7.13 Self-teaching questions answers


Exercise One: Finding policy stories

At which three of these venues are you most likely to hear about a new science policy development?
  1. At a political gathering where a candidate delivers a speech
  2. At the annual meeting of a science ministry or agency
  3. During a courtesy visit by a prime minister to an orphanage
  4. In a quarterly journal focused on theoretical mathematics
  5. At a news conference of Microsoft about its annual strategy
Answer: A, B, E. For answer C, although a prime minister may be a source of key policy decisions, it is unlikely for him or her to reveal this during a visit to an orphanage; For answer D, the journal on theoretical mathematics is likely to be too arcane and appear in print too infrequently to contain newsworthy discussions of policy matters.

Exercise two: finding policy stories

You've been asked to cover the 50th International Microorganism Conference. In the opening session, the five keynote speakers are the prime minister of the host country, the chair of the International Microorganism Society, the vice minister of health of the host country, the president of the host university, and a prestigious Nobel Prize-winning life scientist. Who are the newsmakers? Make a list of the speakers in the order of likelihood that they will yield a news story for your newspaper, magazine, or TV station. Explain what kind of news might come out of each speech.

Reference answer: One possible order is: vice health minister, prime minister, president of the host university, chair of the International Microorganism Society, and a prestigious Nobel-winning life scientist.

The order is supposing your media is a very general media in the host country. Although the prime minister is a high level political figure, the field of science might be too professional. Vice ministers of health commonly takes charge of the very concrete affairs related to epidemics of a country, and is very likely to produce news in his/her speeches. A local university president is more news-making than the international society chair because news there is more relevant to the public life than an international academic organization.

But of course this is not the only possible answer. It depends on your news outlet, on the personality of the speakers and other factors.

Exercise three: Finding the policy angle

Suppose you write for a general mass media and have read the following claims. Which of the claims are most news worthy for a policy story for your outlet and chosen topics?
  1. A famous earth scientist complains that the funding for his field has been too small.
  2. An epidemiologist warns that without developing a human H5N1 vaccine, pandemic flu is inevitable in her region in the coming months.
  3. A life scientist says that stem cell research in her country has been over-restricted and there should not be many ethical constraints.
  4. A science minister calls for his country to be more innovation-based.
  5. A scientist chairing a big proteomics project complains that funds promised for his project have been appropriated to other research programs.
Reference answer: Whether your news outlet aims at a general or a more scientific audience, it is crucial here to explore the claims that are more specific, more recent than the others. Then, among specific things, you have to choose the topics that are most relevant to people's ordinary life. For this purpose, there is nothing more relevant than the pandemic flu in the claim B. So following claim A and D are too general.
Claim C is thought by many scientists, but few would express it openly, so if the scientist in question has said it, with justification, it could be newsworthy for more professional media.
Claim E is an interesting story if it has not been mentioned before, but commonly its readers should be scientists.

Exercise four: Reporting the science angle

Suppose you are at a small meeting about international science cooperation where you heard from a science ministry official that their ministry is brewing a policy to limit the participation of foreign researchers in locally funded research. Imagine there are various participants in this meeting - policymakers, policy researchers, scientists. Try to find three interviewees and design short questions for them about this policy. Remember your time is very limited.

Reference answer: To follow this story, ask the speaker when the policy will be introduced, and how long the proposed action will last. If the official refuses to comment, which is very likely, you may need to check with any policy researchers at the meeting who may know more about the proposed policy. Your questions could include how likely it is that the policy will be introduced, and when and how it will affect the research field. Also remember to identify at the meeting any scientists with international links for whom the policy is relevant. Your first priority is talk with the policy researchers, but then you can ask the scientist for his/her comment on the proposed policy.

Exercise five: Dealing with sensitive information

A source tells you that many scientists oppose a massive engineering project that costs billions of dollars and may have disastrous environmental consequences. However, no one is speaking openly about this project. Which are the best ways for you initially to track down some critical yet reliable information?
  1. Book a formal interview with the ministry officials responsible for the project
  2. Search Google Scholar with key words related to the project and its possible impact
  3. Read the website of the ministry backing the project
  4. Read relevant international media reports
  5. Explore the websites of United Nations agencies
Answer: B and D are promising first steps to take. For answers A and C, it is very unlikely that the ministry supporting the project can or will reveal any critical information. For answer E, you have to remember that UN agencies are always very cautious to avoid commenting on internal affairs of countries, and their websites are unlikely to highlight critical information on emerging issues of international concern.


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