-----Original Message-----
From: psci-com: on the public understanding of science
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Phil Pinder
Sent: 30 January 2002 15:14
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Kroto studying history?
Andy Boddington wrote:
> In today's Telegraph, Nobel laureate Harry Kroto accuses television
managers
> of ignoring scientists. Scientists "have no outlet and there are few
> opportunities to get accurate information from the people at the sharp
end
> of science". Apparently, people should be just as ashamed of not
knowing
> about science as they would be of not having read Shakespeare.
There may be lots of science, but not many scientists. Perhaps he was
lamenting the
lack of direct scientist to public interaction in the medium?
-----End Quoted (and cut) Message-----
Good points. I would add to them that as far as I can tell (I don't own
a TV and never watch it), there is little about the business of actually
doing science.
But broadcast media are not alone in this. Science, it seems, is stuff
that magically appears from nowhere.
Some scientists feature as personalities - usually the same old lags who
are often beyond the 'research by' date. But how often do you read
articles about how A Scientist actually went about a particular piece of
research? You can find this sort of thing in the history books, but
unless I am missing something it is not a feature of today's media.
There are plenty of articles on how a producer puts together an opera,
to pick an area that I am familiar with, and there are articles about
artists and how they work.
Is it beyond the wit of writers to make scientists and how they work
equally interesting?
I once suggested to one of the grey eminences that it would be
interesting to assemble a book, or even an article, on the biggest
blunders that they had made in their careers. This particular scientist,
a leading light in the PEST business, thought this was a terrible idea.
And they wonder why people don't understand how science works and why
scientists cannot, for example, utter definitive statements on the
safety of something.
MK
_______________________________________________________________________
Michael Kenward / Phone: +44 (0)1444 400568 Fax: 401064
/
Science Writer & Stuff / Genetically modified words for sale
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