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• Subhra Priyadarshini

  17 January 2008 | 07:56

  Hi Gajendra Raghava,

  You are right in saying the best of Indian science is not reflected in popular media reportage. But that’s not because the media is not interested or doesn’t have science reporters. The coverage of science in newspapers and magazines has, in fact, gone up by leaps and bounds in recent times. Being part of the media for long years, I have often felt that many scientific institutions in this country are not as media-savvy as their counterparts in the developed world, where every research body has a public relations wing. I don’t mean to make a general statement about all Indian institutes (I have seen some very professionally run media units in some of the institutes) but by and large, our science bodies are yet to come out of the notion that the media will seek out their best work. I might add here that most big research work reported in the media has been an outcome of science writers hunting for news in labs, and not the other way round. I do think its time to swap roles. I hope our labs feel proud of their achievements and go seek the media out!

• Gajendra Raghava

  17 January 2008 | 18:42

  Hi,
  Thanks for your kind response, first time I came to know the views of a person attach with media. I am a scientist working in the field of Bioinformatics from last number of years. The views I expressed in last email as well as in this email are my personal views based of my experience. After reading your post, I realize their is some gap between media and science. According to you, media expect that scientific institutes should have public relation-wings which may provide news on science to media. We (most of institutes) expect that media should come forward and study the work we are doing and publish it in popular media based on facts. In my experience most of the times media persons do not verify the facts and publish the news. Some scientists or institutes take advantage of media and hype their achievements on other side other genuine scientist or science do not got adequate coverage. Now one will ask how media can help if scientific society is not providing information or how to verify the facts. In science it is simple to verify the facts because most of information is available on internet or in databases. For example one wish to publish where India stand in science one can easily calculate ranking of India any year from SJS site , In order to rank any scientist one can easily calculate his/her h-index , in order to see achievement of any institute one may examine total publication in high impact journals. We scientific community feel that we are busy in our research, popular media should have knowledgeable scientific reports who can study, monitor and publish progress in science particularly in india. I have recently post my views on Role of Money in Indian Science , our society should know the problems faced by science community in India. Their are number of postings related to science on net, popular media should publish important postings, discussions and views. Society should know the fact about science.

• Biman Basu

  19 January 2008 | 13:02

  I think Gajendra has a point. The coverage of the work of Indian scientists is indeed scant in Indian media. As Subhra says, part of it is because the Indian scientific institutions are not as media-savvy as their counterparts in the developed world. But that’s not the whole truth. During my service with the CSIR, where I edited the popular science monthly Science Reporter for more than 30 years, I found that although in many institutions the scientists were willing to talk to science journalists they were not allowed to do so by the seniors. Of course, being part of the government set-up I was able to visit many labs, talk to the scientists, and get quite a few major stories. We were even able to run a series titled “India can do it” in Science Reporter in which we were able to bring exciting stories about research going on in our scientific institutions about which little was reported earlier. I think, unless there is unrestricted access to information Indian science will continue to be neglected by the media.

• Subhra Priyadarshini

  20 January 2008 | 14:00

  Thanks, Biman. I was hoping some scientist reading this post would bring that point up rather than I making the observation. I have been asked by many scientists to ‘call back later’ so that they can get permission from their bosses, who in turn had to get a clearance from the department (and in some cases ministry). I agree that though there is a need to channelise such information to the media where stories of strategic or national interest are concerned but for most other research I don’t see why the head of the institute/lab can’t say a yes or no right away. Sadly, in many cases I have had to ‘call back later’ umpteen number of times only to find that some innocuous piece of research was unreachable because the permission from the top never came through. At times the clearance would come, but the story would have lost its news value by then.
  Well, you were lucky to be an insider! I am so glad you have been able to dig out impressive volumes of research from Indian labs.

• Arup Acharjee

  22 January 2008 | 14:03

  Well it seems at first that I am too young a mind to discuss such big an issue!Is the problem of refusal of the popular media to focus on science in particular and Indian science in general a problem of the media alone?When I put up this question I have in the background the common Indian mentality!First of all,we Indians are far too skeptical of the science than the so-called developed world.Living in Banaras for the past 6 months I just realize how foolish the common Indian man is!(Let there be no gender bias…man is a term I am using in common).Religious sentiments in our country is so strong that it’s very hard to make one believe the actual cause of anything as simple..water pollution!The charanamtit is drunk by the devotes in most temples around India to cure ailments from common cold to cancer ..and what essentially it contains is a large innoculum of viruses and bacteria!
  Now our Indian media is catering to these very bunch of negligent people …what good purpose would it solve for those running the media by publishing articles on science?Would they not publish a section on tirthyatras or on entertainment that would at the end of the day bring in some more bucks into their publishing house!One should notice the popular news channels’ late night shows on ghosts,its a shame to watch those shows made out of cheap sensational journalism!
  So when there is so feeble a demand why at all should media publish or air science !
  It’s time to change the mentality of the common Indian the aam aadmi by framing syllabus in elementary schools that is scientific ,having the ability to create a scientific temperament and not just dumping lots of scientific literature onto those young minds!
  So what I personally feel once there is demand for science we will see those sting operations in the lab of Indian scientist,bringing out some sort of BREAKING NEWS every other day courtesy our very own Indian media!
  Before that cursing the media shall be of no use!

