The mainstream media is the most important source of information on science and technology for the Australian public, so by supporting us to inform the media you are helping all Australians have access to the best science and expertise. Journalists need the AusSMC now more than ever.
By supporting the AusSMC you can help change the way the Australian media covers science.
We provide the evidence and experts to inform the headlines, ultimately giving the public access to credible science and expertise through the media.
The dramatic changes in the media in recent years have resulted in an industry with ever-shrinking resources. Newsrooms have less time to seek out the best experts and ensure accuracy. Journalists need the AusSMC now more than ever.
With over 2,400 journalists signed onto our core platform Scimex, alongside databases of over 6,000 scientists, we make sure the voice of science is heard in the big debates that dominate the news agenda, from droughts to bushfires, to the controversies over COVID-19, diet, energy, water and genetics.
We need your support to ensure this important work can continue. Organisations can become partners of the Centre and individuals can now donate to the Centre. From December, 2024, donations of $2 or more are tax deductible in Australia. To donate, click here.
CONTACT US for more information.
The AusSMC's Expert Reactions provide quotes and contacts from vetted experts to inform reporting as it happens.
Our Media Briefings help journalists get the story straight from the experts and get scientists' voices heard on the big stories that matter. Held online, they are accessible to journalists anywhere in the world.
These Media Briefings and Expert Reactions are used in over 30,000 news stories across the major news outlets each year. They are also shared through the global network of Science Media Centres.
The AusSMC helps translate science into stories by giving journalists advanced access to the research that matters to Australians through our digital news platform, Scimex. Scimex creates greater visibility for Australian research in the media, inspiring, motivating and cultivating a scientifically engaged community.
If experts don't feel ready to face the media just yet, we provide a number of training activities to help scientists get science media savvy. We've also created a free online training resource for scientists at ScienceMediaSavvy.org.
The AusSMC also provides short training sessions for newsrooms to help journalists avoid some of the common pitfalls when reporting on research.
Access to these training sessions is one of the benefits of supporting the AusSMC.
The AusSMC has developed a program to train and mentor Indigenous researchers, with the aim of increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation in media coverage of science. Contact us for more information.
The AusSMC's Collaborative Journalism Program, funded by a META Public Interest Journalism grant from the Walkley Foundation, matches newsrooms with a range of experts from around the country who have deep expertise in the topic being explored. The program was awarded the Australian Science Communicators Inspiring Project in Science Communication Award in 2024. Contact us for more information.
Thanks to support from the International Science Council’s Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific, The AusSMC has been able to continue expanding our work into the Pacific. We now have a continuing stream of science stories relevant to the Pacific on Scimex as well as Pacific experts and journalists registered with the platform. We are also working to develop and deliver a programme of workshops and resources specifically for Pacific Island scholars and journalists to increase science media capability in the region.
Women are under-represented in science and also in the media. The AusSMC delivers several programs to support women in STEM.
- We deliver the media training component of Science and Technology Australia's Superstars of STEM
- The AusSMC offers tailored media training programs for women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Contact us for more information about these programs.
- Contact us for more information
- Sign up to our Science Deadline weekly newsletter
- Visit our news portal Scimex for the latest science news
“As a national media organisation the biggest challenges we face are getting the facts right, working to strict deadlines and dealing with tightening budgets. The AusSMC delivers fantastic support in meeting these needs. The quality of information we deliver our audiences across television, radio and online would be the poorer if not for the AusSMC and I believe that every major media company should be lining up to offer support.”
