Press Registration

The ESA Press Office provides complimentary press registration to public information officers and institutional press officers, professional journalists representing media organizations, freelance journalists, photographers, videographers, bloggers, podcasters, authors, filmmakers, institutional science communicators, and student journalists, for the express purpose of gathering news and information to produce media coverage of ESA meetings.

Please see credential policy below

Public information officers and institutional press officers who cannot attend, but would like to promote presenters from their institutions, are welcome to prearrange distribution of press releases and other author materials on the meeting website and in the on-site press room. Press officers may request copies of all abstracts related to their institution. For registration, more information, or help finding scientists in our meeting program, please contact Heidi Swanson or call (202) 833-8773 x211.

Representatives of publishing houses, the business side of news media, political action committees or similar, and for-profit corporations, will not be accredited as press and will not be eligible for complimentary press registration. Editors of journals or other publications who do not report for or edit their outlet’s news section will also not be accredited as press and are not eligible for complimentary press registration.

Press registrants receive, at no charge, a badge that provides access to all scientific sessions, the press room and the press conference room. Some events and activities, including but not limited to invitation-only events and communications workshops, are not open to press badge holders.

Scientists who will be presenting at the meeting and who are also reporting from the meeting for a recognized media outlet may also be issued press credentials at the discretion of the ESA Press Office. Anyone who presents at the meeting must also register for the meeting and pay the appropriate fee as a presenter. These registrants should first register as press and indicate that they are also a presenter on their press registration form. These registrants should not register as a presenter until after being contacted by a member of the ESA Press Office who will provide additional information for registering as a presenter.

All press room badges are issued at the discretion of the ESA Press Office. Press room badges are non-transferable. All registrants must provide credentials regardless of whether they have received press registration for past ESA meetings.

CREDENTIALS

Journalists

• Includes journalists who regularly report, edit or produce news on the ecological and biological sciences and are employed at a recognized news media outlet (newspaper, wire service, magazine, radio, television or online media outlet) that engages in reporting and distributing information directly to the general public. Media outlets associated with advocacy organizations must be explicitly editorially independent of the advocacy organization.
• Staff journalists must present a press card, business card or webpage of a recognized media outlet stating their name, title and affiliation; or a letter from an editor of a recognized news media outlet assigning coverage of the meeting.

Freelance science journalists

• Includes freelance journalists who regularly report or produce news on the ecological and biological sciences for a recognized news media outlet that engages in reporting and distributing information directly to the general public.
• Freelance journalists must present three (3) bylined news reports in the ecological and biological sciences intended for the general public and published in the past year.

Photo and video journalists

• Includes photo and video journalists whose primary purpose is news gathering and dissemination, and who regularly produce images and/or video for recognized news media outlets that distribute information directly to the general public.
• Photo and video journalists must present a press card, business card or webpage of a recognized media outlet stating their name, title and affiliation; a letter from an editor of a recognized news media outlet assigning coverage of the meeting; or a portfolio of work that includes images and video of news reports on the ecological and biological sciences.

Authors and filmmakers

• Includes creators of long-form stories or compositions about ecological and biological sciences, such as books, feature-length documentary films or in-depth magazine articles.
• Authors and filmmakers must present evidence of a current project in the ecological and biological sciences, or a project published in the past year.

Science bloggers

• Includes writers for editorially-independent blogs that have been in existence for at least one year, have a readership of at least 3,000 unique visitors or sessions per month, and regularly produce original news content in the ecological and biological sciences. Blogs should have editorial freedom from advertising sponsors and sponsors must be clearly identified. Blogs must be hosted by a recognized news media outlet, scientific society, educational institution, government agency or a non-profit ecological and biological science research organization. Corporate-owned blogs and personal blogs are ineligible for press credentials.
• Science bloggers must present evidence of three (3) bylined news posts in the ecological and biological sciences sciences in the past year and a screen shot of blog analytics covering the period of the past year (e. g., August 2017 – August 2018) showing the number of unique visitors or sessions per month. The AGU press office may, on a case-by-case basis, weigh a bloggers’ social media following in determining eligibility for registration.

Science podcasters

• Includes hosts and producers of science podcasts that have been in existence for at least one year and regularly produce original audio content in the ecological and biological sciences. Podcasts must be hosted by a recognized news media outlet, scientific society, educational institution, government agency or a non-profit ecological and biological science research organization. The ESA press office may grant press credentials to producers of independent podcasts not hosted by a media outlet or scientific institution/society, or those that have been in existence for less than one year, on a case-by-case basis.
• Podcasters must present a link to the podcast homepage and a webpage or business card clearly showing their name and affiliation with the podcast. They must also provide a link to or screenshot of the podcast’s page on a major listening platform such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or Spotify.
• If the podcast is not hosted by a media outlet or scientific institution/society or has been in existence for less than one year, the ESA press office may ask for additional credentials and weigh a podcast’s monthly downloads, listener ratings and social media following in determining eligibility for registration.

Public information / press officers

• Includes public information and press officers of recognized scientific societies, educational institutions, government agencies and non-profit ecological and biological science research organizations whose primary role focuses on communicating science with the press or public, and are attending the meeting to facilitate interaction between scientists and journalists.
• Public information and press officers must present a business card or webpage clearly showing job position, a letter from a supervisor describing job duties or a recent sample of relevant material distributed to the press, such as a news release.

Institutional science communicators

• Includes science communicators, including writers, videographers, illustrators and social media content producers, of recognized scientific societies, educational institutions, government agencies and non-profit ecological and biological sciences research organizations whose primary role focuses on communicating science with the public.
• Institutional science writers must show evidence of three (3) bylined, original news or feature stories in the ecological and biological sciences published in the past year and intended for the general public. Videographers, illustrators and social media content producers must present a business card or webpage clearly showing job position, a letter from a supervisor describing job duties or a recent sample of relevant material, such as a video or illustration.

Journalism students / educators

• Includes current students in a college or university journalism program who are attending the meeting to produce media coverage of it for the general public, or faculty of a college/ university journalism program who are attending the meeting to facilitate student coverage of the meeting for the general public.
• Students must present evidence of current enrollment in a college/university journalism program and a letter from a supervisor assigning coverage of the meeting and stating where the coverage will appear. Faculty must present a business card or webpage clearly showing their job position, plus a written statement of their role at the meeting, which students they will supervise and where coverage will appear.