Category: Associations

Rosalia Omungo was reflecting on the Canadian Association of Science Writers 2010 conference during its closing hours on a June evening in Ottawa, Canada.

At its last meeting, in Budapest, the Board of the World Federation of Science Journalists approved the membership of the Science Journalists and Communicators of Togo, JCS-Togo.

The newly established South African Science Journalists’ Association (SASJA), created in December 2008, has joined the World Federation of Science Journalists.

The World Federation of Science Journalists is extremely pleased to welcome the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing (CSWA) of the United States as its first Associate Partner.

By George Claassen  (South Africa) -- The newly established South African Science Journalists’ Association (SASJA) hosted 23 science journalists from 13 African countries for a weeklong conference and workshop between 22 and 27 February 2009 in Stellenbosch near Cape Town. Co-hosts were Stellenbosch University’s Department of Journalism and the Danish ministry of Climate and Energy.

The Danish Science Journalists’ Association and France’s Association of Scientific Journalists in the Informative Press (AJSPI) joined the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ).

Montréal was cold and dark in the winter of 2004. Cape Town is hot and sunny. Not exactly news, but there’s a link – the 2004 meeting of the World Conference of Science Journalists in Québec was where Diran Onifade of Nigeria asked South African broadcaster Christina Scott to set up an organization of science journalists in her home country.

Three Nigerian science journalists participating in the Federation’s SjCOOP project joined Akin Jimoh, the network director of the Development Communications Network (DEVCOMS), when he received a $100,000 award from the One Campaign, in Accra, capital of Ghana, early in September 2008.

A year ago, with the Southern Hemisphere spring on the way, 11 reporters in Buenos Aires got together in a café to talk about reporting science and ended up forming Red Argentina de periodismo científico, the Argentine Network of Science Journalism.

The World Federation of Science Journalists welcomes the Rwanda Association of Science Journalists (RASJ) as its 37^th member association.

Created February 2007, the Rwanda Association of Science Journalists now includes 27 members from print and electronic media. It had its first annual meeting in August 2007 and elected science reporter journalist Aimable Twahirwa as its first president. Mr. Twahirwa works for the weekly Grands Lacs Hebdo and the Rwanda News Agency. He is also a journalist participating in the 3-year SjCOOP project of the World Federation of Science Journalists.

Nadia El-Awady, President of the Arab Science Journalists Association, gives a brief account of the recent meeting of the board members of her association with the board and the members of the US National Association of Science Writers, in Spokane, last month.

The Chilean Association of Science Journalists, ACHIPEC, founded in 1976, has now joined the World Federation of Science Journalists.

The Bangladesh Science Writers & Journalists Forum (BSWJF), an organization of science writers and journalists, has become a member of the World Federation of Science Journalists

Science journalists from Bangladesh, Chile, Ghana, Sudan, and from the African Network of Journalists for Earth Science (NAJES) are now represented on the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ).

EUSJA, the European Union of Science Journalists Associations, has moved its headquarters. It is still based in Strasbourg but is now hosted by EuroScience after many years with the European Science Foundation. "For administrative reasons we are delighted to be staying in the beautiful city of Strasbourg", says President, István Palugyai.

(source: ISWA and EUSJA)
The European Union of Science Journalists' Associations (EUSJA) celebrates its 35^th anniversary this year. And the Spring 2007 issue of the EUSJA Newsletter documents this milestone.

The newly formed Uganda Science Journalists Association (USJA) became the 29th member association of the World Federation of Science Journalists in February 2007.

The United States'(National Association of Science Writers (NASW) and the Arab Science Journalists Association (ASJA) have agreed to a partnership within the associations twinning program of the World Federation of Science Journalists

The WFSJ Board accepted the Kenyan journalists association MESHA as a member during its last meeting, in December.

At its last Board meeting, held 25 May 2006, WFSJ Board accepted its 29^th member association: the Association of Cameroonian science journalists SciLife.

The board of the World Federation of Science Journalists welcomes its 27^th member association: the Italian Association of Science Journalists.

At the end of November 2005, the Deutsche Welle the foreign service of German national radio stopped its weekly radio broadcast Mensch, Umwelt, Technik (People, Environment, Technology).

Set up in 1985, the Finnish Association of Science Editors and Journalists has close to 700 members comprising editors of scholarly journals, science editors and journalists working for the media, information officers employed by universities and research institutions, and persons active in other fields of scientific journalism and editing.

WFSJ welcomes Arab, Dutch and German associations The Arab Association of Science Journalists, the Dutch Association of Science Journalists and the German Association of Science Journalists (WPK) have recently joined the World Federation of Science Journalists.

The Philippine Science Journalists Association (PSciJourn), a non-profit association of media practitioners, S & T communicators and advocates committed to create science consciousness and culture among Filipinos created in 2001, has joined the World Federation of Science Journalists.

Pallab Ghosh, Chair of the WFSJ's Programme Committee, wrote: "I am delighted to announce that ABSW members unanimously voted to join the World Federation of Science Journalists at its annual general meeting on 12 January 2005. The outcome was largely due to the Canadian and Québec associations whose hard work and vision demonstrated what a World Federation can usefully achieve.

Updates on the World Federation of Science Journalists Executives from member organizations and members of the Board of the World Federation of Science Journalists met in Montréal during the 4^th World Conference of Science Journalists (www.wcsj2004.com ). A first meeting held Monday, October 4^th, 2004, brought together the executives of associations of science journalists as well as