Science journalism

Science journalism is a relatively new branch of journalism, which uses the art of reporting to convey information about science topics to a public forum. The communication of scientific knowledge through mass media requires a special relationship between the world of science and news media, which is still just beginning to form.

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 advanced training in the particular scientific disciplines that they cover — they may have been scientists or medical doctors before becoming journalists — or have at least exhibited talent in writing about science subjects.

In recent years, the amount of scientific news has grown rapidly with science playing an increasingly central role in society, and interaction between the scientific community and news media has increased. The differences between the methodologies of these two "pillars" of modern society, particularly their distinct ways of developing their realities, have led to some difficulties. Journalism tends to have a stronger bias towards truth and speculative theories than science, whereas science focuses more on fact and empirical measurement.

Science journalists regularly come under criticism for falsely reporting scientific stories. Very often, such as with climate change, this leaves the public under the false impression that the scientific community is divided, whereas science is based on weighted evidence and not beliefs. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/series/badscience]

See also

* Environmental journalism
* Popular science
* Public awareness of science
* Scientific literature
* "Frontiers of Science"

External links

* [http://www.wfsj.org/course/ Online Course in Science Jouranlism]
* [http://www.wfsj.org/ World Federation of Science Journalists]
* [http://www.ejo.ch/ European Journalism Observatory]
* [http://www.esf.org/eusja/ European Union of Science Journalists' Associations]
* [http://www.nasw.org/ National Association of Science Writers (USA)]
* [http://www.absw.org.uk/ Association of British Science Writers]
* [http://www.sciencewriters.ca/ Canadian Science Writers' Association]
* [http://www.journalism.nyu.edu/prospectivestudents/coursesofstudy/serp/ New York University Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program]