Memorandum of Science Reporting Saloon

Memorandum of Science Reporting Saloon

 

 

1.    China Science Reporting Network (CSRN) is a public welfare network composed of Chinese science journalists, aiming to improve and enrich science reporting; advancing the abilities of science journalists and relevant staff; and promoting their exchange with others.

2.    China Science Reporting Network is based on the website of China Science Reporting Network (http://www.sciencereporting.cn) to organize communications online and offline. CSRN is not an entity organization, so there is no regular office function.

3.    The formal English name of China Science Reporting Network is: China Science Reporting Network.

4.    China Science Reporting Network abides by the laws, regulations of the state and the social moral. Encouraging the science journalists to carry out the exchange activities with the main part of capability building; exploring the features and regularities of scientific news dissemination; advancing capabilities of the staff, serving for setting up and enriching Chinese scientific news dissemination.

5.    The major work of CSRN is done by volunteers, and there are no regular office and staff.

 

 

6.    China Science Reporting Network’s activities include:

(1)   Posting important news clues and relevant academic conference information in the CSRN’ website.

(2)   Disseminating related information of science journalism industry through the CSRN’ website;

(3)   Facilitating online exchanges on key scientific topics and science clues and organizing discussion and debates on responsible science journalism;

(4)   Cooperating with other agencies to develop professional training and advance the professional abilities and working capabilities for the members and other science journalists;

(5)   Organizing regular communications and discussions between science journalists and between journalists and relevant scientists, PIOs and industry people;

(6)   Organizing academic communication between Chinese journalists and their foreign colleagues. 

 

 

7.    It is a personal activity to apply for attending China Science Reporting Network and to be its member does not represent one’s employer. It is voluntary to take part in the Network’s activities. People of the following disciplines are welcomed: reporters, editors and commentators of news media; the scientific workers, research institutes and companies; organizations and public relation officer who support scientific news dissemination with their enthusiasm.

8.    The member of China Science Reporting Network registers in the website of CSRN (http://www.sciencereporting.cn) with their real name, then accepts the webmaster’s verifying. All the registered information on the web will not be transferred to the third party for any reasons.

9.    After finishing the real-name registration successfully, members of CSRN could get weekly e-mail information; participate in the exchange activities which are organized by CSRN offline and be easier to apply for accessing to training materials and opportunities.

10.   Persons unregistered in China Science Reporting Network:

(1)   Can read all information released by CSRN.

(2)   Can participate in the exchange activities offline organized by CSRN if there are surplus places.

(3)   But cannot get the weekly e-mail information and communication and use the Network’s BBS to discuss and exchange information.

11.   Members of CSRN are encouraged to try to make the following activities on voluntary bases:

(1)   Provide scientific reporting relevant on information for CSRN.

(2)   participate in dissemination and exchange online; sharing the information and skills of scientific reporting.

(3)   Participate in exchange activities offline.

12.   The members of CSRN should obey the law and disciplines; abide by the professional ethic; not post unfavorable information to the Saloon in the CSRN website. The Network’s contents of discussion are limited in information and skill relevant to science reporting.

13.   When the member of CSRN acquits the Saloon for the sake of working change and any other reasons, the one should cancel his or her membership in the website. They should not give user name and password to the others for using. If the member of CSRN violates the laws and disciplines seriously, the professional ethics and/or the Saloon’s instructions, the membership might be compulsorily cancelled after the voting pass of Saloon’s board members.

 

 

14.   CSRN forms its board on voluntary base. The board members of the Network should be working science journalists or related figures who are committed to improving China’s science reporting level.

15.   The board membership of the Network is based on the combination of self recommendation and recommendation by peers. After the first board is formed, any new board member must be approved by more than half of the existing board members.

16.   Each year there is a board meeting, which can be taken in the form of offline meeting or online teleconference. The board meeting cannot be held without the presence of half of the board members. Any resolution or decision should be approved by two thirds of the present board members. When there is important affair to decide, half of the board members can make a resolution through meeting, teleconference or MSN/Skype meeting.

17.   The functions of the CSRN board should include the following:

(1) Making and revise the constitutional documents of the Network;

(2) Choosing and electing board chair;

(3) Determining the coordinators of the Network, who would be responsible for the regular operation of the Network;

(4) Making and revising the major activities and projects of the Network.

(5) Determining new board members, contacting and recommending advisors.

(6) Supervising and auditing the financial situations of the Network;

(7) Deciding other essential issues.

18.   All board members are volunteers, without any payment. The board members should actively help their colleagues improve their capacity, contacting experts and venues for online and offline communications of the Network, and help finance for the Network or its individual activities.

19.   A board chair should be elected by the board members. The chair should be an influential figure in the science reporting and love the Network activities. The chair is responsible for discussing and determining the annual board meeting and various issues.

20.   The board members recommend and choose two to three coordinators for the regular operations of the Network. The coordinators must be approved by 2/3 board members. The coordinators should be board members and they are volunteers without any payment. When there is individual sponsorship for concrete activities, the coordinators can be paid for their time and efforts of organizing/lecturing/chairing the activity.

