Brazilian version of KSJ’s handbook on science journalism editing is now available for free download from Knight Center

A new resource is available to Portuguese speaking journalists and editors seeking guidance on how to cover and question scientific topics.

The Science Editing Handbook, originally published in English by the MIT’s Knight Science Journalism Program, is now available in a Brazilian edition, translated and adapted by a group of science journalists.

The handbook in Portuguese can be downloaded for free from the e-book section of Journalism Courses, the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas’ distance learning program. The original edition in English and a version in Spanish are also available.

“It has never been so important to cover science, and to cover it well. Journalists should make their best effort to get ready to cover science and health,” said professor Rosental Alves, founder and director of the Knight Center. “So, we are so pleased to launch the Brazilian version of the KSJ handbook, as a contribution to Portuguese-speaking journalists.”

“Now in English, Spanish and Portuguese, the KSJ handbook is helping and will help scores of journalists around the world to improve their coverage of science and health topics that are so important in our daily lives and society,” said Alves. “We are so grateful to KSJ at MIT for allowing us to collaborate on this project, and grateful to the Brazilian Serrapilheira Institute for their support.”

With chapters written by renowned science editors and journalists, the handbook provides insights, knowledge, tips and resources for editing and reporting science journalism.

“We are thrilled to see the Science Editors Handbook – which offers insights on some of the most important issues in science journalism from some of the best editors working today – be published in Portuguese,” said Deborah Blum, director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT. “This translation enables us to reach some critically important countries and science-interested audiences, especially in our Latin American neighbor of Brazil.”

The Brazilian edition of this essential handbook for science journalists was announced during a Nov. 5 webinar with a team of five Brazilian science journalists who discussed highlights from the handbook as well as the reality of science and health coverage in Brazil.

Four of the panelists worked on the translation and adaptation of the Portuguese edition – André Biernath, Meghie Rodrigues, Juliante Duarte and Mariana Lenharo. They were joined in conversation by Thiago Medaglia, instructor of a recent Knight Center online course on science journalism, which has attracted more than 2,300 journalists from all regions of Brazil and several other countries.

The Brazilian edition is an initiative of the Knight Center, thanks to generous support from the Serrapilheira Institute, a philanthropic institution that fosters science in Brazil.

“The KSJ-MIT manual is an important resource that was produced by scientific journalism professionals with the highest expertise in the world, which is why we are happy to make it available to Brazilian journalists and editors,” said Natasha Felizi, director of scientific dissemination of the Serrapilheira Institute. “We believe this could be one of the bedside books of reporters covering science in Brazil.”

Download the handbook today in English, Spanish or Portuguese. And click here to watch the Nov. 5 webinar that launched the Brazilian edition!