Science Reporting:
We Beg to Differ
Christina Scott
Presenter/producer Science Matters, SAfm radio Thursdays –
www.safm.co.za
Associate editor: science, Mail & Guardian newspaper – www.mg.co.za
Email: chrisscott@icon.co.za
Skype: christina.scott.cape.town
Scientists’ brains do not work the same
way that journalists’ brains do …
COMMUNICATING ASTRONOMY WITH THE PUBLIC
CAPE TOWN MARCH 2010
Scientists’ concept of time is not the
same as journalists’ concept of
deadlines
Scientists’ concept of accuracy is
not the same as journalists’
New sites acknowledge UCT's diverse heritage
The chequered past: Prof Howard Phillips (far left), tour leader, and Prof Njabulo Ndebele take guests on the first walk
along the Heritage Trail on September 7.
The University of Cape Town boasts, as Historical Studies' Professor Howard Phillips would have it, a "contested
heritage".The land it occupies was once used by Khoisan pastoralists to graze their cattle, was later converted into
farmland by Dutch and British colonists and their slaves, before, in 1918, it became home to UCT.
The university's very founders also come with baggage - Cecil John Rhodes, whose gift of land made the erection of
UCT on this site possible, is the perfect example of one man's captain of enterprise being another man's imperialist.
Depending on who you speak to, he and other historical figures are either heroes or villains, respected or reviled.
Or, for the undecided, both at the same time.
So, too, the actions of UCT individuals or the body corporate during South Africa's bedevilled past are either condemned,
or showered with praise.
It's a heavy burden for any institution to carry into a newfound democracy. But it's one, new building names or not, the
university is stuck with. So, instead of glossing over that history, as the institution is often accused of doing, the vice-chancellor, Professor Njabulo Ndebele,
has decided to air it for debate.
"It's about laying fresh foundations for the next 175 years," he says.
A few months back, Ndebele set up a Heritage Committee to organise a crop of events that coincided with the heritage month celebrations in the country.
Under the heritage @ uct banner, the committee, assisted by some postgraduate students, ran a four-seminar series that examined different aspects of
heritage (see more on that inside), and the theme of Music of South Africa was selected for the two Vice-Chancellor's Concerts that will be staged this week. It
also developed a Heritage Trail that looks at the history and symbolism on the Groote Schuur Campus.
The vice-chancellor officially launched the Heritage Trail on September 7. This self-guided trail (maps are available from the Visitors' Information Centre on
upper campus) comprises 18 sites, each clearly marked with a heritage@uct sign. The trail starts at Japonica Walk, which runs alongside the Kramer Law
Building on middle campus, and ends with Mechanical Man, a 1965 sculpture by Lippy Lipschitz, outside Snape Building on upper campus.
Along the way there are stops at, among other places, the Summer House (where Rhodes and his guests sought relief from the summer heat) and the rugby
field, at the oft-vandalised Rhodes' statue and at the recently-named Cissy Gool Plaza and Molly Blackburn Hall, both memorialising two of South Africa's more
latter-day heroes.
"UCT, through its history, has inherited many layers of heritage - we need to engage with this history and understand how it has evolved over time through the
various political and social dispensations," says Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, chair of the heritage committee.
That engagement started early when comments were scrawled on one of the heritage signs soon after it went up. Even that act of vandalism is an
"engagement" of sorts, says Chinsamy-Turan, although a more constructive outlet for responses had already been set up.
Comments on the sites and UCT heritage broadly, as well as offers of photographic memorabilia, can be e-mailed to heritage@cs.uct.ac.za.
The Heritage Committee
Prof Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, Dr James Gain, Dr Harry Garuba, Angela Gilbert, Skye Grove, Jared Licina, Campbell Lyons, Dr Gary Marsden, Prof Raj
Mesthrie, Prof Njabulo Ndebele, Prof Howard Phillips, Royston Pillay, Prof John Parkington, Dr Sam Radithalo, Medee Rall, Prof Pippa Skotnes and Wendy
van Schalkwyk
Scientists’ sense of appropriate
language is not the same as
journalists’ sense of language, part 1
Scientists’ sense of appropriate
language is not the same as
journalists’ sense of language, part 2
Academic language is not South
Africa’s twelfth official taal…
Scientists’ sense of the intended audience
doesn’t match the demographics of the
country. At all.
Scientists understand graphs and
journalists do not
Scientists use numbers, and
journalists are innumerate
We could of course give up …
Science journalism is about
translation.
 English is not
the language of
science.
 Understanding
is the language
of science.
We could choose another beat
 Actually, covering
science the way we
cover sports is not
such a bad idea.
Lots of pictures,
lots of action,
emphasis on
teamwork, feelgood stuff when we
win.
Science reporting = sports
reporting?
 After all,
scientists
represent our
country, the
same way that
our athletes do.
And we’re really
good in some
fields of science.
Did you send out a press release?
 A South African/Azerbaijani/Kenyan
astronomer/astronomy educator/ is
flying out of the country/has flown
out of the country/is returning to the
country today to attend/after
attending his/her/their first/first
African meeting to dramatically
increase public enthusiasm about
exploring the universe.
Did you send out a press release?
 ‘This meeting opened up wonderful
opportunities for local
astronomers/astronomy
educators/teachers/students/people,’’ said
the where-born first name surname, who is
based at the XYZ institution in city/region.
 This was his/her first trip to South
Africa/Africa/Cape Town which is
hosting/hosted the international
Communicating Astronomy with the Public
event for the first time.
Did you send out a press release?
 Next paragraph is about what you’re going
to do when you get home and when and
where.
 Next paragraph: all your contact details
including home numbers, direct lines,
Skype, email, websites and cellphone.
 Send it to your local media by email, cut
and pasted into the text – NO
ATTACHMENTS except possibly for a highresolution photograph of yourself.
Geography
 Media assess science stories based on
where you were born, where you
studied and where you live or work. If
you don’t tell them this information,
the story goes into the black hole.
 Most media do not assess science
stories based on whether it got into
Nature or not.
We could learn to accept our
differences … and negotiate a truce

