News just in … science reporting is still alive and kicking the world over

THE US news network CNN has axed its entire science staff, there have been reports of newspapers across the United States ditching their science correspondents and questions have been asked over the longevity of specialist science magazines. So it was with some trepidation that about 900 writers, broadcasters and communicators gathered in London this week for the World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ).

But the pessimists didn't have to wait long for some good news: colleagues at newspapers, websites and radio and TV stations across Africa and Asia relayed stories of growth in their native markets, with a growing appetite for science stories in the developing world. At one of the break-out sessions, Nalaka Gunawardene, co-founder and director of Television for Education Asia Pacific – a media foundation – said one of the most popular TV programmes in Sri Lanka was Macro World, in which the presenters used miniature cameras to explore the weird and wonderful creatures that made up the natural world.

In a session on how science journalism has influenced science fiction and vice versa, Romania's Alexandru Mironov told delegates about a science programme he presented following each episode of Star Trek – it attracted about four million viewers each time over a five-year period.

Several delegates attended from China and India, two of the fastest-growing markets for science journalism, where 24-hour news channels and rapidly updated blogs are shaping the way new discoveries are covered by the media.

While writers in the West could take some comfort from knowing that science coverage was growing in developing nations, discussions kept returning to the problems at hand in developed nations and what could be done about them.

One man with a plan is Krishna Bharat, founder of content aggregator site Google News and now "distinguished researcher" at the internet phenomenon. He called on media outlets to work together, posting links from stories on their websites to coverage of the same topics on other outlets. He also suggested news organisations should "take their news to their audiences" online, giving snippets of news to readers on other websites and then linking back to the outlet's own internet presence. Does this mean continuing to give titbits on Facebook and Twitter? Only time will tell.

Jeff Nesbit, director of the office of legislative and public affairs at the US National Science Foundation and ex-director of communications for former US vice-president Dan Quayle, had a more immediate solution: his organisation – which acts in a similar way to the UK's research councils, distributing government funding to scientists – approached the science team made redundant by CNN and hired some of its members to write and film content for its websites.

Some delegates bristled at the idea this type of science communication could be compared with objective journalism. The issue highlighted one of the divides within the audience: between journalists who write about science and "science communicators", who act as cheerleaders for science, working in university press offices or science centres. But science communication is a broad church and the writers gathered in London had far more that united them than divided them.

Another solution to the problems facing science journalists put forward during several sessions was the use of new media – if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Blogging, Twitter, BlackBerrys, iPhones, Flip video cameras … the list goes on, especially during a workshop that included Rory Cellen-Jones, one of the BBC's technology correspondents.

He emptied out his briefcase to show the audience the new tools of his trade, ranging from smart phones and his Apple Mac laptop computer, through to the latest broadcast-quality sound recorder and microphone.

But he highlighted that there were "horses for courses" and explained why he thought there would always be a need for expert camera operators and editors to make the really serious reports look good. Video taken on mobile phones was fine for a brief 60-second slot on a website, he said, but he still wants his reports to be shown on the flagship television news programmes.

Juliana Rotich – introduced during a workshop session as a "digital activist" – echoed the continuing need for professional journalists to tackle the really tough stories.

During her talk on "citizen media", she introduced Global Voices, a new blogging system that grew out of a project at Harvard University, and which Rotich described as "like the United Nations of bloggers".

The website is put together by 300 blog writers from all over the world, who write about the issues that are important in their country. She said the site could act as an early warning system for journalists, highlighting what could be the next big stories to come out of a country. But bloggers she knew had respect for journalists and still needed them to tackle the big issues.

From blogs to podcasts, and Steve Mirsky, who pieces together daily and weekly podcasts for specialist magazine Scientific American, explained how he rediscovered his radio roots by building a $1,000 studio for his magazine. The former breakfast show host on American radio said he aimed for "AM quality" for his broadcasts – think the phone-in sessions on BBC Radio Five Live – but it was clear from the samples he played that his podcasts often eclipse that.

While the delegates may have come from myriad countries and backgrounds, they all shared a passion for science – and a desire to communicate that to the rest of the world. In an age of reality TV and celebrity gossip, a healthy dose of exciting science gives real cause for hope.

• Peter Ranscombe was awarded a scholarship to attend the WCSJ, with support from the European Commission Joint Research Centre.