Germany · 1:00 AM MexicoThe promise of a vaccine for COVID-19 has provided a much-needed dose of optimism, but it also brings a new and urgent dimension to fight against misinformation which goes way beyond anything the media can tackle alone.
Global agencies have joined forces to try to counter the infodemic and journalists have an important role to play in filtering junk from evidence-based information on treatments and possible cures.
Moderator
Communications Director, International Science Council
The 2020 Infodemic and our permanently changed landscape for science and the media
The scale consequences of mis- and disinformation about COVID-19 are enormous joined up thinking is needed for any response to this and future pandemics. The WHO is at the heart of this process. Hear what they are doing to try and engage the whole of society.Speakers
Technical Officer - Lead, World Health Organization
Buidling Regional Collaborations to Fight the Infodemic & The Role of the Media
An example of a collaboration between operational agencies and fact checking organisaions that the World Health Organization is establishing in the African Region. The session will look into some of the challenges that face building similar alliances and the role that the media could play.Speakers
Crisis Communications Officer, WHO Regional Office for Africa
Covering science without hype: the case of Covid-19 vaccines
We've seen this month how news about a potential vaccine buoyed the mood and lifted stockmarkets. How can journalists sift through the PR, commercial insterests and misinformation when reporting on vaccines?Speakers
Medical doctor, Freelance Health Journalist and Science Writer
Joining forces to fact-check the pandemic in India and beyond
Alliances and community involvement has allowed The Quint to bolster its fact-checking capacity.Speakers
Associate Editor, Fact-Check TheQuint.com
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20:00
Specialist Skills: how to boost newsroom expertise whatever your budget
Location:8:00 PM Singapore · 5:30 PM India · 1:00 PM Germany · 6:00 AM MexicoFor years newsrooms, driven by shrinking budgets, have been cutting back on specialist science and health reporters. Without those key skills, how can they bring the required expertise back into their reporting? Smart collaboration in 2020 has helped newspapers in Australia and Canada up the quality of their content. And the WSJ has had a big rethink of how it works with data, in preparation for future rolling, live stories.
Moderator
Co-founder, fathm, London, UK
Speakers
Research & Development Chief and Product Lead for Newsroom Tools, Wall Street Journal
Executive Director of The Royal Society of Canada
Editor-in-Chief, The Globe and Mail, Canada
Director of Communications and Outreach, Australian Academy of Science
Chief Executive, Australian Academy of Science
Deputy Creative Director, South China Morning Post
