Communication of science and scientific journalism. The case of the Earthzine magazine project in South America

Abstract

This article presents a work experience in the Earthzine magazine, a publication sponsored by the Oceanic Engineering Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, together with the National Air and Space Administration and the National Foundation for Science. Based on an agreement signed in Argentina between Earthzine the National University of the Center of the Province of Buenos Aires, an interdisciplinary team was formed to provide journalistic coverage and scientific dissemination services for this journal in South America. It is intended to contribute, from the framework of the communication of science, to the discussion on the practice of scientific journalism based on the reflections that raised the particularities of this project. The addressed axes are: the impact of controversies between scientific peers in the public communication of science; the tensions of the language of the popular science with the languages involved in the construction of the stories, articles and news; the challenge of working with expert sources: reliability, access, decoding and feedback; the advantages and disadvantages of the interdisciplinary work, and the reconstruction of the context in front of the specific information that exceeds the consulted sources.