MEDIA: Breakfast Briefing on Media Coverage of Climate Science

Journalists are invited to an on-the-record media-only breakfast briefing at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars on the media's coverage of climate change. This briefing will take place at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 25, 2006.

Coverage of climate change in the U.S. news media has recently surged, and public interest in climate science appears to be growing. A group of eminent scientists and media experts is ready to help the media improve their reporting on this complex issue. "The subject of climate change is getting hotter and hotter, but reporters have to overcome steep institutional and professional hurdles to cover it responsibly," said Bud Ward, editor of the online newsletter for journalists Environment Writer.

Bring your questions for some of today's top scientists, who will evaluate the accuracy of the latest coverage. Speakers include:

• Anthony Broccoli, Rutgers University
• Jim Detjen, Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, Michigan State University
• Jerry Mahlman, National Center for Atmospheric Research
• Naomi Oreskes, University of California, San Diego
• Ben Santer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Richard Somerville, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Anthony Socci, American Meteorological Society
• Bud Ward, Environment Writer

Reservations are required for the breakfast briefing. Please RSVP to Sharon McCarter at sharon.mccarter@wilsoncenter.org or (202)-691-4016.

After the breakfast briefing for members of the media, a panel of scientists and journalists will discuss the results of a series of workshops on "Science Communications and the News Media" and broader lessons for science journalism at an all-day public meeting (9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.). New York Times journalist Andrew Revkin will give a luncheon presentation on his new book, The North Pole Was Here.