Science and Technology Journalism

Science journalism uses news media to convey information about science and technology topics to the general public. The primary task of a science journalist is to render the complex, precise, and often jargon-laden findings of scientists, inventors, and engineers into a form that the average reader or viewer can understand and appreciate, while still communicating that news accurately and objectively. In recent decades, the amount and extent of scientific news has grown rapidly, with technology playing an increasingly central role in society and everyday life. Health/medical issues and environmental reporting have developed into distinctive “news beats.”

The differences between the methods and goals of journalists and of scientists, particularly their distinctive ways of presenting information, have led to challenges for both. Journalists tend to have a greater inclination toward sensationalism and speculation than scientists, whereas scientists focus more on explicit facts and empirical measurement. Scientific reports and studies are often full of numbers, exceptions, and qualifications, and science is an incremental process of discovery composed of many experiments of limited scope. Science journalists regularly come under criticism for oversimplifying or misrepresenting scientific findings and for offering interpretations that scientists did not intend. Scientists, in turn, are viewed by journalists as uncooperative, evasive, and needlessly obtuse. According to the First Amendment Center study, Worlds Apart, a majority of journalists surveyed found scientists as sources to be egotistical and overly skeptical of the public's (including journalists') ability to understand even basic scientific principles.

Nonetheless, scientific advances, debates, and discoveries continue to attract the attention of the public. Newspapers describe the latest inventions and chronicle the progress of research; magazines explore scientific concepts and examine the impact of new technologies in more depth. In interviews broadcast on radio and television, scientists discuss current research and comment on ethical and political issues surrounding scientific advances. On television cable channels, science is increasingly offered as entertainment laced with educational content.

It's now widely recognized that the news media are the primary source of scientific and technological information for most people. A 1997 study by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that a fifth of Americans polled stated they enjoyed news stories about science and technology, a higher percentage than for stories about religion, business, or the arts. Another 1997 report, “Americans Talk about Science and Medical News,” by the U.S. National Health Council surveyed [Page 1262]2,256 adults and revealed that 75 percent regularly read science and health news and that 58 percent had changed their behavior or beliefs based on such information.