Jim Walton, President
CNN Worldwide
One
Jon Klein, President
CNN/US
One
Dear Mr. Walton and Mr. Klein,
We are writing on behalf of several national and
international science journalism organizations to express our strong concern
about CNN's shortsighted decision to cut its science, technology and
environment unit in one fell swoop. In
wielding this ax, your network has lost an experienced and highly regarded
group of science journalists at a time when science coverage could not be more
important in our national and international discourse.
The environment, energy technology, space exploration, and
biotechnology are crucial ongoing stories that will have growing prominence as
a new American president takes office and nations confront a wide range of
science-based global issues. As the
impacts of climate change intensify, shows like "Planet in Peril" cannot make up
for informed daily coverage of this important issue and other science topics in
the public eye. As with political and policy reporting, it is important that
the underlying science be covered by journalists with the skills and knowledge
to sort out competing claims.
Concerned as we are about the dismissal of our
colleagues — including the award-winning science reporter Miles O'Brien in New
York; Peter Dykstra, head of CNN's science unit in Atlanta; and five other
science producers there — this letter is not about individual journalists.
Rather, the wholesale dismantling of the science unit calls into question CNN's
commitment to bringing the most informative science news to the general public,
including the science-minded younger audience. If CNN wants to be truly
international, it will be at odds with the trend toward increased science
coverage in many parts of the world.
It is difficult for us to imagine why CNN, which has earned
a justifiably strong reputation for its science journalism in the past, has
opted to widen the gap in science coverage rather than strive to fill it. We
would hope that you would reconsider your decision and reassemble a cadre of
well-trained science journalists that would enable you to expand unfolding
science news and in-depth coverage, not shrink it.
Your action is an unfortunate symbol of recent widespread
cutbacks in specialty science journalism. Our groups will continue to push for
more science coverage by the major media and to do our part to promote the
highest possible professional standards for communicating complex science-based
issues across the spectrum. We plan to publicize this letter as widely as
possible to encourage further discussion of the future of science journalism.
Thanks for your attention.
Sincerely,
Cristine Russell, President, Council for the Advancement of
Science Writing (CASW)
Mariette DiChristina, President, National Association of the
Science Writers (NASW)
Christy George, President,
Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ)
Pallab Ghosh, President, World Federation of Science
Journalists (WFSJ)
BACKGROUND:
The Council for the Advancement of Science
Writing (www.casw.org) is a non-profit group committed to
improving the quality of science news reaching the public by helping reporters
and writers produce accurate and informative stories about science, technology,
medicine and the environment.
The National Association of Science Writers (www.nasw.org) is a professional society of about
2,500 American science journalists, including freelancers and staff of
newspapers, wire services, magazines, broadcast outlets, multimedia, and
science communication offices, as well as science journalism students.
The
Society of Environmental Journalists (www.sej.org),
with about 1,500 members, is a U.
The World Federation of Science Journalists
(www.wfsj.org), an international organization
representing 37 associations of science and technology journalists from
A SAMPLING OF COMMENTARY:
• Deborah Blum, The
Huffington Post, "Why My Dog (and I) No Longer Watch CNN" http://tinyurl.com/62ycl5
• Curtis Brainard, Columbia Journalism Review, "CNN Cuts
Entire Science, Tech Team" http://tinyurl.com/5lopue
• Charles Petit, MIT Knight Science Journalism Tracker,
"Another Science Unit Axed — at CNN" http://tinyurl.com/5rfs4g
• Paul Raeburn, Columbia Journalism Review, "Weird Science (Reporting)"
http://tinyurl.com/5kozdf
• Janet Raloff, Science News,
"CNN Downsizes Science Team" http://tinyurl.com/3r57to
• Andrew Revkin, New York Times, Dot Earth blog, "Science
Journalism Implosion, CNN and Beyond" http://tinyurl.com/6584hf