The Greenlee School of Journalism and the College of Veterinary Medicine partnered to host the Council for Advancement and Support of Education Media Fellowships 2002.

Sunday through Wednesday, CASE Fellows met to learn about the scientific aspects of reporting on animal diseases. CASE is a nationally competitive, non-profit organization for journalists.

The topic at Iowa State was “Animal Disease Outbreaks and Their Impact on Society.”

“We chose this topic because it is hugely important,” said Jim Roth, distinguished professor of veterinary microbiology and preventative medicine. “It’s important that the media know what questions to ask for accurate reporting.”

“I supported it as the dean and gave a presentation on brucellosis in bison in Yellowstone National Park,” said Norman Cheville, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Roth said this also allows journalists to meet scientists for future contacts. Those attending the seminars heard lectures about potential impacts on animal disease outbreaks and media coverage of animal disease breakouts. They also toured the United States Department of Agriculture Laboratories in Ames.

Jane Peterson, professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Mass Communication, wrote the grant proposal.

Media fellows who were accepted were invited to apply to meet the experts.

“We had many wonderful applicants,” she said. “It was very difficult to choose, but we came up with 15 media representatives.”

Professionals in the newspaper, magazine, online, radio, visual and television journalism fields attended the conference.

“It was a really nice combination,” Peterson said. “They were here to find out recent information on animal diseases.”

Speakers from across the nation, including the National Animal Disease Center and National Biological Standards Laboratory, spoke on food supply, food safety and bioterrorism.

“We need to make sure the media understand the risks and that the public is accurately informed,” Roth said.

To ensure the public is accurately informed, it is important reporters understand the issues and how to deal with them.

“[The CASE Media Fellowship] is important because of the link we have to make between the public and the scientific work we have to do,” Cheville said. “It is incredibly important that journalists understand the science and that the scientists understand the journalists.”