Unveiling Science Journalism in Challenging Lands: Insights from Central America

Desciption

This session aims to share a classic method of questioning and learning, but this time, Communication students asked science journalists how they are doing their work. How did they carry out their work during the pandemic? This conversation’s radical importance lies there. In a classroom, the investigative task was energized, and two students volunteered to inquire in six countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) about the aforementioned questions.

As a result, collective learning was achieved, and a book was published in Brazil containing the 15 interviews conducted with journalists from the mentioned countries. Through this inquiry, we learned about the journalistic work related to science during the pandemic, in addition to the entire undergraduate curriculum. The novelty of this conversation lies in two essential points: it takes place in an underdeveloped country that does not prioritize research and lacks a significant number of science journalists. Furthermore, we are offering a free-access e-book written by two students and myself as their teacher and guide in the process.