How I got started.

The BA application form asked me to write my views on how science is covered in the media, this is what I had to say -


Science based documentaries and articles are now appearing on mediums that were traditionally meant for entertainment. A big positive change is that we now have more popularity of science based programmes because of the approach the media is taking. However, I also think that there is not enough of engagement from the society in all matters scientific. There still remains a sense of inapproachability towards science. It’s as if the white lab coat is like a Frankenstein costume.

I also think that sensationalising science alienates the public more than it attracts them. It gives an element of magic to an otherwise slow, drudged and laborious process. This is what, in my view brings about the distrust most people have for scientists. They think that genetics, cloning, stem cells, or even black holes are the magician’s rabbits rather than decades of small jigsaw pieces being aligned to make a sensible picture. This in part, is also due to limited coverage of the entire spectrum of science in the media. There seems to be some sort of hotlist of topics that get covered and those are the ones that remain in the forefront, most other bits of science never get any mention. When something groundbreaking happens, the public is given the shortest of overviews in the subject and they are expected to follow complex issues from that point on. It all seems a bit unfair on the public.

However, in the process of writing a few articles on a layman level has made me appreciate the work media has to do in order to demystify certain complex issues. They are indeed the middle men in a trade where information is the product, which like Chinese whispers, can be notorious in terms of accuracy.

I am now finding myself sitting on the fence.

I think since the placement there is a lot that is missing in this essay.... maybe I will regurgitate my time at the Daily Mirror (http://www.mirror.co.uk/ ) and the Science Media Center (SMC) http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/nanotechnology.htm at leisure now that the sun is out and I am back home tucked in my own bed.
The sponge will lose some moisture in the hope it will clean a lot of dust and dirt off the surface....