Journalists face a lot of challenges in reporting science and technology as it entails rigorous preparation and an engagement with experts. The final step, however, is to decode the scientific jargon for the audience.
Educational Qualification
Communicating Science is a major challenge for journalists working in the field. To do so effectively, one requires a basic training on research in the field. A Master’s degree with some research experience is a must for a career in science journalism. However, a background in science also helps. ‘Science’ in the phrase ‘science journalism’ is the ‘what’ and caters to an invisible presence i.e. the audience.
Keep it Short and Simple
One must follow the golden rule of journalism even in the field of science journalism — KISS (keep it short and simple). The practitioners must use short sentences, simple words in active voice, and strong verbs. All must aim to reduce the jargons.
Stick to the Facts
In doing so, one must stick to the facts, which are the verifiable pieces of information in the story. Say, for example, the sentence “All Indians have pretty good immunity” is a mere opinion and not a fact. Contrast this sentence with another sentence: “In a research conducted by the Cambridge University, it was found that 80% Indians were not found to be suffering from diseases as compared to 60% British.” The latter sentence is backed by facts produced in a research.
Weave a Story
Facts, by nature, are drab and dull. Therefore, each piece of science journalism must tell a story, woven out of these facts. Different stories on pollution in Delhi have reported how the air pollution has risen drastically in the capital to the levels of 22 ppm of PM2.5. This is a bare fact. However, it could only resonate with people when the physicist Richard Muller and his daughter Elizabeth Muller of from Berkeley Earth introduced an innovative approach in 2015 by comparing the health impacts of ambient air pollution with that of cigarettes. It was then deduced how Delhi’s air in the month of November was equivalent to smoking 10 to 15 cigarettes every single day.
Humans are fed on stories since childhood. We make sense of the world in form of a story. The art of Science Communication is essentially an art of storytelling that is meant to evoke emotions.