NEWS

Registration for the World Conference of Science Journalists 2025 (WCSJ 2025), due to take place 1-5 December at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria, is now open.

This is an unmissable event for science journalists, science communicators and scientists wanting to publicise their work. The international biennial conference is taking place for the first time ever on African soil and presents a unique opportunity for everyone interested in communicating science to hone their craft, to network with their peers, and to find stories about groundbreaking African science.

The overarching theme is “Science journalism and social justice: journalism that builds understanding and resilience”. The programme is wide-ranging and includes discussions and practical workshops covering wellbeing for people and the planet; the state of the profession; the art of communication; and misinformation, disinformation and fake news.

A small sample of some of the sessions on the programme includes:

Bringing social justice into ocean science reporting
The world’s oceans are facing grave threats from climate change, overfishing, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Emerging industries such as deep-sea mining and marine geoengineering are adding further pressure. As well as ensuring that reporting on these topics is scientifically accurate, journalists must ensure that the voices of those most impacted are included. Journalists on this panel are from Australia, South Africa, India and the USA.

When industry endangers health and ecosystems
Can science journalism fight environmental injustice? In this session, learn how journalists safely expose polluters, turn data into evidence, and amplify marginalised voices. Through real cases and tools, the panellists will show how media can drive policy change and reduce pollution inequalities.

AI – Friend or Foe?
Artificial Intelligence is transforming journalism – supercharging investigations while enabling sophisticated deepfakes and automated disinformation that challenge both newsroom survival and editorial integrity. This session examines how journalists are fighting back, turning AI’s analytical power against digital manipulation and disinformation networks while maintaining trust in an era where seeing is no longer believing.

Reporting under fire: science journalism in conflict zones and authoritarian regimes
This session offers strategies for resilience and highlights the role of journalism in defending scientific truth and social justice. In regions where war, political repression, or disaster intersect with scientific misinformation, science journalists face grave risks. This session explores how journalists from Yemen, Lebanon and Nigeria confront censorship, security threats, and digital suppression to still report on public health, climate, and tech stories.

Challenging times: Communicating about climate change when politics promotes denial and misinformation
The World Meteorological Organization confirmed 2024 as the warmest year on record, yet a cocktail of fake news, narratives without evidence, and economic interests are promoting climate change denialism. What role has science journalism to play in countering this trend and dismantling such narratives?

Telling the stories of astronomy in Africa
Africa has become a key player in global astronomy, with South Africa hosting the largest share of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), as well as the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) and other projects. This session explores the major strides made since the early days of optical astronomy in South Africa, and what it means for international science reporting. Speakers will examine the challenges of covering “big science” projects, the politics of funding, and how to make cosmic research accessible to broad audiences.

➜ Register now