European Youth Science and Media Days

EYSMD, a summer school for young media makers

 

European Youth Press (EYP) and the European Science-Media Hub (ESMH) of the European Parliament initiate a new collaboration. For the first time ever, a science event for young journalists in the model of a summer school will take place from 4 to 7 June 2019 in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. It will provide an overview of Artificial Intelligence and journalism, exploring selected issues such as algorithms and ethics. The program will include hands-on training on the use of new technologies for digital communication as well as discussions of case studies on the potential impact of AI on journalism and communication.

 

 

Education and information to overcome fear
The world of science is a tempting one, but not always do we understand it and that is the premise of the summer school for young media-makers. Let´s ask ourselves – why is it that we often struggle reading scientific articles. The reason perhaps is that the content of the articles we are faced with often comes directly from scientific materials and hence is challenging for the public to comprehend. One of the “by-products” is fear stemming from miscomprehension; especially the topic of artificial intelligence is a prime example.

 

 

European Youth Press
That is where the European Youth Media and Science Days come in – to bridge the gap between the world of science and the understanding of the general public. Moreover, Diana Bologova, an EYP board member and a project coordinator, adds:

 

“Summer school is a great format to bring together young journalists, inspire them to collaborate and learn from each other. As part of the organising team, I believe we will raise the curtain of mystery around Artificial Intelligence. As journalists, we need to know the subject we report on. The
ESMH summer school on AI is going to provide its participants with the necessary knowledge for their work”.

 

The European Science-Media Hub is a new project of the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) of the European Parliament. The idea is to bring scientists, journalists, and policymakers together in order to communicate better science to the people. For journalists and media representatives, the ESMH organize training and workshops on current technological developments, both as subjects of their reporting and as a means of facilitating their work.

 

AI and Journalism
The topic “AI and journalism” will be addressed in workshops with professional journalists and experts and in three-panel discussions on the subject with international experts, Members of the European Parliament and other high-ranking guests.

 

Paul RÜBIG, Member of the European Parliament and STOA First Vice-Chair, says:
“In the age of artificial intelligence and machine learning, we have to make sure research, science, and technology are better understandable and accessible to people. Journalists are facing the challenge of fulfilling this task through sound and effective reporting on such topics. With this summer school and other training activities for journalists of the European Science-Media Hub, we want to give young journalists the opportunity and the tools to learn, reflect and debate with experts and politicians on the innovations that are shaping our future.”

 

The European Youth Science and Media Days will give participants the possibility to critically and constructively think about, debate and journalistically cover the opportunities offered to today’s media and the challenges they face, especially in the context of AI and other future technologies.

 

Summer school format
The format of the European Youth Science and Media Days (EYSMD) has a similar format to the European Youth Media Days (EYMD) organised by the European Youth Press in cooperation with the European institutions provide. 70 young journalists and 10 facilitators, aged between 18 and 35, will be attending sessions by educators and inspirational speakers. The event is the first of this kind and it falls within a wider overall ESMH training plan.

 

Participants will experience three days of media workshops, political discussions, hands-on media production and valuable insights into the European Parliament and the international media milieu. They will interact with high-level European politicians, professional journalists, and experts, and engage in intercultural exchange through practical media production.

 

In the course of the three-day workshop, each young journalist will work to produce an article/report/video/other journalistic or communication output on one of the sub-topics of the seminar through their medium of choice. The summer school has the potential, like European Youth Media Days, to become an annual event.