7. Reporting on Science policy (by Hepeng Jia and Richard Stone)
7.1 Why should you care about science policy?

The space shuttle Columbia disintegrates on reentry: Who is to blame?

China's first lunar spacecraft sends back a stunning first image of the moon. But questions about the image's authenticity soon appear on the Internet. Is this freedom of expression or, as one Chinese scientist put it, an "attack on the nation?"

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine explodes and releases a plume of radioactivity over Europe: What is the risk?

A malaria expert calls the delay in delivering bed nets to Africa "one of the shocking crimes of our time." But are bed nets a universal solution to this deadly scourge?

A UN panel of 2000 scientists has determined that greenhouse gases from human activity are the primary driver of recent global warming. Have we started a slow-moving but relentless avalanche of change-and if so, how should society act?

What do these stories have in common?

They all touch on science policy. And to report and write with authority on these and similar developments in the world of science, you must have command of the basics of science policy.

Once you have completed this lesson, you will have a good idea where to find news about science policy, who you should interview for that policy angle, how to organize and balance a policy story, and how to deal with challenging issues, such as angering government officials. If you are persistent enough, you might just get accused of revealing state secrets! It's a badge of honor.


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