ScienceAlert

ScienceAlert is an independently run online publication and news source that publishes articles featuring scientific research, discoveries and outcomes.[2] The site was founded in 2004 by Julian Cribb, a science writer, to aggregate research findings from Australian universities.[7] and expanded in 2006 when ex-Microsoft programmer Chris Cassella took on the project of developing the website.[8] It has readership that ranges from 11.5m to 26.5m per month.[6] Science journalist Fiona MacDonald has been CEO since 2017.[9]

ScienceAlert
EditorSigne Dean and Peter Dockrill[1][2]
Former editorsJulian Cribb (2005 - 2015)[3][4]
CategoriesPopular science
Frequencydaily
First issue2004
CompanyScienceAlert Pty Ltd[5]
CountryAustralia[6]
Based inCanberra[5]
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.sciencealert.com

History

In 2004, science communicator Julian Cribb founded ScienceAlert.[10][11] The website was borne of his “concern at the lack of information available about what Australians and New Zealanders achieve in science.”[12] Chris Cassella, a former programmer for Microsoft, joined the site in order to develop new webtools.[7] He took on this work as part of a Master’s thesis in Science Communication at Australia National University,[8] where Cribb was a professor.[13] Initially, ScienceAlert’s focus was twofold: “to both publicise Australasian scientific outcomes more widely and to encourage Australasian research institutions and funding agencies to share more of their achievements by providing a free outlet for them to do so.”[7] Cassella is credited with bringing the site to social media, starting the ScienceAlert Facebook page in 2007.[12] By 2011, the page had attracted a significant following among young people,[14] reaching 1 million followers by 2012.[15] As of 2020, the page has slightly over 9 million followers.[2][16] In 2012, ScienceAlert received a grant from Inspiring Australia, a government initiative aimed at engaging “people who may not have had previous access to or interest in science-communication activities.”[17] Although the website began as a project to aggregate research findings and outcomes from Australian universities, by 2019, the website’s focus had shifted towards presenting popular science to a wider audience. The shift toward mass appeal news on social media has met with some criticism. (See Controversy section).[18] In July 2019, reinforcing the site’s commitment to fact-checking, ScienceAlert announced a joint partnership with Metafact. ScienceAlert republishes selected expert answers from the Metafact community across the site’s multiple digital channels.[19][20] ScienceAlert is owned by ScienceAlert Pty Ltd., a privately held company owned by Chris Cassella. According to its website, ScienceAlert does not run sponsored articles nor is it affiliated with other companies or institutions.[21][22] As of 2020, ScienceAlert engages more than 11 million readers per month.[6]

Editorial staff

In addition to Cassella and MacDonald, ScienceAlert’s editorial staff is headed by Signe Dean, who manages the six contributing science journalists to produce the site’s news.[1][23] Cribb concluded his role as Editor at ScienceAlert in 2015. In August 2017, Fiona MacDonald was named CEO of ScienceAlert, with Cassella acting as COO/CFO.[9] Prior to this role, MacDonald had worked with the news site for more than a decade as an editor and then the Director of Content.[24][9][1] According to ‘’The Brilliant’’, the journal’s team has doubled since 2017.[2]

Format

As of August 2020, ScienceAlert had the following sections: Tech, Health, Space, Environment, Humans, Physics, Nature, Politics & Society, Comment & Opinion, and Explainers. Users can also choose to view articles ranked by recency and popularity.[25]

Controversy

In May 2019, ScienceAlert joined the debate surrounding publications, such as The Guardian, shifting their style guide to prioritize terms such as “climate crisis or breakdown” over “climate change.” Based on evidence-based research and expert opinion, ScienceAlert shared updated definitions for the site’s climate science-related terminology.[26] Later, ScienceAlert noted that this decision led to an increase in negative comments on their Facebook page, saying that when they post articles about climate news, “with astonishing speed and ferocity the comment section becomes a hot-pot of climate denialism”.[27] The site has also come under criticism for other issues. In a post from 2014, feminist STEM blogger Zuleyka Zevallos takes issue with a post on ScienceAlert which she identifies as “sexist”, describing ScienceAlert as “broscience” and “click bait”, both terms for low-content social media posts designed to attract attention. She links it to a greater trend of “using sexism to market science”.[28]

Science Events

  • Australian Science Communication Conference
  • IFLS Live![29][30]
  • Space Oddity[31]

References

  1. MacDonald, Fiona. "Our Team". ScienceAlert.
  2. "Wake up Australia. You have the second-largest science website in the world". August 19, 2020.
  3. Centre, The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research. "Cribb, Julian - Biographical entry - Encyclopedia of Australian Science". www.eoas.info.
  4. "Julian Cribb: What are the future challenges to our food system". Resilience. May 19, 2011.
  5. "ABN Lookup". abr.business.gov.au. November 1, 2014.
  6. "sciencealert.com Traffic Statistics". SimilarWeb.
  7. Beeby, Rosslyn (February 27, 2012). "ACT pair takes Australian science to the world". The Canberra Times.
  8. Sharaz, David (June 14, 2012). "Canberra science website more popular than NASA". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  9. Parfemme: In Touch With Scientist and Mother Fiona MacDonald
  10. Australian Science Communicators: A million fans for Australian science
  11. "Women dominate ACT Australian of the Year nominations". The Star. October 26, 2018.
  12. "Australian Science Communication Conference | Chief Scientist". www.chiefscientist.gov.au.
  13. Interview With Chris Cassella - ScienceAlert at sciencerewired
  14. "media%2Fpressrel%2F1118118" Parliament of Australia: Aust. Australian science followers top half a million
  15. "Taking science to the world – from Narrabundah!". February 27, 2012.
  16. "ScienceAlert". www.facebook.com.
  17. "Inspiring Australia grant overviews". www.scienceinpublic.com.au.
  18. "#Sciviews #1: Signe Dean's 'never too curious' approach to science storytelling". Omni Calculator Blog. September 13, 2019.
  19. "This fact-checking website answers all your science-related questions". Rappler.
  20. "- Metafact". metafact.io.
  21. "Podcast: ScienceAlert's journey to 6.4 million Facebook likes". The RiotACT.
  22. "Episode One Hundred And Thirty Four – On ScienceRewired – Interviews On Science, Society And Education". September 1, 2012.
  23. ASC: ScienceAlert: science communication for the masses
  24. NSW, Inspiring (December 9, 2014). "Building online communities". Inspiring Australia.
  25. "ScienceAlert: The Best in Science News and Amazing Breakthroughs". www.sciencealert.com.
  26. Dean, Signe. "ScienceAlert Editor: Yes, It's Time to Update Our Climate Change Language". ScienceAlert.
  27. Dean, Signe. "Do Not Feed The Climate Trolls". ScienceAlert.
  28. "BroScience: Sexism in Click Bait Science News". June 26, 2014.
  29. NSW, Inspiring (August 26, 2013). "Looking back at I F***ing Love Science Live!". Inspiring Australia.
  30. Slate: Oz Struck
  31. NSW, Inspiring (June 24, 2014). "Astronaut Chris Hadfield in Sydney for Science Week!". Inspiring Australia.
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