Background and Summary of the International Conference of Science and Technology Journalists (TOKYO 2001)

Background and Summary of the International Conference of Science and Technology Journalists (TOKYO 2001)
Kenji Makino ,Chairman, International Conference of Science & Technology Journalists

[Summary] [Panel Session 1] [Panel Session 2] [Panel Session 3] [Panel Session 4] [Public Seminar] [Evening Session] [Exhibition of World's S & T Media] [Special Lectures Abstracts] [Public Seminar Abstructs] [Outline of ICSTJ] [Scedule] [Persons concerned] [Links]

1. Conference Background

We humans benefit tremendously from science and technology, but occasionally we feel their adverse effects and risks. Mad cow disease, clone technology, hormone disrupting chemicals, global climatic changes, the Internet society ﾐ the general public cannot ignore trends in science and technology on any of these issues. The importance of science and technology journalism, which provides this information, is certain to increase during the 21st Century.
With the theme of "Seeking Trends in Science & Technology Journalism for the 21st Century" the International Conference of Science & Technology Journalists provided a forum for journalists from around the world to discuss the role of science and technology journalism and journalists at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Nippon Kagaku Miraikan) in Aomi, Koto-ku in Tokyo that opened in July 2001.
Japan's science and technology journalists were the first to organize an international conference for their profession when they hosted, in conjunction with UNESCO, the First World Conference of Science Journalists, in Tokyo in 1992. This groundbreaking event was followed in 1999 by the Second World Conference of Science Journalists, which was held in Budapest, Hungary. In organizing the TOKYO 2001 conference, the Japanese Association of Science and Technology Journalists (established in 1994) built on our 1992 conference experience in the hope of making the conference a success.
Fortunately, we were able to create a triune to organize the conference, with Japan Science and Technology Corporation providing funding, Japan Science Foundation handling administration, and Japanese Association of Science and Technology Journalists contributing ideas.

2. Conference Summary

(1) Conference Organization Preparations for the conference officially began at the first steering committee meeting on April 26, 2001. A total of five meetings were held before the conference to decide on the conference's overall theme, program (session organization), and international guests. The conference was set for the three days from October 24 to 26, 2001. Special lectures and the first panel discussion were scheduled for Day One; the second and third panel discussions and an evening session were planned for Day Two; and the fourth panel discussion and a public lecture were scheduled for Day Three. Each session was organized by a coordinator whose task was to select discussion topics and panelists.
A number of events were also arranged in conjunction with the conference program. A display entitled "Exhibition of the World's Science & Technology Media" was exhibited, and a "science excursion" to the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center in Yokosuka and the historical Kamakura area was arranged for international guests. During the lunch break on Day One, international guests also participated in a guided tour of the Miraikan, and the public lecture was broadcast live on television on the Science Channel. The conference took the form of a plenary meeting with Japanese and English as the two official languages. All sessions except for the Evening Session were conducted with the aid of simultaneous interpreters. The conference introduced a new initiative by advertising for and employing students to act as note takers during the lectures and discussions. Overall, the three-day conference was praised highly by participants from both within Japan and overseas, who found the program very worthwhile.

(2) Selection of Speakers The difficulty of organizing an international conference lies in inviting speakers and panelists, from both within and without the host country, who suit the conference's theme. This selection can make or break a conference. Journalism, however, is a busy profession, especially for those just starting out or in middle-career. Although there is nothing unusual about scientists traveling overseas to attend a conference, the journalism field has not such tradition. For this reason, inviting guests from overseas was a particularly challenging task. Under these difficult conditions, the steering committee members networked daily, with the result that we were able to invite more than 30 speakers and panelists from both within Japan and overseas.
A glance at the list of speakers and panelists shows that the conference lineup was the best possible. Most of the guests from overseas were representatives of international, regional, or national journalism-related organizations. Chief science editors for science journals and newspapers also participated. Opportunities to meet so many people of such high caliber all at the same time are extremely rare. With fifteen international guests from nine countries, actual guest numbers were perhaps low. We had hoped to invite approximately thirty guests from twenty countries including African countries, but unfortunately funding limitations prevented this.

(3) Conference Achievements Here I would like to give my overall impressions of the conference. The greatest achievement of the conference was, of course, the fact that science and technology journalists from around the world were able to meet and discuss common issues. Although I will leave summarizing each session to the coordinator responsible, I am sure that the entire program, including the special lectures and public seminar, could be regarded as a success. Through this conference, journalists were able to exchange opinions about the problems facing the field of science and technology journalism. Although it became clear that circumstances differ from country to country and person to person, the participants were also able to recognize common problems. The conference also provided an important opportunity for developing international journalism networks in the future. As an illustration of this importance, during the closing ceremony of this conference, it was decided that the World Federation of Science Journalists, which was first proposed at the Budapest conference, be inaugurated at the Brazil conference planned for Autumn 2002.

(4) Future Tasks A total of 336 participants attended the conference. Over the three days, an average of 100 people attended each of the sessions. Although participants included university students and non-journalists involved in the communications-related work, few young or mid-career science and technology journalists attended. If journalists' busy work schedule prevents them from attending conferences such as this, it is important that we now inform them of the conference's achievements. With this conference acting as a springboard, science and technology journalists must become more aware of their social responsibility. The science and technology field needs journalists who are aware of the issues, farsighted, and high-minded.