Each issue we feature one of NASW’s many volunteer-led committees as a refresher on their role and ongoing efforts on behalf of our member community. Here, we speak with Christie Aschwanden and Nidhi Subbaraman, co-chairs of the Journalism Committee.
Who currently volunteers on the Journalism Committee? Members are: Bethany Brookshire, Jenny Cutraro, Lydia Denworth, Betsy Mason, Rodrigo Pérez Ortega, Polina Porotsky, Erin Ross and Emily Sohn.
What does the Journalism Committee do?
The mission of the NASW Journalism Committee is to promote and support science journalism. The committee builds programs for public outreach, training
for journalists and access to documents and public records. The committee also collaborates with other committees on issues regarding transparency and public access to information.
What are some examples of your recent discussions and initiatives? We have been working on a mid-career mentoring program. Our recent survey of members on this issue showed strong interest in such a project, and we’re now crafting sessions that match top member needs. Watch for more announcements this year. Separately, many members have been discussing COVID reporting hurdles and experiences on the discussion list we launched last year: NASW-COVID. Also, we’ve been discussing ways to help the general public better understand what journalists do and the role of journalism in society.
Who should volunteer for the Journalism Committee, and why? People who are engaged in journalism and have ideas for supporting and improving the lives and work of science journalists. We are also looking for ideas for supporting journalism in general.
Christie Aschwanden is a Colorado-based journalist, author and editor.
Nidhi Subbaraman is a news reporter at Nature. She is based in Washington D.C.
.png)
