Earth & Environmental Science Journalism

Premises Underlying the Design of the Program

1. that as the earth approaches its carrying capacity for human beings, an increasing percentage of the most pressing policy and economic issues facing humanity include an aspect of earth or environmental science;
2. that a consequence of item (1), the interest level in the Earth and environment among voters and taxpayers is rising;
3. that the body of knowledge about the Earth and environment is growing at such a rate that it is increasingly difficult for a writer to self-educate himself or herself in these fields without formal training in science;
4. that a prospective science journalist benefits from immersion in a world-class group of scientists as part of his or her professional preparation, to learn the language, values and culture of the scientific community;
5. that a prospective science journalist benefits from hands-on experience of scientific research, to get a feel for the limitations and power of real data;
6. that a science journalism graduate should be prepared to report and write on a broad range of topics in addition to science;
7. that a journalist covering science or the environment should be prepared to do serious investigative reporting;