Communication Research Centre CRC at Helsinki University is pleased to
invite everyone who thinks journalism and 
innovation is important to first nordic 
conference to discuss the role of journalism in 
understanding technological and social innovations.
Weather-casters of Future?
The Role of Journalism in Understanding Technological and Social Innovations
Time:   Friday 25th of September 2009, 09:00 - 17:00
Venue:  University of Helsinki Main Building, Fabianinkatu 33, Helsinki
Keynote speakers are Professor Kevin G. 
Barnhurst from University of Illinois at 
Chicago, and David Nordfors, Executive Director 
of the Innovation Journalism Program, Stanford University.
Further contributors include Jyrki Alkio, Ulrik 
Haagerup, Peter Bro, Risto Kunelius, Hannu 
Nieminen, Vilma Luoma-aho, Turo Uskali and Esa Väliverronen.
Conference language is English.
There is no registration fee. However, the 
number of participants is restricted due to 
limited seating; therefore, participation 
requires registration. Please register at the 
conference website 
(http://blogs.helsinki.fi/innovationjournalism/registration/) 
by 14 September 2009.
The conference is made possible by the 
sponsorship of the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation and Sitra.
About the conference theme:
In recent years ?innovation? has emerged as a 
key concept in which many issues of modern 
societies  solution to social problems, belief 
on economic growth, survival in international 
competition  seem to culminate. Central to the 
discussions on innovation have been the idea 
that traditional institutional boundaries 
between different sectors of society, such as 
politics, economy, culture and technology, have 
to be crossed more than before. This means that 
journalistic practises have had to become more 
flexible than before. The concept of Innovation 
Journalism was coined in 2003 by David Nordfors. 
For Innovation Journalism the process of 
innovation itself is the central concept, 
treating business, technology, politics, etc. as 
nested components of a news story. It is a 
'horizontal' beat, spanning across the old 
beats, reporting on innovation processes and 
innovation ecosystems. The concept of innovation 
journalism has further been defined as a kind of 
future journalism involving also cultural and 
social innovations emerging from outside of the 
?official innovation structures?.
Further information on the conference:
http://blogs.helsinki.fi/innovationjournalism
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Pauliina Shilongo
Coordinator, Communication Research Centre CRC
Department of Communication, P.O.Box 54
FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
tel. +358 9 1912 3752,fax +358 9 1912 4849
(pauliina.shilongo /at/ helsinki.fi)