Canadian Science Writers' Association

About         

The Canadian Science Writers’ Association (CSWA) was founded in 1971 by a small group of science and medical reporters who recognized their role in helping other Canadians better understand the rapid changes occurring in our world.

Today the CSWA is a national association with more than 450 members including media professionals, communications officers in science and technology institutions, technical writers and educators – all of whom are involved in communicating science and technology to non-specialist audiences.

The CSWA fosters quality science communication, linking science and technology communicators from coast to coast. Drawing from their collective experience, CSWA members volunteer their time towards a series of programmes committed to increasing public awareness of Canadian science and technology, especially among youth.

The CSWA operates several national programmes including the annual conference, which highlights current science and technology issues, bringing together scientists, engineers, journalists, educators, youth and the general public. Held in a different city each year, the annual conference highlights local developments in science and technology and combines public forums and educational workshops to produce a serious focus on ways of communicating the importance of such developments to the Canadian public with the greatest impact.

Each year, CSWA’s Science in Society Journalism Awards program offers more than $16,000 inawards that recognize excellence in Canadian science journalism in all media. This program is completely sustained by private funding and the investment of numerous hours of volunteer work.

On the local level, CSWA is also involved in events including Word on the Street, environmental workshops, and monthly public meetings discussing issues and advances in Canadian science and technology.

Mandate

We are a national alliance of professional science communicators in all media.

Our mission is to cultivate excellence in science writing and science journalism.

Our goal is to increase public awareness of science in Canadian culture.

Specific Goals and Objectives:

• to promote and reward balanced and accurate science reporting in Canada
• to create opportunities for members to meet and exchange ideas
• to initiate educational and training opportunities for science communicators in all regions of Canada
• to encourage communication between scientists and journalists
• to encourage greater awareness among editors, producers and other gatekeepers of the need for science coverage
• to nourish the growth of a membership that reflects Canadian society with respect to gender, race and region

History of the CSWA

Early days

The Canadian Science Writers’ Association (CSWA) was founded in 1971 by a small group of science and medical reporters who recognized their role in helping other Canadians better understand the rapid changes occurring in our world.

Today the CSWA is a national association with over 600 members including media professionals, communications officers in science and technology institutions, technical writers and educators – all of whom are involved in communicating science and technology to non-specialist audiences.

Activity today

The CSWA fosters quality science communication, linking science and technology communicators from coast to coast. Drawing from their collective experience, CSWA members volunteer their time towards a series of programmes committed to increasing public awareness of Canadian science and technology, especially among youth.

The CSWA operates several national programmes including our annual conference, which highlights current science and technology issues, bringing together scientists, engineers, journalists, educators, youth and the general public. Held in a different city each year, the annual conference highlights local developments in science and technology and combines public forums and educational workshops to produce a serious focus on ways of communicating the importance of such developments to the Canadian public with the greatest impact.

Honouring Canada’s top science writers

Each year, CSWA’s Science in Society Journalism Awards program offers more than $7,000 inawards that recognize excellence in Canadian science journalism in all media. This program is completely sustained by private funding and the investment of numerous hours of volunteer work.

The CSWA is led by a 12-member Board of Directors elected from the national membership and operates a national office in the Greater Toronto Area employing an Executive Director.

(Current board pictured at right – top row, president Peter McMahon, vice-president Stephen Strauss, vice president communications Kathryn Warden, board member Margret Brady-Nankivel – middle row: board members Pauline Dakin, Hannah Hoag, Jim Handman, Romilla Karnick – lower row: board members Lisa Lambert, Margaret Munro, Kathleen Thurber, and board member/treasurer Andy Visser deVries) Bios of the CSWA board

CSWA Constitution (1994)

ARTICLE 1 – NAME

1. The organization shall be known as the Canadian Science Writers’ Association.

ARTICLE 2 – POLICIES AND PURPOSES

1. Mission:
• We are a national alliance of professional science communicators in all media.
• Our mission is to cultivate excellence in science writing and science journalism.
• Our goal is to increase public awareness of science in Canadian culture.
2. Specific Goals and Objectives
• to promote and reward balanced and accurate science reporting in Canada
• to create opportunities for members to meet and exchange ideas
• to initiate educational and training opportunities for science communicators in all regions of Canada
• to encourage communication between scientists and journalists
• to encourage greater awareness among editors, producers and other gatekeepers of the need for science coverage
• to nourish the growth of a membership that reflects Canadian society with respect to gender, race and region

ARTICLE 3 – MEMBERSHIP

1. There shall be four classes of membership: regular, student, life and honorary.
2. Regular membership shall be open to all persons who share in the mission and goals of the Association.
3. Student membership shall be open to bona fide full-time students of any educational institution.
4. Life membership shall be extended to founders of this organization who have been members in good standing of the Canadian section of the National Association of Science Writers, Inc., and who have worked for a minimum of 10 years as active science journalists.
5. Honorary membership shall be extended by vote of the general membership.