Scientist: slow, careful with every word,
frightened of reporters, guarding his or her
reputation, worried what other scientists
will say when the story appears. Thinks
everyone already has a PhD. Thinks
everyone knows the word ‘’geodesy.’’
Thinks he or she is too busy to be
interviewed. Puts conclusions at the end.

Reporter: puts conclusions at the
beginning. Replication is fast and sloppy,
understands his or her target audience far
better than the science involved. Knows
how to grab the attention of a reluctant
audience. Needs to explain to the taxpayer
what’s being done with their money – in
ways that make sense to the taxpaper. Has
five minutes left before deadline.
One possible solution: use a
stopwatch

I often draft the rough outline of a story while I
trying to track down the researchers.

I do not allow scientists to insist on a face-toface interview (especially when they live in
Uganda.. I do not allow publicly funded scientists
to say no to an interview … unless they’re giving
birth.

I normally refuse to spend more than five
minutes in an interview.

I often spend five minutes beforehand explaining
who, what, when, why.

I often spend five minutes afterwards repeating
the information back to the scientist to see if we
are on the same planet, and getting every single
contact number.

I read the story back to him/her. Then we fight.
Then we publish.
And I always, always ask
dumb questions! Science
is too big to know
everything.
Who speaks to the press?
Check out …
 www.ScienceinAfrica.com
Editor: Professor Janice Limson, Rhodes
University, South Africa
Email: j.limson@ru.ac.za
Thank you, dankie, enkosi,
ngiyabonga, ke a leboga, merci!
Email: chrisscott@icon.co.za
Skype: christina.scott.cape.town
Landline: +27 21 689 6337
Cellphone: 083 442 0823*
* Terrible reception. Mountain in the
way. Working on removing the
mountain. In the meantime, SMS