Science Journalism develops the Developing World
Earl Lane
Melbourne, Australia - Writers from emerging and developing nations often
must cope with an array of challenges: Internet service can be slow or
unreliable. The electrical system can fail. Local scientists may be
reluctant sources, and editors might not value science reporting.
Governments sometimes apply pressure when stories go against the official
line.
Reporters and science communicators from 20 nations discussed such obstacles
during a United Nations-sponsored workshop held in conjunction with the 5th
World Conference of Science Journalists in Melbourne, Australia, from 16-20
April. The attendees shared experiences and needs, including ways to improve and
expand training and mentoring programs for journalists from developing regions.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science's free EurekAlert!
science news service was an exhibitor at the Melbourne conference and AAAS also
participated in the workshop, which included discussion of a project by the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to
develop a generic science journalism course for developing countries.
Educators and science communicators working on the project outlined the
course structure and received some immediate feedback from attendees who asked
why journalists from developing nations were not brought into the process from
the very beginning.
Nadia El-Awady of the Arab Science Journalists Association and the
IslamOnline website questioned whether there would be a market for the
proposed course in nations, such as in the Middle East, where many
universities do not offer specialized courses on business journalism, sports
journalism or other areas. "We just have general journalism," she
said, "so
if you start with science journalism, will you have students interested to
begin with?"
Cairo-based El-Awady also urged more input by journalists from the
developing world in the writing of the course outline, noting that it had
been presented by panelists from Australia and the United States.
Iskra Panevska, a UNESCO program specialist involved with the course
development effort, stressed that the workshop was "just the beginning of a
long, long process which we are going to do together with you," including
additional regional workshops where views will be solicited from working
journalists.
"It's in your hands," agreed Philip Hilts, a professor of
journalism at Boston University and former New York Times reporter who helped
write part of the course outline.
The workshop attendees made clear that whatever does result not be a
"one size fits all" approach. Some spoke of the need for targeted
training
programs for working journalists rather than year-long courses in science
journalism. In some cases, they argued that universities in their homelands
might be reluctant to adopt the course because they have other priorities.
The UNESCO-backed course is not the only one in the works. The World
Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ) and SciDev.Net, a source of science and
technology news for the developing world, have created three chapters already in
an online science journalism course. By 2008, the first of eight lessons should
be available on the federation's website. The WFSJ course is currently being
tested with reporters from Kenya, Malawi, United Arab Emirates, Rwanda and
elsewhere.
There also are an increasing number of training, mentoring and fellowship
programs and other resources being made available to journalists from
developing regions. These include a AAAS program that has brought deserving
journalists from Africa, Latin America and China to AAAS annual meetings where
they can mingle with colleagues from around the globe and hone their writing and
reporting skills.
AAAS also is offering more help to reporters in China with the upcoming
launch of EurekAlert! Chinese, a Chinese-language version of the popular
online news service that provides access to embargoed and breaking news,
peer-reviewed journals, experts and other valuable resources.
The World Federation of Science Journalists has a program that matches
inexperienced science journalists with skilled mentors, says Diran Onifade,
an executive with Nigerian television. Sixty writers have been trained in 30
nations of the Middle East and Africa and there are plans to extend the
program to Asia and Latin America, which pleases Lisbeth Fog, a science
journalism academic and journalist from Columbia. The same mentoring
programme also has helped establish associations of science journalists in
developing nations, such as Cameroon, Nigeria and Kenya, and has linked
those new associations with long-established groups of science writers in
the developed world.
The Washington-based International Center for Journalists offers a variety
of workshops, fellowships and training programs for writers from developing
nations. And the National Press Foundation, also based in Washington, runs a
Journalist-to-Journalist (J2J) program in which experienced journalists
mentor colleagues and work together to increase global coverage of important
issues. The program, for example, is offering fellowships for international
journalists to cover the upcoming 4th International Conference on
HIVPathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Sydney, Australia, in July.
Despite the existing training, mentoring and fellowship programs, journalists at
the Melbourne meeting said there are urgent needs still to be met, including
efforts to train editors, university officials, and scientists in their home
nations to be more supportive of good science journalism.
Invited by workshop organizers to discuss their biggest needs, the attendees
offered a glimpse at what they face on a regular basis. A Kenyan journalist said
it is "like chasing a rainbow" to get an editor who really understands
the science subjects he is writing about.
Christina Scott, a South African journalist, noted the need for science
reporting in her nation in languages other than English. There are 11
official languages in South Africa and, while English is the language of
science, it is not the majority language in South Africa.
Daniela Hirschfield, a writer from Uruguay, said it is essential to convince
editors that "if you have a parliament reporter, you need a science
reporter" as well. She said there is only one newspaper in Uruguay that
devotes substantial coverage to science.
A Pakistani journalist, Aleem Ahmed, editor of the Urdu-language journal
Global Science, said that many writers in his country cover science almost
as a hobby but then switch to other careers. "We need to assure that they
become bona fide science journalists," he said.
Although the workshop participants spoke of diverse challenges, including
some highly specific to their own countries, they also agreed that much of
what they face is not that different from what journalists face
everywhere-how to find the resources and sources to tell good, compelling
stories that can make a difference.
Pallab Ghosh, science correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC) and the new president of the World Federation of Science Journalists, said
the federation is trying to foster a culture of confidence among science writers
in the developing world so they recognize strong stories and can convince news
editors they are worth pursuing. "The key to all of this is to get the
confidence," Ghosh told the workshop. AAAS
More information:
 American
Association for the Advancement of Science www.aaas.org
World Federation of Science Journalism www.wfsj.org
International Center for Journalists www.icfj.org
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