ARTICLE 4 – RIGHTS OF MEMBERS

1. Honorary members shall be entitled to all rights and privileges except that they may not vote. Regular, student and life members shall be entitled to all rights and privileges, and are eligible to hold office as stipulated under “Officers” and “Nomination of Officers”.

ARTICLE 5 – OFFICERS

1. The elected officers of the Association shall comprise a twelve-member Board of Directors and which shall include a President, Vice-President, Second Vice President, and a Treasurer. A minimum of eight Directors, at the time of their nomination, shall be practising and/or professional journalists. The immediate Past-President who is still a voting member shall serve on the Board of Directors by virtue of office. The Administrative Director shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors. The President shall always be a practising and/or professional journalist.
2. All elected officers shall serve for a period of two years from the date of their election.
3. The President, Vice-President, Treasurer and three other directors appointed by the board shall comprise the Executive Committee with the President as Chair of this committee. Board members may come from anywhere in Canada.
4. The Chair of the Membership Committee and the Executive Editor of Science Linkshall be members of both the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee (refer to Article 6.4).

ARTICLE 6 – STANDING COMMITTEES

1. Four standing committees will be appointed each year to assist the Board of Directors in carrying out major activities of the Association in connection with membership and recruiting, the Awards Program, planning for the annual meeting and seminar, and the publication of the newsletter.
2. Other committees may be appointed from time to time at the discretion of the Board of Directors to carry out the work of the association.
3. All members in good standing may be appointed by the executive to sit on any committee.
4. Chairs of the standing committees, unless already elected members of the Board shall be ex-officio members of the Board.

ARTICLE 7 – NOMINATION OF OFFICERS

1. At the Annual General Meeting the membership present shall elect a Nominating Committee consisting of four members of whom two are practising and/or professional journalists. The Past-President shall be the Chair of this committee.
2. Five months before the annual meeting the Nomination Committee shall inform all members that nominations are open and shall receive nominations by mail from any two members.
3. Nominations will close on the Friday close of business 10 weeks after notice.
4. Election of officers will be by mail vote of the entire voting membership in good standing. All ballots shall be mailed 8 weeks prior to the AGM and must be received at head office by close of business 30 days prior to the AGM. Election will be by a simple majority of ballots, the results of which will be announced at the AGM.
5. Ties at the annual meeting may be broken by the presiding officer.
6. The new officers shall take office immediately after the election.
7. A quorum at meetings of the Board of Directors shall be a simple majority, of whom at least four Directors are practising and/or professional journalists.
8. Officers shall be elected bi-annually and can be removed by a two-thirds vote of a majority of members at a regular meeting or at a meeting especially called for the purpose. There will be no remuneration for officers. The Board of Directors may appoint from among the total membership such further committees as they see fit to carry out the work of the association.

ARTICLE 8 – DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT

1. The President shall:
1. preside over all meetings of the Association and be the official spokesperson for the Association.
2. Call special meetings when in his/her opinion they are considered necessary or within two months of any petition by five percent of the membership.

ARTICLE 9 – DUTIES OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT

1. The Vice-President shall:
1. Chair the Board meetings when the President is unable to fulfill that function.

ARTICLE 10 – DUTIES OF THE SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT

1. The Second Vice-President shall:
1. Represent the research communicator stream of the membership.

ARTICLE 11 – DUTIES OF THE TREASURER

1. The Treasurer shall:
1. Transmit to the membership at the annual meeting a summary of the financial status of the Association, together with names of all members in arrears of dues.
2. A corporate seal should be maintained by the Treasurer and documents issued by the corporation can be certified with the signature of any two elected officers.

