the-BA : 2007 Media Fellowships

For Immediate Release

What makes a good science news story? How do you ensure that it gets accurately reported? These were questions that scientists on a BA Media Fellowship scheme placement, organised by the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science), asked themselves as they plunged into the world of science journalism.

Hannah Devlin, who works at the Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, was one of the scientists who took part in the scheme last year. She explained her reasons for applying to become a BA Media Fellow: ‘Sensationalism, over-simplification and scare-mongering are charges frequently levelled at the press. I wanted to be able to communicate my research effectively to the media without fear of misinterpretation, particularly as my field of research – neuroimaging – is often the focus of media attention.’

The BA Media Fellowships are intended to give practising scientists and engineers the experience of working within a media organisation so that they are better equipped to communicate their research and expertise to the public and their colleagues. Placements have regularly included the BBC, the Guardian, the Times and Nature.

‘Negative perceptions about how science is reported still exist among some scientists,’ said Roland Jackson, Chief Executive of the BA. ‘But in our experience, science correspondents are generally very knowledgeable and professional. This scheme gives scientists and engineers an insight into how the media works and what journalists’ needs are. By helping scientists to forge better relationships with the media, and promoting a better understanding of each others’ working practices, we hope to foster a mutual understanding.’

Lucy Heady, a biophysicist from the University of Cambridge who spent her placement at Nature, appreciates the value of the scheme: ‘Understanding the process of science journalism has convinced me of the importance of getting journalists and scientists closer together. If a story is misreported or misses the point the fault lies just as much with the scientist behind the story as with the journalist who wrote it.’

Courtenay Norbury, an experimental psychologist from the University of Oxford, had previously found herself stumbling through a radio interview – despite her best efforts. ‘I was armed with accurate facts and figures and an amazing experimental approach. But to my surprise the interviewer didn’t ask the questions I was expecting and I found the messages I most wanted to convey didn’t get any air time.’

But following her stint at the Irish Times, Courtenay feels much better prepared to communicate her research in future interviews: ‘My experience as a BA Media Fellow was invaluable. I know that I have much greater confidence in speaking to the media and I now know how to prepare an advance statement that will be provocative, but not misleading.’

Hannah, who worked at the Times – reporting on everything from prehistoric spiders to supernovae – feels likewise: ‘Having been on the other end of the phone line I now know how the mind of a journalist works and how to avoid being misinterpreted.’

Those that took part also valued the skills they could take back to their work in the lab. Elli Leadbeater, who spent her time at BBC News Interactive and BBC Radio, explained that the timescales involved were completely foreign to her as a scientist – but now she is able to write more quickly and with more confidence. ‘I learnt more about areas of science outside my own in six weeks at the BBC than I have in the last five years of actually working in a university,’ she added. And Natasha Tian felt she gained a deeper appreciation of her PhD through writing her first article at the Scotsman, than she had achieved during three years of research.

Applications for the 2007 BA Media Fellowships are now open and run until 18 April. More information, including how to apply, plus a web diary of some of the previous Media Fellows, can be found here.

ENDS

For further information please contact:
Lisa Hendry, Press Officer, the BA
Tel: 020 7019 4946
Email: lisa.hendry@the-ba.net

Note for editors

1. The BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) exists to advance the understanding, accessibility and accountability of the sciences and engineering. This means helping create a social climate in which science, and the organisations dependent on it, advances with the involvement and active support of non-scientists. We aim to promote openness about science in society and to affirm science as a prime cultural force by engaging and inspiring adults and young people directly with science and technology, and their implications. For more information about the BA, please visit www.the-ba.net.

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