In cooperation with the portal ‘Science through Stories’, the Institute of Physics Belgrade is again organising Media laboratory – a unique school of science journalism, known as MEDIALAB.
This year’s training programme is intended for those who wish to train for science reporting – future science journalists, as well as professionals in journalism who want to specialise in science journalism. Since one part of the training programme will focus on basic journalistic techniques, experience in the media is not required.
Apply! The application takes 3-5 minutes to complete. In the application, participants are expected to provide basic biographical information, as well as information about any media experience, if any.
The application deadline is open until Sunday, 22 March at 11:59 PM. The selection of candidates will be completed by 30 March, when participants will be notified of their selection.
With the aim of strengthening media capacities for science reporting and improving scientific literacy in Serbia through small initiatives, the ’Science Through Stories’ portal, together with the Institute of Physics in Belgrade, is organising Medialab as a free training programme for participants interested in science journalism and science-inspired writing. Since 2018, more than 70 participants have completed these trainings.
Medialab is supported by the Centre for the Promotion of Science, which has allocated part of the funds for the organisation of this training for science journalists within its public call.
The training programme is led by science journalists Slobodan Bubnjević and Marija Đurić, authors of ‘Science Through Stories’, and the participants will be trained by other media professionals from the domestic press, online media and television, as well as scholars.
Medialab is organised at the Institute of Physics Belgrade (Zemun). The training programme is intensive, and it takes place over eight weeks, on Wednesdays. Training sessions start at 10 a.m. and end at 2 p.m. The programme is free of charge for all participants who are selected. The selection of the registered candidates is made based on the responses to the application questionnaire.
The training covers a wide range of topics and includes:
• basic journalistic techniques
• science journalism practices
• science: history, organisation of the scientific sector, funding, the scientific community
• key topics such as pseudoscience, fake news, and artificial intelligence in journalism
• guest lecturers by media professionals
• guest lecturers by researchers
• practical assignments
As one of the leading scientific institutions in the region and the first national institute of the Republic of Serbia, the Institute of Physics Belgrade is actively engaged in improving science communication and supporting high-quality science journalism.‘Science Through Stories’ is the largest popular science platform in the region, with more than 44,000 followers, and its content is widely distributed across the media landscape.