• Gajendra Raghava

  22 January 2008 | 17:33

  Dear Arup
  I agree with your view. You raised an important issue which confuse me most. When, I was kid my parents told me do not believe in all these pandits/pandas etc. they are making fool of pulic in order to earn money . I thought our most of elders were illiterate that’s why these peoples survive and succeed in making fool of public. I also admire when some channel shows news about some fraud tantrik/baba etc. I always thought that our society is going in right direction and our journalism is paying effective role and in future things will be based on facts (sciences) rather than nonsense beliefs (as you discussed above). In contrast, Nowadays I am seeing most of news channels are showing baba’s, fortune tellers , covering lot of religious things and trying to make belief in all these matters, showing film stars visiting religious places. These are same channels which are exposing small fraud tantriks and promoting big baba’s in sophisticated manners. After seeing all these things I am confuse whether our society is going in right direction or not, despite number of educated peoples are increasing. These channels or media houses newer pay attention to science. It may be true that our indian scientists are not cooperating but media may contribute in publicizing science in various ways like what’s new is going world over in science (just show main research news from good journals). We really need a strong journalism to promote science in India for the progress of country.

• Subhra Priyadarshini

  23 January 2008 | 14:52

  This is precisely where specialised science publications, which also keep the common reader in mind, come into the picture. If we have a platform where scientists can interact and find latest research stories (that people with non-technical backgrounds can also understand), won’t everyone be interested in science? Just today, I got a couple of refusals from a few scientists not wanting to talk unless the boss permits. And the bosses were unavailable, they were touring (as most bosses do most of the times these days!). Also, no one likes to dejargonise his/her scientific paper, they feel good when all high sounding technical inputs are carried in the story. It makes them happy but a lay reader finds it almost impossible to comprehend what they are trying to say. The idea of new age science journalism in to strike a balance between the two without messing up with basic scientific facts.

• Subhra Priyadarshini

  23 January 2008 | 14:54

  This content has been removed by the forum moderators.

• Kuljeet Sandhu

  24 January 2008 | 12:52

  Though, I have not read all the comments, but I agree that our media is more into crapy news. I hv few points to mention on Dr. Raghava’s concern about “why science or scientists are not in news”.

  1. We probably lack potential scientific journalists in Indian media, who can have enough confidence to understand and write the science correctly and that too in simple language.

  2. We need to accept that not all kind of science is of interest to general public. For example, it wld be worth writing on Dr. Raghava’s “disease forecast” work that is of interest to Indian media/public, but if we go for “beta-barrel prediction”, it wld hardly appeal anyone in general public (nothing to offend anyone). Work related to agriculture, health and environment can easily attract the media and it does!

  3. If the work or personality is really impressive and admirable, it does make news. One recent example is here Though not influential or powerful, this person is in news very often in “popular media” for his bold views on Indian science.

  4. The media is influenced by influential people, that is true everywhere. It is worth maintaining good relations with media people.

  5. Media sells what can be sold easily, science is hardly a choice for most of them. But, very recently I saw “Research” channel came up. Also, recent initiative to broadcast lectures of IIT is quite impressive.

  6. Last but not the least, it is our popular media only that uncovers the bitter reality behind some of socalled “big shots” of Indian science. Thanks to them!

• jayanta chatterjee

  04 February 2008 | 16:47

  According to me, Indian media hardly criticize Indian science and force policy makers to become more accountable. We see many glorifying news about great achievements of Indian science, be it “indigenously built missiles” or some potential drugs. Thanks to the Indian media (and lack of their critical scientific understanding) that perpetrators of such news items (mainly Indian universities and research organizations) are not followed up for their promises and performances. I also have realized that lack of scientific understanding by media correspondents sometimes cause inappropriate articles as well.
  A series of articles in Indian Express is the first public scrutiny for a very high profile Indian research organization, DRDO. The concerned minister had to give statements in Parliament regarding pathetic performance of DRDO and its huge spending of public money. Most of our great scientific organizations are enjoying their present glory simply because they send students abroad and successful mainly as teaching institutes (IIT and so). But that is not their job, as per their own mandates and also does not justify huge public money they spend (mainly in so-called “research”). Lack of foreign competition and collaborations also make many of them complacent (e.g atomic research).

  Here are some rare examples of critical popular media:
  DRDO related story in Indian Express (the only Indian research organization that underwent public scrutiny): story-1 , 2 , 3.

  Now quoting from some hardcore scientific journals (NATURE and SCIENCE):

  Jayaraman, K. S. (2007). Indian science is in decline, says prime minister. Nature 445, 134-5.

  Lavania, U. C. (2007). Five-point plan to revive and reform Indian science. Nature 445, 484.

  Jayaraman, K. S. (2002). India’s scientists agonize over fall in publication rate. Nature 419, 100.

  Bagla, P. (2002). India. Missing generation leaves hole in fabric of research. Science 298, 733-5.

  Vohora, S. B. and Vohora, D. (2001). Why are Indian journals’ impact factors so low? Nature 412, 583.

  Jayaraman, K. S. (1998). Decline in Indian publications raises alarm. Nature 392, 215.

  You can have more on almost the same topic in another thread in this forum: Role of Money in Indian Science

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