Article

Science not a priority for SA press

Carine van Rooyen

The coverage of science and technology in the South African press is insufficient. Less than 2% of editorial space in some of the country's top publications is awarded to these topics, according to a study conducted by the Department of Journalism at the University of Stellenbosch (US) in 2002. Carine van Rooyen, author and study leader, reports.

The poor relationship between the media and science has been on the international agenda since the World Congress on the Public Communication of Science and Technology in the early 90s. It has been more than a decade, and yet it seems as if this global priority has not filtered through to the local press.

Aside from the fact that a mere 1,8% of editorial space in a sample of local publications were awarded to science and technology during the research period, the US study indicated that a large percentage (38%) of published reports originated from news agencies. In-depth articles were few and far between, while most (74%) of published material appeared as news reports or snippets.

The importance of sufficient press coverage of science and technology cannot be overemphasised. The availability of information on the positive and negative impact of developments in science and technology is paramount to the effective functioning of a democracy.

The press is one of the most important vehicles through which science news can be distributed. The print media lends itself to investigative in-depth reporting thanks to the compact format in which information can be packaged. Unfortunately, it seems as if this benefit is not harnessed effectively.

A total of fifteen publications were studied. Daily newspapers that were monitored included Die Burger, Beeld, Cape Argus, The Star and the Sowetan. The weekly, national newspaper group included the City Press, Mail & Guardian, Sunday Independent, Sunday Times, Rapport and Business Day. Two non-science magazines, Financial Mail and Finance Week, and two community newspapers, Eikestadnuus and Sasolburg Bulletin, also formed part of the study.

The publications were monitored for a period of three months (18 March - 17 June 2002), during which a unique database was compiled. The study only included articles and news reports that were either directly linked to a science issue or that dealt with a subject placed into perspective by scientists (e.g. global warming).

"Technology" was defined as "practical science" - where scientific developments are given industrial applications.

No similar research into the amount of coverage of science and technology in the South African press has been conducted previously.

The number of science articles studied was expressed as a percentage (1,8%) of the total number of articles and reports published in the above-mentioned publications during the study period. The apparent lack of science and technology coverage can possibly be attributed to the shortage of committed science writers. The role of gatekeepers, newsroom staff who has an influence on the flow of information, should also be considered.

Even though the study indicated that an average of two reporters published science articles at least three times during the study period, it also showed that the Afrikaans dailies employed a larger number of "dedicated" science writers. A combined total of ten journalists from Die Burger and Beeld published relevant articles during the three-month period. These two publications were grouped together as a number of journalists overlapped.

The research indicated that the majority (70%) of the published science reports were written with an angle that emphasised the positive aspects of science and technology. The benefits of science were highlighted in 42% of the articles. This was investigated as it is often claimed that the media only portrays the negative aspects of science and technology. The results indicated the opposite.

However, similar studies in other parts of the world have demonstrated that positive reports are often alternated with more negative coverage in the long run.

During the study period, certain science subcategories were given more attention than others. Nineteen categories were identified for the purpose of the study. The category for biomedicine was covered most (18%), with coverage of astronomy in the second position (14%).

The high coverage of astronomy could, however, be attributed to the local press' interest in Mark Shuttleworth's visit to the international space station in April 2002. Other popular categories included HIV/Aids (12%) and technology (12%). A significant portion of coverage dealt with topics of pseudo science (5%), such as astrology, and a small percentage of articles covered mathematics (0,2%) and physics (0,4%).

The use of infographics to accompany science articles was limited. Only about 8% of the articles included in the study were accompanied by these informative visuals. A closer look at the use of infographics is important, as these visuals give prominence to reports and articles. Complicated scientific information can also be made more accessible by using infographics.

The study also indicated that certain topics were more likely to be covered by foreign reporters. Physics, food science, nutrition, palaeobiology and the human behavioural sciences counted among these. Photos and sketches more often accompanied certain categories (astronomy, technology and botany) than others.

Although this first study into the coverage of science and technology in the South African press points to certain important shortcomings, future research is needed to verify the findings.

* The project was supported and sponsored by the SA Foundation for Education Science and Technology (FEST). 

More information:

www.saasta.ac.za 

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