75 years: lives in science journalism

17 October 2022, Science Museum, London

This event reflected the history of science journalism in the UK through the eyes of the journalists themselves. 

In a format based on the 'witness seminar' method of historical research, invited journalists were interviewed in front of an audience about those aspects of their work that the media archives do not capture: the motivations, values, business pressures, office politics and all the other factors that inevitably shape the journalists' experience and their professional practice. Contributions and questions came from audience members. 

The discussion ranged across print and broadcast media, and covered the time of 'living memory', such as the 'celebratory' era of the 1960s, the environmental turn of the 1970s, the neoliberalism of the 1980s and the digital world of journalism since the 1990s.    

Watch the recordings

and share your experiences!

Session 1: 1960s enthusiasm

• Judith Hann, Broadcaster, including as a presenter on BBC Tomorrow's World, and Writer
• Lawrence McGinty, Retired Health and Science Editor, ITV
• Louise Panton, Award winning Producer & Director TV Documentaries & Dramas
• Alec Nisbett, Producer, director and writer

Session 2: The critical turn, environmental and industrial decline 

• Fred Pearce, Former news editor and long-time environment consultant of New Scientist, regular contributor to British and US publications, and author 
• Roger Harrabin, BBC's energy and environment analyst 
• Martin Ince, Former deputy editor of The Times Higher Education Supplement, science writer, trainer and consultant 
• Wendy Barnaby, Retired freelance writer, broadcaster and editor 

Session 3: The '90s boom 

• Deborah Cohen, Formerly Editor, BBC Radio Science Unit 
• Tom Wilkie, Formerly features editor at New Scientist, science editor at The Independent, and Chairman at Europa Science Ltd, now retired 
• Roger Highfield, Author, journalist, including as science editor at The Daily Telegraph for over 20 years, and New Scientist editor 2008-2011, broadcaster and now Science Director at the Science Museum 
• Tim Radford, Freelance journalist, founding editor of the Climate News Network and science editor of The Guardian for twenty-five years 

Session 4: The digital turn 

• Fiona Fox, Author and Chief Executive, Science Media Centre 
• Emily Wilson, Editor-in-Chief, New Scientist 
• Clive Cookson, Science Editor, Financial Times 
• Helen Pearson, Senior Editor, Nature 

Followed by ABSW's 75th anniversary speeches.