21.   The role of webmaster can only be played by the coordinators or the hired content or website editors. The approval rights for the regular contents of the Network’s website belong to the coordinators.

22.   The Network coordinators are alternatively responsible for guiding and reviewing the weekly email alert, organizing offline communication activities and taking the major duty of fund-raising.

23.   The Network coordinators can hire one or two web editors in accordance with the financial sponsorship. The web editors are part-time workers and paid on hours. The Network is not responsible for their insurance and labor welfares.

24.   China Science Reporting Network establishes a committee of advisors, consisting of relative scientists, social scientists, science communication experts, and the entrepreneurs interested in supporting science communication activities.

25.   Advisors to the CSRN can, personally or collectively, make suggestions to the board members or the coordinators concerning the Network website, activity plans, the recommendation on lecturing experts, and contents of the experts.

26.   All CSRN advisors are volunteers, without any payment. The advisors are welcomed to help contact the lecturing experts and venues for online and offline communications of the Network.

27.   There is no regular annual meeting for the advisor committee, but part of the advisors can be convened when there is favorable situation. The advisors can participate in the board meeting of the Network.

28.   There will be one chair for the advisors’ committee, who should be senior scientist or expert of the related field. The chair can, when it is necessary and possible, convene part or all committee members for a meeting.

 

 

29.   The website of the Network can consist of the following contents:

(1)   Weekly updated: Important news clues and relevant academic conference information in the CSRN’ website;

(2)   Weekly updated: Related information of science journalism industry, such as science journalism grants, awards, jobs, and the new advances in the field;

(3)   Interactive parts: Online bulletin for online exchanges on key scientific topics and science clues, discussion and debates on responsible science journalism and comments on the field.

(4)   Dossiers/training material: including the PDF version of the book Effective Science Reporting in an Era of Globalization, Science communication Eguide of SciDev.Net, dossiers of SciDev.Net and WFSJ’s online training courses.

(5)   Resources, such as links to SciDev.Net、Eurekalert!, Eurekalert! Chinese, Nature Press, Knight science journalism tracker, AlphaGalileo, Chemistry World as well as connections to active blogs by scientists and science journalists. ScienceDirect and/or Nature China.

30.   The regular updated information of the Network website can come from the following sources:

(1)   The webmaster regularly check important websites, such as China academic meeting network, the websites of leading universities, institutes, and academic societies.

(2)   The Network coordinators upload information in accordance with their own work.

(3)   The information recommended or posted by the Network board members, advisors and registered members in the BBS.

(4)   The important updated information from sources listed in the Article 29.

31.   The coordinators or board members can post the comments on important information to help Network members better utilize the information.

32.   The Network BBS is set for its members to discuss news clues, journalism skills, comment relevant reporting and exchange information. The coordinators and webmaster will then select important information from them for the weekly email alert. The Network BBS cannot be used to reveal the State secrets, post personal contact details of scientists and personal attacks.

33.   In principle, the Network organizes one offline activity every two months. Some of the activities can be held outside Beijing in accordance with the funding situation. When the funding is very limited, the Network members are encouraged to solve the costs incurred by them. The offline activities can be done in accordance with hot topics, relevant events of the Network members, and other convenient situations. The form of the Network offline activities would be highly flexible, varying from peer discussions and exchanges, collective interviews and experts’ lectures and training. All activities have to be done in low-cost way such as in the free venues.

 

 

34.   All operation costs of China Science Reporting Network come from institutional sponsorships.

35.   The operation costs of CSRN must be used in the due businesses of the Network and cannot be distributed among its members or board members. Any consumption not related to the core businesses of the Network is forbidden. If the sponsorship has some surplus for individual project, the surplus must be input by the coordinators to other activities of CSRN, which include but not limited to increasing CSRN website contents, holding more exchanges and training and organizing more collective interviews.

36.   The CSRN constitutes a strict and rigorous financial management system. In certain period or after the completion of each individual activity, the coordinators or other member responsible for organizing the event must submit balance sheet to sponsor(s), which is copied to board members for reference and supervision.

37.   China Science Reporting Network is not an entity organization, and the operation costs needed are store in the personal accounts of the coordinators and/or other assigned accounts.

38.   The sponsorships CSRN seeks from other organizations and enterprises are for public good and do not embody any advertising role. The website of CSRN does not post any commercial information of any sponsor. But, the Network welcomes sponsors to provide related information or expert resources to online and offline exchange activities.

39.   If China Science Reporting Network ends its activities, a resolution to stop its activities should be proposed and approved by the board. The financial situation will then be reviewed and all remaining money from the sponsorship will be donated to activities related to science communication. The material of CSRN members will not be distributed to any other party due to the end of the Network.

40.   The memorandum is drafted and passed by the board of China Science Reporting Network in October 2007.

41.   The right to interpret this memorandum articles belong to the board of China Science Reporting Network.