Researcher-Journalist Exchange Programme
Ever since its creation, the AJSPI has had a mission to improve the relationship between researchers and journalists. What better then, to help scientists to understand the challenges and constraints of the journalist's job, than to invite them to spend a week in an editorial office? And for the journalists, to spend a week in a laboratory without any pressure to produce a story? This is the spirit of the researcher-journalist exchange programme launched in 2001.
Co-organised with the Ministry of Research, the programme covers the travel costs of twelve researchers and the same number of AJSPI member journalists. To ensure that freelance journalists have the same chance as those with permanent positions, freelance journalists receive a payment in addition to their travel costs.
The exchange programme has been extremely successful and the management committee is currently organising the sixth edition. The programme is also open internationally. Belgian and Swiss journalists have taken part and thus had the opportunity to discover French laboratories. An exchange has also take place with Quebec in 2005, in which a French journalist spent a week in a Quebec laboratory.
Since 2006, the AJSPI has also provided help to the French Consulate in Berlin by organising laboratory stays for German journalists.
Read the reports (in French):
Exchange programme 2004-2005
Exchange programme 2002-2003
Exchange programme 2001
An article on this subject appeared in RDT Infos, the European Commission's scientific news magazine.