Wednesday, February 4, 2009

The Future of Science and Environmental Journalism: Feb. 12, 2009

Please join the Environmental Change and Security Program for a discussion of

The Future of Science and Environmental Journalism

featuring

Peter Dykstra, Public Policy Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center; Columnist, MNN.com; Former Executive Producer, CNN

Seth Borenstein, Science Writer, Associated Press

Jan Schaffer, Executive Director, J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism

Elizabeth Shogren, Environment Correspondent, National Public Radio (to be confirmed)

Thursday, February 12, 2009
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
6th Floor Flom Auditorium
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Webcast live at www.wilsoncenter.org

Please RSVP to ecsp@wilsoncenter.org with your name and affiliation.

Even as interest in environmental issues skyrockets, the reporters who cover these topics are being laid off left and right. What does the future hold for science and environmental journalism, in print, broadcast, and online? Will the new administration repair the relationship between environmental agencies and reporters? Will the renewed focus on climate change lead to the rebirth of environmental journalism-but outside of the traditional media?

Peter Dykstra, a columnist for the environmental news site MNN.com and a public policy scholar at the Wilson Center, was formerly executive producer of CNN's Science, Technology, and Weather Unit. Dykstra supervised a staff responsible for coverage of the traditional sciences, technology, the environment, space, and weather for CNN’s television, internet, and radio platforms. His award-winning work garnered a 1993 Emmy award for coverage of that year’s Mississippi River floods, as well as several Cable/Ace awards. He shared a 2004 Dupont-Columbia Award for the network’s coverage of the Indian Ocean Tsunami and a 2005 George Foster Peabody Award for CNN’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. He was the executive producer of two recent investigative documentaries for CNN: “The Truth About Global Warming” in October 2007 and “Broken Government: Scorched Earth” in February 2008.

Seth Borenstein is a national science writer for the Associated Press, the world's largest news organization, covering issues ranging from climate change to astronomy. He is the winner of numerous journalism awards, including the National Journalism Award for environment reporting in 2007 from the Scripps Foundation and the Outstanding Beat Reporting award from the Society of Environmental Journalists in 2008 and 2004. He was part of a team of finalists for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Columbia space shuttle disaster. A science and environmental journalist for nearly 20 years, Borenstein has also worked for Knight Ridder Newspapers' Washington Bureau, the Orlando Sentinel, and the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale.

Jan Schaffer is executive director of J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism, which helps journalists use digital technologies to develop new ways for people to participate in public life with projects on innovations, entrepreneurship, and citizen media. One of the nation’s leading thinkers in the journalism reform movement, Schaffer brings more than 30 years of journalism experience to her work. Schaffer is a former business editor and Pulitzer Prize winner for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Elizabeth Shogren is a Washington-based environment correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR). She has reported extensively on climate change, including for NPR’s “Climate Connections” series; on energy, land use, endangered species; and on the political conflicts found in each of these issues. Before joining NPR in 2005, Shogren was a correspondent in the Los Angeles Times Washington Bureau, reporting on the environment, Congress, the White House and politics. She also served for the Times in Moscow and covered the Bosnian war and the Kosovo crisis.

If you are interested, but unable to attend the event, please tune into the live or archived webcast at www.wilsoncenter.org. The webcast will begin approximately 10 minutes after the posted meeting time. You will need Windows Media Player to watch the webcast. To download the free player, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download.

Location: Woodrow Wilson Center at the Ronald Reagan Building: 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW ("Federal Triangle" stop on Blue/Orange Line), 6th Floor Flom Auditorium. A map to the Center is available at www.wilsoncenter.org/directions. Note: Photo identification is required to enter the building. Please allow additional time to pass through security.

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