Hoffmann to Speak on News Coverage of Science

Joyce Hoffmann, the associate professor of English who teaches journalism and media law and ethics at Old Dominion University, will speak on "Is Journalism Failing Science in the Age of Climate Change?" as part of the fall seminar series of the university's Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography (CCPO).

The presentation will be at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, in Room 3200 of Innovation Research Park Building 1. The seminar, as well as a reception that begins at 3 p.m. in the CCPO lounge, are free and open to the public.

Hoffmann, who joined the ODU faculty in 1994, has served as public editor of The Virginian-Pilot and written articles for many of the nation's largest newspapers. Her most recent book is "On Their Own: Women Journalists and the American Experience in Vietnam."

News media can help disseminate knowledge about scientific and technological advancements, and can engender public support for the advancement of science in general, Hoffmann says. "However, with their dual - and often dueling - identities, the American news media sometimes fail to adequately serve the interests of science, and in so doing, also fail the interests of news consumers."