Testimony 2 by Patrick Luganda


"The challenges of science reporting in developing countries"

Patrick Luganda [ http://www.wfsj.org/projects/page.php?id=131#luganda ]

Introduction

Science journalism has the potential to transform society. However there is a narrow perspective of what science journalism entails. Too often we are crowded around science conferences, looking out for new inventions and drugs as well as highlighting what the leaders in industry and manufacturing are tinkering with.

But there is much more to science journalism than that. How about those science stories that touch the lives of the intended beneficiaries? What does that discovery or invention mean to the lives of millions of people grappling with poverty, ignorance, disease and the attendant evils in tow? The simple truth of the matter is that science is all around us. Good science journalism should include and promote the every day science that we live in and with. How do we relate with the plant and animal kingdom? How can we survive and survive better using science?

Challenges of science reporting

Journalists working in developing countries face many challenges in finding science stories, particularly:
a) Lack of access to the latest information pathways for journalists reporting for the rural communities in many developing countries. Internet connectivity and telephone linkages are poor, and journalists are far away from the capital cities where top scientists may be located.
b) The need to find science stories that are relevant to a lay audience that is mostly semi-illiterate, poverty stricken and has minimal access to modern communication channels.
c) The failure of many science stories to involve the beneficiaries of science technologies and information.

How can we overcome these challenges?

a) Lack of access to the latest information pathways

How do journalists cope when internet connectivity and telephone linkages are poor, and they are in rural areas, far away from the capital cities where top scientists may be located?

First, you could report on a local problem - and see which scientists are in the field and trying to solve the problem.

My biggest story - the one that made me - was rural-based, and created openings that I never before thought possible. It was centered on the staple crop cassava. In 1987, scientists started getting field reports of cassava gardens in some parts of the country being destroyed by what research scientists identified as Cassava Mosaic disease. I began by reporting about the experiences of farmers who uprooted their cassava plants only to find that the plants produced no root tubers. There was a widespread shortage of food. Scientists at the National Cassava Program set about developing interventions to restore productivity. I followed closely the team of scientists who were developing tolerant and later resistant cassava varieties. Other interventions included preventing affected cassava cuttings from spreading into disease free areas. It was challenging telling these stories correctly. Sending the wrong messages to the farming community could cause a reversal of several achievements. For instance at one time a prominent politician of the times claimed that the cassava virus was introduced by scientists to enable them access research funding!! I covered the developments right up to the introduction of cassava varieties that could tolerate the disease attack - for New Vision newspaper and on weekly broadcasts for Radio Uganda.

My take-home lesson was that it paid to be patient in building up contacts. I had begun by quoting officials from the ministry of agriculture, health and environment, but later, when I attended press conferences and meetings, I was able to interview scientists - they already knew me from seeing my byline. It's tricky knowing whom to contact at first, but then trusted 'friends' in the science community can often lead you to other experts.

Scientists will welcome you at their place of work as long as you go through the proper protocol. They will usually show you around through prior arrangement. Avoid confrontation at all costs - they have had enough of that in their trade.

Less experienced journalists should contact more experienced journalists within their media house. I have always encouraged this approach among journalists as it helps to bring better quality to the organisation. However some people are naturally selfish and will not want to share their sources. But it is still worth a try because they may give you some clues as to the direction to pursue.

Alternatively, university faculties of science, crop science and forestry, and other institutes of higher learning, are good sources of leading professors and experts. The national council of science and technology or its equivalent is also worth exploring. Upcountry, you can approach field officers to guide you to farmers and researchers. There are also scientific associations in most countries with a directory of who's who in a particular field. Make phone calls and exercise good interviewing skills to extract the information you want.

b) The need to make stories relevant to lay audiences, and c) to involve the beneficiaries of science and technology
Journalists need to consider the relevance of science to society in developing countries. Take an issue that affects people's everyday lives, such as climate. When it rains heavily in Africa, or when there is prolonged drought or dry spells, disasters lurk on the horizon. For a long time, climate stories in Africa were closely associated with death, suffering, and hopelessness. But instead the media could report on how science is being used in Africa to tackle the problems related to extreme weather events. By passing on vital information, the lives of individual farmers can be changed. There is plenty of climate and weather information that can be made available to farmers for them to make important decisions. The media in the Greater Horn of Africa region reports climate forecasts to farming communities. The stories also report the likely impacts and what farmers need to do to reduce the risk of disasters and benefit their farms and their daily activities. These stories are normally reported soon after the Climate Science Outlook Forums that take place twice a year. Besides predicting rainfall, the stories can be angled to explain the likely effects on agricultural productivity, health, power generation, tourism and civil aviation. Other stories cover disasters such as flooding, drought, land-slides and disease outbreaks and effects on food production. Most importantly, the stories can quote scientists for their views on the situation, and possible solutions at-hand.

