Who I am: Gilbert Nakweya
Where I live: Kenya
What I do: Science journalism for SciDev.Net
Why science journalism: Science has a massive role in the transformation of the global south and particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. As a student of journalism and communication studies, I decided to venture into science journalism so as to contribute to the transformation of Sub-Saharan Africa through sharing scientific knowledge for evidence-based policymaking. Science journalism opens a world of career development opportunities to journalists. Through events such as conferences, workshops, seminars, and fellowships; one can learn a lot of issues critical for professional development. Science journalism is interesting because it’s grounded in the truth and there’s no room for hearsays and rumors.
Suggestions for newcomers:
- Understand the needs of their target audience and communicate to them
- Being a science journalist requires passion, determination, and resilience in pursuit of the truth
- Cultivate a relationship with scientists by investing time to understand how scientists work.