ConCiencia Hispanic Science Newswire
Radio
In January 2007, with support from NSF (#0540300), the Self Reliance Foundation (SRF) launched ConCiencia, the first Spanish-language science and health news service in the United States. ConCiencia/Hispanic Science Newswire (www.conciencianews.com) now disseminates five to six original, research-based news stories each week to over 150 Spanish-language newspapers throughout the United States and in Latin America.
ConCiencia’s two full-time journalists, Karina Flores (native of Peru) and Isabel Morales (native of Colombia), write original science news stories, typically 500-600 words in length and accompanied by photos or graphics. They contact original news sources, such as research scientists, and engage readers by focusing on science topics that are of great interest and relevance to Hispanics. They find story ideas by attending research meetings and conferences, monitoring research websites, and hearing from many science advisors. Science centers are invited to contribute story ideas, including research developments, exhibition openings, or personal interest stories (e.g., youth involvement in science, profiles of dynamic science educators).
In a recent week, ConCiencia stories profiled Cesar Ocampo, a Colombian astronaut; discussed the use of natural dyes to kill harmful bacteria; presented recent research on anthrax; discussed the aerodynamics of insect flight; and told about how Robert Carmoga, a musician from Colombia, uses music to present science at Maloka, the largest science center in Colombia.
SRF developed ConCiencia after surveying U.S. Spanish-language newspapers and radio and finding few science stories. Hispanics, who are already 15% of the U.S. population, make up less than 2% of the nation’s STEM workforce. Since surveys show that a majority of Hispanics are heavy users of media and prefer to receive information in Spanish, SRF saw a Spanish-language science news service an effective way to meet the need Hispanics have for current science and health news.
ConCiencia is seen by editors and readers alike as a good source of science news. The great majority of news editors surveyed rate ConCiencia stories highly and have recommended the service to other editors. In formative evaluation, newspaper readers have provided very positive feedback on ConCiencia, finding the stories “interesting,” “readable,” and “relevant.”
SRF has a long track record of designing initiatives to create a richer environment for informal science learning among Hispanic children and adults. With its media partner, Hispanic Communications Network (HCN), SRF has continued to offer nationally distributed, daily educational radio programs on science and health since 1995, an outgrowth of initial NSF support. (Archived radio programs are available on the ConCiencia website.)SRF’s NSF-supported Celebra la Ciencia (CLC) science outreach network (#0003623) has organized coalitions of science museums and other organizations around family science festivals and events in eight regions around the country and is still going strong into 2009, four years after NSF funding terminated.
About the photo: In April, members of the ConCiencia News team were awarded a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border by the Sierra Club to investigate environmental impact of the NAFTA agreement. ConCiencia’s chief editor, Karina Flores-Hurley, and ConCiencia’s reporter and assistant editor, Isabel Morales (pictured), spent three days in Tijuana and San Diego talking to government officials, non-profit organizations, organized groups, and sources on the ground in order to develop in-depth pieces on the maquiladoras and their effect on water quality and air pollution. Courtesy Self Reliance Foundation