Kolloquium Alina Schadwinkel: Science journalism in Corona times

By Alina Schadwinkel, Spektrum der Wissenschaft Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Heidelberg

What the heck is a coronavirus ? How do I protect myself? How safe and effective are the new vaccines – and when will the pandemic finally be over? For more than a year, Sars-CoV-2 has dominated the media. People are demanding information. As quickly as possible, as precisely as possible. Presented neither downplaying nor alarmist. A challenge.

Seldom has it been so important to communicate science well as in these times. It is true that the core task of science journalism is to report facts and thus provide orientation, rather than to publish opinions and positions. But today, false reports are spreading rapidly that in the past would never have been put into the world in the first place.

What distinguishes good reporting? How can scientists and journalists work together? To what extent do social media and the 24/7 news cycle complicate the work? And what can we learn from last year’s reporting for other important issues like climate change?

This is what Alina Schadwinkel, Managing Editor Online of Spektrum der Wissenschaft, talks about and discusses with you.

Curriculum vitae:

Born in 1987, studied science journalism with a focus on life sciences/medicine at TU Dortmund University. From 2009 to 2010 as a trainee at »ZEIT Online«, then freelance for various media and ZEIT editor from 2011 to 2012. Until 2013 deputy head of the life sciences department of the »New Scientist«. Subsequently six weeks with the IJP in South Africa. From October 2013 to December 2019 as editor in the science department of „ZEIT Online“ in Berlin. From then on, Managing Editor Online of »Spektrum der Wissenschaft«. Winner of the Georg von Holtzbrinck Prize for Science Journalism 2014 in the category of young talent. Top 30 under 30 of the year 2015. Nominated for the Grimme Online Award in the same year for the dossier on Down’s syndrome »Wer darf Leben?«. 2016 shortlisted for the Ernst Schneider Award for the team project »Quantified Self«. 2019 nominated for the Salus Media Award as well as in the team for the Reporter Award in the category »Multimedia«. 2021 awarded the »Prize for Science Journalism» of the DGK.

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