New York, NY, August 12, 2024 — The Science Friday Initiative is proud to announce that producer and guest host Kathleen Davis has been named a 2024 Rising Star in Public Media by Current. “I’m so honored to have been selected as a Rising Star in Public Media,” Davis said. “I’ve dedicated my career to public media because I stand by its mission of free, accessible and educational material for all. It’s a pleasure to be in great company alongside the other 2024 Rising Stars.”
“Public media is so fortunate that these outstanding young professionals have chosen to bring their passions, talents and incredible work ethic to our field,” said Current Executive Director Julie Drizin.
This spring Current received more than 170 nominations for consideration as Rising Stars. Finalists and winners were chosen by Current staff and five judges who work in and around public media.
Kathleen goes above and beyond her job description by serving as a guest host and leading Science Friday’s State of Science (SOS) reporting collaborative. One of her goals with SOS coverage is to present stories that cover the geographic and demographic diversity of America. Not only has Kathleen fostered connections with over 27 partner stations in the SOS collaborative, she has invited more stations into the collaborative by speaking at the Collaborative Journalism Summit in Detroit and an Institute for Nonprofit News gathering on collaborative journalism.
“Kathleen’s work across public media is giving new meaning to SciFri’s mission of increasing access to science news,” said John Dankosky, director of news & audio at Science Friday. “The way Kathleen defines ‘access’ and is increasing it, goes far beyond making media without paywalls and asks the question, ‘Who is included and who feels represented by this coverage?’ Striving for true access and belonging in public media for people who have been historically excluded and underrepresented makes Kathleen a Rising Star.”
About Science Friday: Science Friday’s mission is to increase public access to science and scientific information. They strive to deliver enjoyable, understandable science to people and communities across the country and around the world. Founded by Ira Flatow, Science Friday was first broadcast in 1991 as a caller-driven public radio talk show focused on science and connecting the public with scientific experts. Since then, they’ve expanded their offerings into podcasts, digital and social media, education, live events, and community programming, all in service of their mission. Learn more at ScienceFriday.com.
About Current: Current is a nonprofit news organization covering public media in the U.S. for professionals in the industry. For over 40 years, leaders and staff at NPR, PBS, CPB, public radio and TV stations, and independent producers have relied on Current for information, inspiration and insights to help them fulfill public media’s mission. Current’s career portal publicmediajobs.org is the leading site for employment and recruitment opportunities in public media. Current, a journalism center of the American University School of Communication, is funded in part by the Wyncote Foundation of Philadelphia.