A Science and Technology Media Conclave will be held at India International Science Festival 2019 in Kolkata to bring diverse perspectives from India and abroad to crystallise an ideal vision for science and technology content and its dissemination.

The conference will bring together science and environment journalists from India and abroad to discuss issues like science communication in the age of convergence, the art of science storytelling, research papers  and popular content, social media influencers, creating a science niche in the media, regional media and so on.

The media conclave on November 6-7, 2019 will be inaugurated by Chairman of Prasar Bharati, Shri A. Surya Prakash and Dr Vijay P. Bhatkar, President, Vigyan Bharati and will be graced by some of the renowned names in the science media space who will present their perspectives in the different sessions.

Around 200 science journalists and communicators from India and some from abroad will interact with delegates, on how to disseminate science content better in traditional as well as digital media to motivate and guide younger generations towards developing a scientific temper.

In an age where the contours of the word “media” are being constantly expanded – with fresh genres getting enabled by technology every year – it has become important to analyse how science and technology can be taken to the masses, impactfully, leading the young generation towards a more scientific temper and mindset.

Let us walk through the sessions:

Science communication in the age of convergence

We now live in an age when newspapers are outdone by live satellite television and televisions are outdone by social media and p2p mobile messengers. The coming together of print, radio, television and internet has brought about a paradigm shift in the way the consumer consumes content today. This session will discuss how that changes the way one writes or films.

The Art of Science storytelling

Storytelling can make or break an article or a film. The real impact of writing an article or messaging in a film depends on how well the story gets conveyed to the reader or viewer – through language, diction, cinematography, graphics and info-graphics. Technology has brought in numerous tools that can make an article or a film or a radio programme more impactful. This session will highlight all these aspects of science storytelling.

Science Research: Papers vs Popular Content

The world of research in science and technology often measures reach and success by the number of papers published and citations received. But for the masses in general, science needs to be simplified and disseminated in popular publications. This session will dwell upon the difference between the two which is often misunderstood, resulting in profile and expectation mismatches.

Influencers – The Newest edge of outreach

With the advent of social media, traditional media has lost much of its sheen. Big media houses don’t hold the monopoly of achieving reach any longer. There is now a whole breed of enterprising bloggers who have managed to secure a large enough audience, which makes them “influencers” by their own right. The session on influencers will deliberate on how science and technology can leverage them well.

Creating a viable Science niche in the media                                                 

Why do most journalists opt for either politics or business or sports in their careers? Why do we see so few focused and committed science journalists in India today? Is this just a business viability issue for media houses, or is the prospect of science writing or film making not projected properly as a strong proposition? Discussions in this session will focus on these questions.

Science in regional media – New Frontiers

As English content consumption plateaus out on the internet, the next frontier is surely about regional languages. This is being fueled by the growth of regional language portals, OTT platforms and an ever-increasing penetration of broadband internet into India’s small towns and rural countryside. Where can all this lead us and how prepared are we to leverage it fully—in the regional media session will take us through these issues.

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