These questions have certainly sparked an interesting debate. However, I think the focus on the, apparently somewhat strained, relationship between scientists and journalists may be limiting the discussion. For one thing, science journalism at many media outlets is dwindling. As newspapers struggle, science journalism is often one of the first things to be cut. This means that science news items often come almost verbatim from press releases put out by universities or other research organizations. While I think we should all bemoan the decline of science journalism, for scientists who have had bad experiences with journalists, this trend does have a silver lining. Press releases are written by press officers and communications directors whose job it is to publicize the work of scientists at their institution. This means that they have a vested interest in getting the science right, and presenting it in a way that the scientist is happy with. Developing a close working relationship with the communications office at your institution will be one of the most effective and easiest ways to make sure your research is widely and accurately disseminated.
Another approach is to do your own popular writing. While academic training rarely prepares a scientist to do this and the reward structures in academia don't necessarily encourage popular writing, some scientists can pull this off. One good example of this in ecology is Bernd Heinrich. While some on this list-serve may be familiar with his hundreds of academic papers, I suspect more are familiar with his many popular books on natural history and field ecology. While telling fascinating stories about the natural world, Bernd also describes his process of learning about nature, and that process is science, close observation and experimentation. I find this kind of writing one of the most effective ways of teaching the public about the scientific method. Jan Cannon, a documentary film maker, has recently produced a film on Bernd's life and approach to science and writing that I think many on this list would enjoy. A trailer can be seen and DVDs ordered from the film maker's website: http://www.jancannonfilms.com/berndheinrichfilm.htm All the best, Josh Rapp On Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 4:17 AM, Laura S. <[email protected]> wrote: > Dear all: > > I am interested in your thoughts. If needed, I can elaborate more on these > questions. > > Are scientists making scientific findings readily accessible to the general > public? > > What can scientists do to improve dissemination of scientific information > to > the general public? > > Do scientists need to be involved in teaching the public about the > scientific method? > > Thank you, > Laura > > >
