Science Media - any advice
Naheed Rana
Tuesday, 15 July 2008 13:40 UTC
I hope you are well. I have just replied to a thread ‘science on the box’ and felt that I should initiate a new thread as it is an important area which is talked about and then forgotten about.
In the previous topic it is clear that all those in discussion were keen to see Science in the media. The statistics described and the effort put into science in media reflect its poor coverage, hence the urgency to try and bring it ‘home’.
I am a scientist (specifically Geneticist, Epidemiologist and Statistician) who has been urging and searching for ways to enhance the quality and quantity of science and healthcare in the media – for adults and children. I am keen to show that real science is not nerdy but is interesting and pursued as a career to those of us who look ‘normal’. Every person I have met in my time has been truly shocked that I am a scientist. Why? Because I do not ‘Look’ or ‘behave’ like those representing Science in media. I have a true passion for science and at the same time I have time for art, festivals, dinners, sport…. Luckily I have been blessed with good communication skills and am able to simplify theories/facts so that the lay-person can also understand. I have explained science to family, friends and various people all over the world – I am determined to convey science to others the way I see it – as fascinating and friendly!
I am hoping that someone in this forum will be able to get back to me with some avenues to pursue so that I can begin to fill in the missing “science in media” gap.
My direct email address is naheed_rana@yahoo.co.uk
I really look forward to receiving any suggestions/contacts.
Many thanks,
Naheed Rana (PhD)
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Replies
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Hi Naheed – thank you for that interesting point. I would say the problem is that the people who set this image and use particular types of people to present science are media people rather than science people – as such what’s needed is a way to get to the media! Perhaps more scientists should get into mainstream media?
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I think Brian has a good point. One way to see this is to ask where scientists might best put themselves in contact with non-scientists, as we presumably wish to communicate with them rather than with one another in this matter of representing science generally. If one watches the flow of topics on blogs generally, or opinion columns in places such as the Wall Street Journal Online, etc, one sees that it is possible sometimes to write on topics that have scientific content, from the perspective of a scientist. That is not quite the same as just telling non-scientists that science is fun and one can also enjoy movies and music while practicing science, but the point would be that scientists are also engaged in the world with topics outside science, and have views in which their scientific backgrounds help them come to conclusions.
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Hi Brian and Theodore, Thank you so much for your comments! You are both right, and it is something I have already started exploring. How to place awareness in the non-science media is certainly tricky but not impossible!
we, as scientists know that we enjoy other non-science topics but I have found that many others do not recognise this. I have also found children and young adults confused about science and what it means and how science is/can be used in the non-science world. There is also a lack of correct representation in the education arena, and as we know the powerful media can certainly be used to educate.
I shall keep you posted with progress and would appreciate your comments on any future queries I have in mind. All the best
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Hi Naheed,
This relationship between science and the media is an interesting one I think. I work with the media trying to get science based news stories into the national and regional press and have learnt a few things along the way (I’m still new to my job).
I trained as a scientist but am no longer in research. I really have a passion for science and one of my aims is to try and bridge that gap between science and society in some small way if I can.
I have to admit I’m still learning a lot about how science and the media interact. It’s an interesting topic and I think unique to any other areas such as Art or English literature for example.
I think one important thing to remember is that scientists have concentrated (and still do quite rightly so) on communicating effectively with each other – particularly between those working in similar fields. This means that communicating with the public is often a much lower priority and understandably. Communicating research effectively to this completely different audience won’t necessarily make you a more successful scientist by any means! It will take time out of the lab and might also make your supervisor a bit nervy if you are not careful.
The media concentrate on writing stories that are not only topical but also sell newspapers or airtime – this often leads to only sensationalist or quirky science news. Science writers often do have a science background which is great – but they are not the experts and unless scientists can somehow juggle their other responsibilities and make it a higher priority to talk about their work to a general audience – some very exciting stuff will of course get overlooked or misunderstood by the media – or not given the credit it deserves.
I think one of the main problems is that the aims of media and scientists are not the same. They are different and this leads to an unhappy relationship sometimes. Or at least this is my view at the moment.
I do think there are ways to change this. If every scientist was willing to give one public lecture during their PhD or maybe translate the abstracts of papers they publish into layman’s terms – we may have a more successful method of public communication. I do think the responsibility for communication lies with us – the researchers.
Jenny
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