Reporting about climate science is a way to:
a. Look at the application of science and technology to grass roots communities, and consider what the implications are of science to society;
b. Communicate the impact of science on the public;
c. Highlight how science has influenced a given community;
d. Report more often the stories that have changed people's lives.

Another example is to look at how good nutrition improves the health and welfare of people in developing countries. Few families in rural settings or poor urban communities eat well. Poor nutrition leads to more frequent hospital visits and attacks of disease. Journalists can take this as an opportunity to present science in an interesting and appealing way.

A story on poor nutrition or good nutrition can be filed from the field, for example. By including background information the story serves two purposes. It informs about the situation on the ground, and it educates readers about the underlying cause and how to avoid it. The introduction of an improved orange potato variety, for example, could greatly improve the nutrition of pregnant women and children below the age of five.

Journalists can also report on how new technology can change lives - even at the level of fairly simple interventions like the use of improved firewood or a charcoal-based cooking stove. The stove uses less wood and produces very little smoke. These usually have other science related spin-offs that make good reading and are rewarding to the author.

Example: The Improved Cooking Stove As A Good Science Story
  1. What is the gist of the story? Where is the science behind the improved firewood or charcoal cooking stove? The improved stove leads to more efficient use of fuel wood or charcoal, and therefore reduces the amount of energy required for cooking. Currently, urban communities across the African continent use millions of tonnes of charcoal due to the expensive and inefficient supply of electric power. Improved charcoal stoves would mean fewer trees being felled to make charcoal.
  2. Who benefits? Women and children whose responsibility it is to search for firewood in their neighborhood often traveling several miles and perhaps only managing a handful of twigs. They can save time and energy for other activities if they use more energy-efficient cooking stoves that require less fuel. There is also a health benefit - reducing the amount of smoke produced also helps reduce respiratory health problems among women and children. More time can be devoted to agricultural productivity and family welfare. It is a win-win situation with household, communities and a cumulative benefit to the governments.
  3. What other science is involved apart from the improved stove technology? Journalists could interview forestry and agro-forestry experts about the savings this will bring to forests in terms of fewer trees being felled and less forest reserve encroachment. The climate science community may have a view on the effect on climate change as fewer trees are felled and more are available to soak up carbon dioxide. Is there a remote possibility of linking the story to carbon trading? (Let the experts comment on this)
  4. How does the journalist find a new story angle, and experts to interview? Go beyond the traditional press conference to follow new leads. In Kampala, Nairobi, and other major urban centers in East Africa, local artisans are manufacturing various versions of these improved cooking stoves. Journalists could interview them to understand what they are doing. Then visit university departments to find scientists who can explain the science behind the technology, and the broader issues of energy conservation and alternative energy for developing countries. Many of these scientists are available locally, but they also have colleagues in developed countries. In Uganda, at Makerere University, relevant experts can be found at the Faculty of Technology, the Forestry Department, and the Department of Gender Studies.


See these links for background information on the improved cooking stoves.
An index of discussions on energy saving stove technologies from several countries.
http://www.crest.org/discussiongroups/resources/stoves/Countries/
Renewable Energies For Fighting Poverty
http://www.eed.de/fix/files/doc/agke_2006_renewablesandpovertyreduction.pdf

Other topics that can be a starting point for journalists include: In each case, these are issues that directly affect people in their daily lives. Science and technology can bring new insights and the potential for change. However, they can also bring fears, and lead to myths and half-truths. Journalists should remember: Conclusion

Last, but not least, I would like to encourage journalist to go beyond the press release. Remember all journalists attending a conference will get the same one. You need to build sources to enable you quickly to beef up your stories under the pressure of deadlines. Also learn to link previous stories to the present one - they provide good background material. It does no harm to contact your sources to freshen the mind. There are hundreds of stories waiting to be explored, researched and written for our various audiences. By taking the trouble to look closely around us we can churn out exciting, interesting stories that will add color to our work. This could be the turning point in your career as a science journalist. We should be able to create a vibrant media that has the ability to catalyze change and development through innovative reporting about science and technology.

Patrick Luganda
Chairman, Network of Climate Journalists in the Greater Horn of Africa
( NECJOGHA)
Editor in Chief, Farmers Voice Newspaper, Uganda
WFSJ Online Training Course


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