Metcalf Institute’s Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists

Fellows will dive deep into issues such as water quality, plastics and public health, and ecosystem restoration, all through a social justice lens.

They welcome journalists of all beats, such as arts & culture, business, technology, policy, and politics, as climate change shapes all of these fields with ever-increasing urgency.

The Annual Workshop is designed to help Fellows gain new insights, sources and resources to aid their reporting, expand peer networks with journalists from around the globe, and produce accurate and contextualized reporting on globally relevant environmental issues. Metcalf Fellows will gain a solid foundation in the fundamentals of research practice, climate science, and adaptation measures from leading researchers and policy makers.

Funding Information

• Fellows will receive travel reimbursement ($500 max within continental U.S., $1000 max outside of continental U.S.). Lodging, meals and ground transportation during the in-person workshop are covered by Metcalf Institute.

Benefits

The Fellows also:

• Gain a deeper understanding of how scientists conduct research and handle scientific uncertainty.
• Develop the skills and confidence to interpret and translate the language of scientific journals for news audiences
• Build confidence in their abilities to discern the credibility of scientific sources
• Discover new ways to write about energy and climate change to build audience understanding and engagement
• Cultivate new sources by interacting with leading researchers and policy experts in an informal, off-deadline atmosphere
• Network and developed lasting relationships with journalists from a wide range of media and backgrounds

As a result of participating in the Annual Science Immersion Workshop, Fellows will:

• Be able to identify important climate change and energy stories that are relevant to their news audiences.
• Understand how academic scientists plan, fund, conduct, and publish their research
• Be better prepared to understand and communicate scientific uncertainties
• Be better prepared to translate scientific findings for news audiences
• Recognize and understand the interactions between climate change, the environment, and society, and how climate change disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income communities.

Eligibility Criteria

• Metcalf Institute’s Annual Science Immersion Workshop is for full-time professional journalists who work in any medium or combination of media.
• The Metcalf Annual Workshop is designed to bolster Fellows’ understanding of the methods, norms, and culture of science to improve science-based reporting; therefore, applicants do not need a science background.
• Applications are open to journalists working on general assignment, environment, climate change, health, business, finance, technology, policy, politics, and any other areas where climate change and energy may be reported as intersecting issues.
• Editors may also apply.
• Journalists of color are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Important considerations for applicants:
  • The Metcalf Annual Workshop focuses on the science and policies underlying globally significant issues from a U.S. perspective. Metcalf Institute receives applications from journalists worldwide but journalists must be reporting for audiences in the United States and U.S. territories.

For more information, visit Metcalf Institute.