Developing the skills needed to report well on science is more important than ever—and more challenging than ever. Science itself has become more complex and fast-moving. The world has become more polarized, to the point where even the very definition of a fact is up for grabs.
Yet opportunities for formal training in science journalism and for newsroom mentorship have dwindled drastically as the journalism industry has contracted. Those opportunities are also inequitably distributed. Only a tiny fraction of working journalists have formal training in how to cover science, health, environment, or technology.
Academic training opportunities are limited and for many, unreachable
The number of dedicated science journalism master’s programs in the U.S. is exceedingly small, with each program enrolling only a handful of students annually.
Tuition fees in most programs are also prohibitively high (commonly more than a year’s salary), limiting access primarily to those with significant financial resources or the ability to secure financial aid. For many students, the cost of obtaining such training can mean years or decades of crushing debt (the median student loan debt for journalism master’s students in the U.S. is more than $53,000).
The challenges are even greater for aspiring science journalists outside the U.S., particularly in regions of the Global South, where formal training is virtually nonexistent. Very few slots in U.S. science journalism programs go to international students—and for those students, the barriers to even applying, let alone attending, are high.
Internships and fellowships don’t meet the needs of the workforce
Internships and fellowships, crucial for hands-on experience, are limited in number, and most accept only 1 or 2 participants per session. Most of these internships/fellowships go to graduates of the highly selective master’s programs described above. And few such programs explicitly focus on increasing representation from marginalized communities.
Such opportunities are also typically low-paid and frequently require residency in expensive urban areas like New York, Washington, DC, or San Francisco, making them inaccessible for many. In addition, most internships barely cover what it costs to live in these cities. Students and early-career journalists who have existing debt or family financial responsibilities may not be able to afford to accept an internship or fellowship even if it is offered.
On-the-job training and mentorship opportunities have shrunk
In the past, early-career journalists received crucial mentorship in their newsrooms, with more experienced reporters and editors coaching and supporting their development. But as newsrooms shrink and existing reporters have to fill multiple roles, they have less time for on-the-job mentorship than used to be the case. What’s more, as many media outlets have shuttered or altered their business models, the number of traditional staff jobs available has dramatically declined. As a result, science journalism increasingly relies on a “gig economy” of freelancers who are too often isolated and unsupported, as well as underpaid.
Professional development opportunities pose an unequal financial burden
Membership and participation in professional organizations, while valuable, can also be financially prohibitive for many. Professional development opportunities (such as to journalism conferences) often necessitate travel and additional costs, creating financial burdens for aspiring journalists, particularly those from low-income backgrounds or from regions of the Global South. (The average travel and attendance cost of networking events comes to at least $1,500, a figure few young professionals can afford.)
Organizations such as the National Association of Science Writers and others have tried to make their memberships more affordable to students and members from low- and middle-income countries. And they offer valuable mentorship opportunities for early-career journalists. But for many emerging journalists, including those from low-income countries, even paying the minimum fee for such membership can be prohibitively difficult.
Local journalists lack training in covering science
Science plays a fundamental role in addressing countless issues that directly affect local communities, from climate change and environmental justice issues, to reproductive health, gun violence, housing, transportation, agriculture, opioid addiction, and rapid advancements in technology such as artificial intelligence and renewable energy.
Local journalists are in a unique, critical place to inform the public about such issues and to counter misinformation and rebuild people’s trust in both science and journalism—if they have the right tools and support to vet what science should be covered and how it can be covered.
Yet most local journalists lack a background in science; and journalists who do have a background in science often work within their own silos, serving audiences that purposely seek out science in the form of specialized, niche outlets.
This state of affairs widens the separation between science journalism and local reporting, to the disservice of the reporters on the frontlines of covering science and health issues that concern the general public—and to the disservice of communities relying on local news.