Science journalism
Encyclopedia
Science journalism conveys reporting about science to the public. The field typically involves interactions between scientists, journalists and the public, and is still evolving.
Science journalists often do not have training in the scientific disciplines that they cover. Some have earned a degree in a scientific field before becoming journalists, or exhibited talent in writing about science subjects. However, good preparation for interviews and even deceptively simple questions such as "What does this mean to the people on the street?" can often give material that is useful for publication for the intended audience.
, this leaves the public with the impression that disagreement within the scientific community is much greater than it actually is. Science is based on experimental evidence
, testing
and not dogma, and disputation is a normal activity.
Aim of science journalism
The first task of a science journalist is to render the very detailed, specific, and often jargon-laden information produced by scientists into a form that the average media consumer can understand and appreciate, while still communicating the information accurately.Science journalists often do not have training in the scientific disciplines that they cover. Some have earned a degree in a scientific field before becoming journalists, or exhibited talent in writing about science subjects. However, good preparation for interviews and even deceptively simple questions such as "What does this mean to the people on the street?" can often give material that is useful for publication for the intended audience.
Status of science journalism
With budget cuts at major newspapers and other media, there are fewer working science journalists than before. Blog-based science reporting is filling in to some degree, but has problems of its own.Criticism
Science journalists regularly come under criticism for falsely reporting scientific stories. Very often, such as with climate changeClimate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
, this leaves the public with the impression that disagreement within the scientific community is much greater than it actually is. Science is based on experimental evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
, testing
Test method
A test method is a definitive procedure that produces a test result.A test can be considered as technical operation that consists of determination of one or more characteristics of a given product, process or service according to a specified procedure. Often a test is part of an experiment.The test...
and not dogma, and disputation is a normal activity.
See also
- Popular sciencePopular sciencePopular science, sometimes called literature of science, is interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is broad-ranging, often written by scientists as well as journalists, and is presented in many...
- Public awareness of sciencePublic awareness of sciencePublic awareness of science , also public understanding of science , is a term relating to the attitudes, behaviours, opinions and activities that comprise the relations between the general public or lay society as a whole to scientific knowledge and organisation.It is a comparatively new approach...
- Scientific literatureScientific literatureScientific literature comprises scientific publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the natural and social sciences, and within a scientific field is often abbreviated as the literature. Academic publishing is the process of placing the results of one's research into the...
- Frontiers of ScienceFrontiers of ScienceFrontiers of Science was a popular illustrated comic strip created by Professor Stuart Butler of the School of Physics at the University of Sydney in collaboration with Robert Raymond, a documentary maker from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1961. The artist was Andrea Bresciani...
- Science by press conferenceScience by press conferenceThe term science by press conference is a phrase referring to scientists who put an unusual focus on publicizing results of research in the media. The term is usually used disparagingly...
- False balanceFalse balanceFalse balance is a centuries old English phrase, found in the King James Bible to indicate a dishonest measurement....
External links
- Indian Science Communication Society
- European Union of Science Journalists' Associations
- National Association of Science Writers (USA)
- Northwest Science Writers Association (Pacific Northwest, USA)
- Association of British Science Writers
- Canadian Science Writers' Association
- Arab Science Journalists Association
- Union of Italian Science Journalists (UGIS, Unione Giornalisti Italiani Scientifici)
- World Federation of Science Journalists
- SWIM - Science Writers in Italy
- TELI - German Science Writers