ICFJ Webinar: Crunching Numbers, Unveiling Narratives — Exploring Crisis Reporting With Mathematical Insights

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) Pamela Howard Forum on Global Crisis Reporting's next webinar, Crunching Numbers, Unveiling Narratives — Exploring Crisis Reporting with Mathematical Insights, is the first in our mathematics reporting series.

Jordana Cepelewicz, senior writer at Quanta Magazine, will lead a session bringing attention to the vast career and journalism opportunities in mathematics reporting. At the end of the series, participants will receive certificates and be eligible for a USD500 story grant.

Date/Time: Thursday July 6, 2023; 10:30am EST (3:30pm BST) and every Thursday in July 2023

Register here.

After several weeks of teasing it, I’m very happy to announce that the training series on mathematics reporting is ready to commence. The journey to this moment started with a phone conversation I had with some Forum members who are freelance journalists. They complained to me about not getting commissioned to write stories because their editors are receiving similar pitches from their contributors. The challenge now is how to pitch stories that others are not considering – or looking at the same issue from a very unique perspective. With this in mind, our series will introduce Forum members to reporting through the lens of mathematics.

I know not everyone enjoys mathematics but in the months leading up to this moment, I realized that I could have been commissioned to write stories on health, education, the environment, the economy and more if I had sought out mathematicians as sources and found out what they were saying about these issues. In the same vein, for journalists seeking new challenges and less crowded beats to cover, mathematics reporting is what I recommend right now.

I still vividly remember a mathematics reporter telling me in Paris that all of the world’s true mathematics journalists cannot fill a classroom. There are also countries and regions that have no mathematics reporter, making those who are active and good much more highly sought after, which is what you need as a freelancer.

We are truly lucky to have Cepelewicz as a resource on our next webinar. She is a senior writer at Quanta Magazine covering mathematics (and previously biology). Her writing has also appeared in Nautilus and Scientific American. Before entering the world of science reporting, Cepelewicz did editorial work at Harper’s Magazine, Politico and Tea Leaf Nation. She graduated from Yale University in 2015 with bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and comparative literature.

Cepelewicz is going to share insights into the beautiful world of mathematics reporting, the practice and industry, and all that she believes you need to know to better understand and report on mathematics.

These ongoing webinars are part of our ICFJ Pamela Howard Forum on Global Crisis Reporting launched in partnership with ICFJ’s International Journalists’ Network (IJNet). If you haven’t joined yet, please do so here. It’s the best way to stay connected.