About
SciLine is a free service for journalists and scientists based at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society. Editorially independent, nonpartisan, and funded by philanthropies, SciLine has the singular mission of enhancing the amount and quality of scientific evidence in news stories.
SciLine’s mission is to enrich U.S. journalism with scientific evidence.
Editorial Policy
Accuracy, clarity, fairness, and transparency are core to the SciLine mission. We are editorially independent—both from our funders and our host organization (AAAS)—and we are assiduously nonpartisan. Our sole obligation is to evidence revealed by scientific investigation, and to communicating the strengths, weaknesses, relevant context, and potential implications of that evidence.
What We Do
SciLine works directly with U.S. journalists to support the incorporation of scientific evidence and expertise into their news stories. We facilitate one-on-one interviews with scientists, host media briefings on science topics, collect and distribute expert quotes on breaking news, and organize professional training events—with a special emphasis on the needs of local and general assignment reporters.
We also work directly with U.S. and Canadian scientists, recruiting them to serve as experts in all of our services for journalists as well as offering training to prepare them for successful interactions with the media.
Why We Do It
Local and general assignment reporters in today’s shrinking newsrooms have dauntingly expansive coverage responsibilities and less time than ever to report their stories. SciLine aims in particular to help these journalists connect to articulate scientists and to validated, research-based information.
More generally, SciLine is committed to forging stronger connections between the science and journalism communities. Our philosophy is that both scientists and journalists—and ultimately the public—stand to benefit from greater professional collaboration and communication.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
We are committed to providing all SciLine services, for both scientists and reporters, for free. We proactively seek opportunities to engage with and amplify the voices of scientists and journalists of diverse backgrounds, including gender, race and ethnicity, geographic location, level of seniority, and other factors.