Category: News

We’re almost at the end of 2025, which naturally causes us to reflect on the year gone by. Personally, the first nine months of being EUSJA president have certainly brought some memorable experiences. 

For example, walking along the Danube in Belgrade on a warm September morning to attend the Balkan Network of Science Journalists’ seminar on science journalism. Another is attending an online science journalism talk in a century-old house in the Irish countryside, while an Atlantic storm battered the walls from outside. Thankfully the internet reception stayed mostly stable. You can read more about both events below. 

There’s also some exciting events in 2026 to look forward to. Our EUSJA General Assembly is planned for March next year in Gregor Mendel’s hometown of Brno, in the Czech Republic. Other 2026 events you might be interested in are listed near the end of this newsletter. 

Closer to the present, virtual attendance for WCSJ 2025 is now available through an online only access option. The event runs from 01-15 December, and you can find out how to (virtually) attend below. 

EUSJA members have likewise been busy winning grants and organising their own events to recognise science journalism in their own countries. You can read further to get a quick summary. 

Finally we are still welcoming EUSJA members’ feedback on our proposed EUSJA manifesto and AI in Science Journalism survey. If you have a few minutes please do have a read and let us know your thoughts. 

EUSJA winter newsletter: Event horizons

We’re delighted to offer all EUSJA members a discount on a subscription to the transcription software Good Tape.

Good Tape is a fast, secure transcription tool designed for professionals. It converts audio to text with high accuracy, supports over 100 languages, and auto-detects speakers. It’s based in Denmark, has GDPR-compliant data handling, and an intuitive interface.

Any journalists who are members of an EUSJA member association can try the free version and get €25 off an annual plan.

To claim the discount, email EUSJA with your name and the name of your member association.

The Science Journalism Forum 2025 (SJF25), the most diverse event in science journalism, is opening its doors to a broader audience, creating space for journalists, researchers, policymakers, and the public to come together.

With that in mind, EUSJA is pleased to be a Community partner in SJF25. See you from October 27 to 30 in the UAE or virtually!

This year’s theme is Science Journalism at a Crossroads – Rethinking Trust, Funding & Innovation. 

EUSJA president Fintan Burke will be speaking at the session “Pan-European science journalism” on Thursday 30 October.

The forum will feature sessions in five languages (English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese), making it more accessible and inclusive like always.

🎟️ Secure your spot: https://sciencejf.com/shop/

We also have ten tickets available that allow EUSJA members to register for half price. Interested? Send an email to president@eusja.org to claim one while they last! 

In September, EUSJA was invited to attend the seminar of the Balkan network of Science Journalists (BNSJ) in Belgrade. The event was held at the Institute of Physics Belgrade, right at the bank of the Danube river. 

EUSJA president Fintan Burke attended the event, and was encouraged to see so many positive examples of science journalism in action.

During the seminar, Brian Lin from EurekAlert! Discussed how science journalists are best placed to deal with the uncertainty that the news media increasingly finds itself covering. That said, science journalism that deals exclusively on mainstream media is now missing half of the young people in the US, and so Lin recommended that science journalists focus more on engaging online creators. 

In a series of panel discussions, Balkan scientists and journalists discussed climate change and health communications, citizen science and journalism, and achieving diversity, equity, and inclusion in science reporting. In the latter session, it was interesting to hear a discussion on encouraging early-career scientists to include their heritage & backgrounds in interviews.

 

The seminar ended with a roundtable discussion on new science journalism trends, where EUSJA president Fintan Burke spoke with Renata Dacinger (RTV Slovenija) and Maja Ratej (Radio Slovenija). 

The session reflected topics discussed several times during the workshop; traditional media need to find new ways to engage younger audiences, a younger generation of scientists are more aware of the need to communicate, and new publication models are finding ways to engage hard-to-reach audiences. 

After the roundtable, participants visited Belgrade’s new Palace of Science. The museum showcases Serbia’s past and present contributions to computing, robotics, and astronomy. The day then ended with dinner at Restaurant Carusso, a rooftop restaurant with great views of the city. 

The BNSJ is currently finalising the paperwork to become full members of EUSJA in the next six months. We look forward to having them, and to the many exciting discussions to come.

Dear members of EUSJA

Welcome to the EUSJA newsletter. I hope everyone has had an enjoyable summer!

As Europe continues its return to work, EUSJA has had a busy three months behind the scenes. Apart from our renewed website and LinkedIn page, we launched an EUSJA manifesto for your feedback and a survey on AI and science journalism.

Looking over our news, I saw a theme emerging; a meeting of science journalism associations from the past, present and (hopefully) future. 

First, the present. EUSJA was contacted by a new science journalists association started in Kyrgyzstan. We invited their Board Chair & President, Ulan Eshmatov, to share a few words about the new association. You can read his introduction below. 

Following on from that, we have news about our first inter-board meeting with the European Federation for Science Journalism (EFSJ), where we informally discussed our work as science journalists and ideas for future cooperation. 

Then in a guest post, TELI board member and former EUSJA Hon Secretary Wolfgang Chr. Goede guides us through a century of TELI history.

Unfortunately, the summer also brought some sad news. Last month, the EUSJA community learned that former Vice-President Anna Nolan had passed away. Viola Egikova remembers her through her excellent essay.

Fintan Burke