6. Reporting on Controversies (by KS Jayaraman)
6.1 Introduction

In 1988, disgruntled doctors at a medical institute in Delhi went on strike, bringing hospital services to a halt. While media coverage focused on the strike and how it affected patients, this author knew it was the best time to ferret out "inside" information from normally reticent doctors who were now in a mood to talk against the administration. They revealed that hospital researchers, unethically testing the efficacy of a Swedish company's new abortifacient drug, smothered to death an aborted fetus that "was born alive and crying."

This author obtained a photocopy of the mother's medical record, with help from an insider, prior to the publication of the story – an act that saved him and his news organization when the institute director dashed to the reporter's office the next day threatening to sue. The director was removed soon after.

The event is a good reminder of how controversial some stories can be, and how important it is to be scrupulous in your preparation of such a story.

There are many different types of controversy, and some will present themselves more obviously than others to science reporters. Most often the controversy may be quite obvious e.g. a scientist claiming the Earth is not round. In other cases, the seeds of controversy may lie hidden e.g. the sudden withdrawal of a drug from market.

In contrast, most science stories belong to the straight or traditional variety – new technology or discoveries; stories based on interviewing scientists; papers presented at a science conference or published in a professional journal; a company press release announcing a new drug, and so on. Earlier lessons in this online course teach you the techniques of developing and presenting science stories in general.

In this lesson, you will learn how to handle science controversies with confidence.


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