European science journalists and communicators will convene in Leiden, the Netherlands, from 10 to 13 July 2022, for the European Conference of Science Journalism (ECSJ). The programme committee is still accepting proposals.
The European Conference of Science Journalism ECSJ2022 calls for proposals for a talk or workshop (or any other format we can accommodate) relevant to this year's theme, Investigating Science. Panels should ideally take a critical look at the role of science journalism as a mediator between science and the public.
“At all levels of the scientific enterprise, critical questions should be asked. Is peer-review as reliable as it purportedly has ever been? Is science immune to group think? To what extent is science recruited as a scapegoat for political agendas?” said Krijn Soeteman, president of the EFSJ, and continued: ”Who are the culprits when science results are hyped? Are scientists practising more self-censorship on social media since the corona crisis?”
Arnout Jaspers, programme coordinator of ECSJ said: "While our confirmed speakers will already be 'investigating science' from several angles, we would like to add other points of view on this theme, particularly focusing on the situation in other European countries and beyond."
Proposals selected will join the current cast of contributors:
- Keynote lecture by Elisabeth Bik , internationally renowned 'forensic' investigator of research misconduct
- Bellingcat: workshop on using open sources to do investigative journalism
- Diversity in science I: The gender issue. Moderator Rebecca Clear, with Asha ten Broeke.
- Diversity in science II: decolonizing science? Moderator Rebecca Clear
- Pandemic science reporting – when the professional becomes personal. Moderator Jop de Vrieze, with Lise Barneoud (Le Monde), Heidi Ledford (Nature), Kai Kupferschmidt (Science), Martin Enserink (Science), .
- How to recognise hoaxes in science (Alexander Pleijter, Leiden University)
- Climate reporting: is alarmism good, bad or ugly? (with Maarten Keulemans, Dutch journalist of the year 2021)
How to submit a proposal
Your proposal should be < 500 words and as specific as possible regarding the subject, possible speakers, format and duration of the event. Send it to proposal@ecsj2022.eu before 1 June.
The ECSJ-conference is not a virtual conference. Possibilities for live-streaming are limited. If your proposal is selected, ECSJ will reimburse travel and lodging expenses for you and at most three other contributors to your event. This applies to travel in Europe. For travel from outside Europe, first consult the ECSJ-committee.
Registrations for the ECSJ-conference are also open, and many science excursions preceding the conference are available on a first-come first-served basis at the following link:
Historical location
The conference will take place in the Kamerling Onnes Gebouw (KOG), a building saturated with science history: superconductivity was discovered here, and helium was liquified here for the first time (possibly in the entire universe). Many giants of early 20th century physics, like Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr and Erwin Schrödinger were guest lecturers at this institute.
Smooth transition to ESOF2022
After the ECSJ conference, participants will experience a smooth transition to the ESOF2022 conference [https://www.esof.eu/] which takes place the following days, 13 to 16 July at the same location.
ESOF is the biggest multidisciplinary conference in Europe. Every edition of this conference is unique with different themes and addressing the prevailing issues in science and society. For ESOF2022, the overarching theme is: Crossing Borders, Engaged Science, Resilient Societies.
The host city, Leiden, is also European City of Science 2022. To celebrate this, exhibitions and many special events are organised throughout the year, some of which can also be enjoyed during the ESOF conference [https://www.visitleiden.nl/nl/highlights/leiden-european-city-of-science-2022]
Field trips galore
Before the ECSJ-conference, on 10 and 11 July, participants can enlist for a variety of field trips. These range from canoeing through the Leiden canals to clean up plastic waste, to visiting a nuclear reactor in Belgium.
Registration for the field trips is part of the registration process and can be changed at a later stage (if the excursions are still available, all use first-come, first serve). For a preview, check the dedicated page on the website [https://ecsj2022.eu/excursions/].