Cultivating a culture of science Monday, 27 June 2011 03:47

The World Conference of Science Journalists 2011 opened here last evening. And we thank Qatar Foundation for bringing the conference to Doha.

I am excited not only because of my background in engineering, but because I would like to see a culture of science develop in the Arab world and believe the meet in Doha will put in sharp perspective where do we stand.

We have thousands of publications in the Middle East, less than 10 percent of them in the field of science. Other publications either cover science as normal news or they allot one page each week for science stories in their Lifestyle sections. Even though Egypt, Kuwait and Syria started in this field a long time ago, we still haven’t attained international standards.

Science journalism is a critical branch of media that is often neglected, especially in the Arab world. It serves as a bridge between the lab and the common man. It educates an average reader on new developments and technological advances that affect his day-to-day life.

Science journalism can be put in two broad categories – general or popular science, which is an interpretation of science intended for the general public and the other more specialised and intended for those with serious interest in the subject. It is the first category that the media in the Arab world often neglects. Our media focus is on entertainment and consumer-oriented. Whenever we have news about science, we treat it like it was a normal news story and report it as it is, without going further and providing in-depth analysis.

It is ironical that the Arab world which was once the center of sciences is now way behind Western and international media in this field, especially in areas such as the environment, medical, technology, robotics and nanotechnology to name a few.

I know why we are weak when it comes to covering the field of science in the Arab world. One is that we lack initiatives in research and development. Although some Arab countries, in recent years, have pledged to provide more funding to R&D, it is still negligible compared to the billions that international governments and companies have already poured in.

Then we have an acute shortage of qualified journalists who understand technology and developments in sciences and yet are able to convert it into stories that are accessible to the general public. The few journalists who venture out face great difficulty in getting information from researchers and scientists. Institutes and research centres are reluctant to part with information about studies and research that can be covered by the media.

A lack of freedom to communicate with researchers greatly hinders science journalists from reporting on important stories. When requested for interviews, they often have to seek permission from their bosses or institutions before giving out information. The culture of accepting criticism is lacking.

We need to improve and make science part of our culture and give more freedom to the people in order for them to understand the reality instead of just accepting what the governments and institutes wants them to know.

In his book Future Shock, futurist Alvin Toffler said: “Behind such prodigious economic facts lies that great, growling engine of change — technology. This is not to say that technology is the only source of change in society. Social upheavals can be touched off by a change in the chemical composition of the atmosphere, by alterations in climate, by changes in fertility, and many other factors. Yet technology is indisputably a major force behind the accelerative thrust.”

Since science and technology play critical role in changing society, it is imperative for Qatar to encourage science journalism. Starting with the hosting of this conference, Qatar can take initiative in building science journalism not only in the country but also within the Middle East region. Qatar Foundation can take the lead with a programme say with Northwestern University – Qatar. I believe they are capable of taking this responsibility.

We need journalists who can understand and have the training to handle science stories and raise critical issues.