Meeting of scientific journalism of excellence (PerCientEx) 2021

The covid-19 pandemic has put on the table the importance of science journalism. I had never read, shared and talked so much about scientific reports as in recent months. So this year all indications are that the new edition of the PerCientEx Observatory will resonate more strongly , an initiative dedicated for years to making journalistic work on science, technology, health and the environment visible. The fourth day of PerCientEx was held on June 17 from 18 to 20h in CosmoCaixa (Barcelona) and was followed both online and in person.

The protagonists of the event was four prestigious scientific reports published in the last year and recognized through awards and scholarships for excellence. The authors of these works will be interviewed by journalists and experts with extensive experience in the sector to explain how the production process of these articles has been, as well as challenges and opportunities to ensure the quality of journalism. Also, at the end of the day will be published a new database with more than 100 outstanding articles on science, health, technology and environment; the highest figure collected by the project in its years of history. This year’s program will feature the following guests.

• In the science category, Javier Salas (@javisalas) talked to Cecilia Rosén (@ceciliarosen) about the report ‘ A salon, a bar and a class: this is how the coronavirus spreads in the air ‘ (El País), one of the selected works to Bloomberg’s ‘jealousy list’.
• In the field of health, Patricia Marcano (@ pmarcano11) talked to Mónica González Salomone (@lualef) about the work ‘La mala leche de los CLAP ‘ (ArmandoInfo, Venezuela), which won the Roche Prize.
• Regarding the environment, Guido Bilbao (@guidobilbao) discussed with Toni Pou (@toni_pou) the report ‘ Los defensores del Darién ‘ (Press, Panama), a multimedia work funded through the prestigious scholarships of the Pulitzer Center and the Rainforest Journalism Fund.
• In the category of innovative formats and new narratives, Ana Tudela (@latule) talked to Karma Peiró (@kpeiro) about the special ‘ Mar Menor: deep history of a disaster ‘ (Datadista), highlighted at the NH Awards.

The initiative was presented as a day open to the general public and especially aimed at journalists, disseminators, students and other curious people who show interest in quality journalism or in each of the topics covered. Due to the security measures imposed following the covid-19 pandemic, the event had limited access control and capacity. 

What is the PerCientEx Observatory?

The PerCientEx Observatory of scientific journalism, a project in collaboration with the “la Caixa” Foundation and the Dr. Antoni Esteve and promoted by the Catalan Association of Scientific Communication (ACCC), aims to collect examples of quality journalism in print and digital journalism in Latin America. The initiative follows the line of the PerCientEx Project: Excellence and Innovation in Science Journalism in Spain, also promoted by the ACCC in collaboration with the “la Caixa” Foundation, which aimed to detect and disseminate examples of good science, technology, health and environment journalism practices published in the digital press in Spain.