A letter to members:
As we gathered online and in person for ScienceWriters2025, we were once again reminded of the immense power and joy that comes from community. Our imperative as an organization is to support professional science writers around the globe, to advocate for journalism and the free flow of information, and to uphold our shared values. Making it a priority to come together every year serves as a profound reminder of our collective strength and the responsibility we all hold to contribute to an informed society.
At the same time, we want to acknowledge the immense challenges facing our industry and our communities.
This year alone, we have seen major changes to the science writing ecosystem in the United States. There have been funding cuts to scientific research and health infrastructure, the loss of entire databases containing crucial public information, and widespread layoffs of federal scientists and communications staff. Universities, facing significant budget constraints related to shifts in federal funding priorities, have consolidated jobs, reduced hiring, and scaled back long-held values around diversity and inclusion.
All of these unprecedented changes have occurred in increasingly anti-scientific environments, where consensus surrounding climate change and the safety of vaccines is being questioned and progress to support a diverse and pluralistic society is being eroded.
On the journalism front, attacks on freedom of speech and ongoing violence against journalists domestically and abroad have further complicated our profession. Massive staff job losses and shuttered media organizations have pushed many in our community into an increasingly crowded freelance market at a time when budgets for such work are dwindling. Labor unions are struggling to negotiate fair contracts, the journalism industry is continuing to scramble for a sustainable financial model amidst pressures from the tech industry, and AI is increasingly challenging traditional ways of working.
Amidst these adversities, we wanted to make sure you, our community, know that we are here for you. Bearing witness is the work of our profession, and we can draw strength from our diverse community, particularly now, when differences are being weaponized. Gathering is an act of resistance as is speaking up. In the face of threats to free speech, asserting ourselves is not only our job, but also an act of courage to preserve the values we uphold.
We will continue to face these challenges together.
With empathy and solidarity,
the NASW Board of Directors
Image caption:
Left to right: Tinsley Davis (executive director), Alla Katsnelson, Jyoti Madhusoodanan (treasurer), Kelly Tyrrell, Rodrigo Pérez Ortega, Leah Shaffer, Marilyn Marchionne, Shraddha Chakradha (vice president), Marla Broadfoot, Sandeep Ravindran (president), Ramin Skibba, Katie Mast, Amanda Heidt, Priyanka Runwal, Ariana Remmel. Not pictured: Kat Eschner (secretary).
Credit: Laura Dattaro
