2023-11-07 12:47:46
In the category aimed at journalists specialized in scientific communicationthe prize has been awarded to the SINC Agency for “an exceptional 15-year career” in which they have promoted “quality scientific journalism, always combining the most reliable sources with attractive and accessible narratives for the general public,” according to the jury minutes.
In the category of researchers who contribute to the dissemination of knowledge to society, the award has recognized, equallytwo fundamental contributions in the field of scientific communication: “the exemplary work carried out in the context of an emergency” by the researchers of the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME-CSIC) who dedicated themselves to informing society about the volcanic eruption on La Palma; and “a long history of sustained dedication to the dissemination of knowledge,” represented by the astronomer and disseminator Rafael Bachiller.
“In Spain we have a scientific community that, perhaps, because it has been more difficult than in other societies around us, has understood very well the importance of combining work in the laboratory or at the table with the projection of knowledge to society,” he said. indicated Rafael Pardo, director of the BBVA Foundation. “We also have excellent journalism professionals who have known how to gain space and respectability in the media and the appreciation of society. “Both of them are very well represented here today.”
“Not only is it essential – because the public demands it – to have science sections in the main media, including environment, health and technology, or, failing that, with continued information about those domains of science,” Pardo stressed. “It is also necessary to integrate scientific knowledge (of nature, life and society) in the economics sections and even in the political section (at least when the policy is about policies)”.
We have excellent journalism professionals who have been able to gain space and respectability in the media and the appreciation of society. Both are very well represented here today.
Rafael Parto, director of the FBBVA
The president of the CSIC, Heloísa del Pinohas argued for his part that, faced with the rise of phenomena such as misinformation and fake news, “refuting deniers through scientific communication is possible and constitutes one of the few possibilities to not succumb to superstition, ignorance and propaganda. Science and science communication place us before a new possibility of entering an Age of Reason, a new Enlightenment.”
For this reason, del Pino has concluded that “understanding and practicing truthful and honest scientific communication can contribute to improving the results and effectiveness of our democracy,” adding that “recognizing this effort to carry out precise, understandable and complete communication is just what “the CSIC-BBVA Foundation Awards for scientific communication.”
At the ceremony, the diplomas for the second edition of the CSIC-BBVA Foundation for Scientific Communication Grants a Jon Crutz Arranz y Iole Ferrara. The granting of these Aid is allowing these two young journalists carry out stays in institutes, laboratories and centers of the CSIC over the course of a year, to learn first-hand how knowledge is generated in different disciplines, and thus strengthen their specialization in scientific communication.
Both the two Awards – each worth 40,000 euros – and the two Grants – 35,000 euros each – are part of the Program to Promote Scientific Communication, created in 2021 by the CSIC and the BBVA Foundation with the aim of recognize and encourage essential work of journalists and communicators that inform in a rigorous and attractive way about the advances in science, as well as improve training in this decisive field for the scientific culture of society.
SINC: a “sounding board” between laboratories and society
The SINC journalist, Eva Rodriguezrecalled how 15 years ago, the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology decided to promote “a clear commitment” to scientific communication in our country, through the creation of “a public news agency in Spanish that promoted a greater presence of science news in the media.”
At the beginning, Rodríguez has acknowledged that his expectations about the agency’s impact were relatively modest: “we aspired for our reports and articles to be republished in local, regional and regional media.” However, as recognized by the jury that awarded them the award, SINC has today become “a media outlet with its own voice, offering reports, interviews and analysis with original approaches,” and its work has managed to reach a massive audience, both in Spain and Latin America. “We did not imagine reaching the projection we have now,” admitted Rodríguez from SINC, who received the award along with his colleagues. Verónica Fuentes, Ana Hernando and Enrique Sacristán.
Our leitmotiv was and remains to be a public service and for people to know the contribution of science to the knowledge of what surrounds us and our lives.
Eva Rodríguez, SINC journalist
The journalist has also referred to the “perplexity” that the creation of SINC caused when, shortly after its founding, the project was presented to universities and research centers, which did not understand the fact that, without being a press department, they wanted help scientists disseminate their work and also offer their content for free, through the license Creative Commons, so that the media could republish them. “Then there was nothing like it,” he noted, “but little by little we managed to become what we wanted: a sounding board between what was happening in the laboratories and society.”
Although SINC’s initial mission was fundamentally provide scientific news to the media, soon managed to capture the direct interest of the general public through such innovative and effective use of social networks and multimedia tools. The broad impact they have achieved has given them, according to Rodríguez, one of their greatest professional satisfactions: “receiving news from scientists who we have helped in some way with our work, who contacted them from international research centers to collaborate, who “They ordered popular books after having read news that we published about their studies or that, through journalism, their work and contribution to society was recognized.”
Now, the editor-in-chief of SINC has explained that her next great challenge is to continue innovating with journalistic initiatives that transcend even more the Spanish borders and put a special focus on what happens in Latin American countries. “Our leitmotif“, he concluded, “it was and continues to be a public service and for people to know the contribution of science to the knowledge of what surrounds us and our lives.”
Fuente: FBBVA
Rights: Creative Commons.
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