ARTICLE 12 – NOMINATION OF NEW MEMBERS

1. The President shall, immediately after election, appoint a chair of a Membership Committee from among the officers representing the members at large. The chair of the Membership Committee shall, within one month of his/her appointment, (See Article 6) appoint from the membership not less than two members and not more than four members who, with the chair, shall act as the Membership Committee.
2. All members can sponsor new members, at the discretion of the Board of Directors.
3. Applications for life and honorary categories shall be submitted to the Membership Committee. The committee shall acquaint itself with the qualifications of the applicants and make recommendations to the Board of Directors on all candidates.
4. If an application for life or honorary membership has been approved by the Board of Directors, the Administrative Director or the membership chair will so inform the candidate in writing. If the Membership Committee rejects an applicant, the committee shall inform the candidate of the reason for so doing.
5. The Board of Directors is empowered to admit new members in the life and honorary categories subject to confirmation at the next annual meeting. New members shall be informed at the time of admission of this requirement.
6. If no information shall have been received to alter the Membership Committee’s original recommendation for life or honorary membership, the applicant shall be approved for membership and the membership chairperson shall so inform the candidate in writing. If the committee, acting on new information received, rejects an applicant the committee shall inform the candidate of the reason for so doing.
7. Members of the corporation may withdraw merely by tendering a letter of resignation sent to the mailing address of the organization.

ARTICLE 13 – MEETINGS

1. The Association shall hold an annual meeting.
2. Special meetings may be called at any time at the discretion of the President or for a date within two months of any petition by five percent of the membership.
3. The Administrative Director shall send out notification of all regular meetings at least one month in advance.
4. By-laws may be repealed or amended by a simple majority of members present at the annual meeting or at a meeting especially called for the purpose.

ARTICLE 14 – FINANCES

1. The fiscal year of the Association is July 1-June 30.
2. The dues shall be fixed by vote of the membership and shall be payable on the first of July each year.
3. A member whose dues remain unpaid prior to the opening of the annual meeting shall be considered to be in arrears and ineligible to vote.
4. Any member who remains in arrears for two months shall be given a month’s notice. If dues are not paid at the expiration of the month, membership may be terminated.
5. The Administrative Director shall give the delinquent member due notification.
6. Auditors shall be appointed at each annual meeting by a majority vote of the members and the books should be audited annually.
7. All cheques issued or endorsed in the name of the Association shall be signed by such officers, employees or agents of the Association in such a manner as shall be determined from time to time by resolution of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE 15 – CODE OF ETHICAL CONDUCT

1. A member shall take all necessary measures to ensure that the information he or she purveys to the public is accurate, truthful and impartial.
2. A member shall not for any remuneration by a commercial organization permit his or her identification or membership with the Canadian Science Writers’ Association to be used to promote a commercial service, a commercial product or a commercial organization. Such activity shall be considered prejudicial to the best interest of this Association. The Code of Ethics recognizes that it can be legitimate news or comment to say that a product is a good one if the writer is being paid only by the editor. The resolution means that the CSWA is opposed to any sort of promotion that would possibly gain authenticity or value because it was identified with a member of the CSWA.
3. Membership of the Association shall be conditional on strict observance of the highest standards of journalism. Willful or frequent misrepresentation or inaccuracy, willful breach of confidence, or behaviour in any way prejudicial to the professional interests of the membership of the Association shall be considered in breach of such observance.
4. A member against whom a formal complaint of infringement of rule (3) is laid shall be called before the Board of Directors of which at least five members shall be present, including a representative of the Membership Committee. A copy of the written complaint shall be sent to the respondent at least three weeks before the hearing. An adequate record shall be kept of the hearing. The Board of Directors, which shall have the sole power of disciplining members, shall have power to warn, suspend or expel the member complained against.
5. The Membership Committee (or the Board of Directors) shall be empowered to make all such enquiries and to call for all such evidence as it may consider necessary to reach a decision on any application for membership.
6. The Membership Committee’s (or the Board of Directors’) decision to accept or to reject an application or expel a member, shall be final, provided that said candidate shall be entitled to reapply for membership after an interval of twelve months from the date on which notification of the decision was issued.

ARTICLE 16 – AMENDMENTS

1. An amendment to this constitution may be proposed by the vote of three-quarters of the regular, student and life members present at a regular or special meeting.
2. The proposed amendment shall be circulated by the Administrative Director to the membership.
3. Members may express opposition or approval, on a ballot provided for the purpose, within a month of the date of mailing. If less than one-quarter of the members state their opposition by letter to the Administrative Director, the amendment shall be adopted.

ARTICLE 17 – IMPLEMENTATION OF CONSTITUTION

1. The constitution shall become effective as of October 15, 1970.