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Breakthroughs in medicine usually usher in moments of celebration, but the mandatory preface to such achievements and their commercialization – drug trials on human subjects – has frequently backfired in Africa and the Third World.

Critics have argued that there has been exploitation of Africans in clinical trials, especially by pharmaceutical companies from Europe and the United States. They say bad news linked to clinical trials conducted in Africa dwarfs the good tidings. Some have likened the practice to the “pharmaceutical colonization of Africa.”

Science journalists from around the world have joined forces and founded successful associations, in order to improve science journalism and to strengthen their profession as well as to make a difference in their countries.

During the 7th World Conference of Science Journalists in Doha, Qatar, representatives from Cameroon, Nigeria and Egypt shared their experiences about how to build and maintain Science Journalists’ Associations.

Why does science matter? How do we write about science? How do we implement a science journalism model? These were some of the questions raised today in the “Implementing a Science Journalism Curriculum” workshop. Bruce Lewenstein from Cornell University, USA opened the workshop with insightful comments about the role of preparing journalists to cover the field of science. “It is important, in order to facilitate an easy exchange, that the journalists need to be trusted with their reporting skills.

The clear message of panelists in the session on Entrepreneurial Science Journalism was that proactivity and persistance are vital, but that solid journalism skills are what make the real difference between success and failure.

“Future journalists really have to be credible, social and multi-skilled,” said panelist Howard Hudson. “Entrepreneurism is really, really important. Networking and persistence are essential but if you’re going to get published in any top outlets, you have to be probing, fact-checking, and good at storytelling.”

“In the age of new media, it is important for writers to have a strong online presence”. This marked the opening for the “Secret of Stars: A Best Practice on Science Bloggers” session at WCSJ2011.

Creating a new blog is a very simple affair, but maintaining a successful one is a whole different story.

by Ola Al-Ghazawy

Reporters shifted their attention away from the main news agenda in the Arab world – oil and the struggle for democracy – to food midway through the World Conference of Science Journalists, in Doha June 27-29.

by Ola Al-Ghazawy

Working in science journalism three years ago pushed me into the World Conference of Science Journalists session on pseudoscience – what is its effect on society and what is the role of science communicators in fighting it.

I wasn’t alone. A room filled with more than 60 people, most of them shivering from very cold air conditioning, was listening to Tatiana Pichugina of Russia, the session producer. She was at the podium introducing the speakers and asking them what they think about pseudoscience.

The use of remote-operational submersible vehicles is revealing the presence of hundreds of shipwrecks on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. Their exact positions remain secret, but marine archaeologists are mapping the sea floor to find and investigate the wrecks. Their results, presented at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Doha, are gaining new insights into the type of sea trade that used to exist, and the locations of past coastal cities.

The Internet, mobile phones and social media played a pivotal role in the recent uprisings in the Arab world. Political and social changes are still at an early stage, but it is time to consider the role of those technologies in building new institutions, reforming policies and, especially, establishing a new relationship among citizens, political movements and governments

Managing the science magazine transition to the digital age