How to Get Science in the News

Abstract

Swedish Radio is nowadays broadcasting three daily science news shows during prime time, but this has not always been the case. In fact, ten years ago very few people believed that there would be any public interest in science at all. Even fewer would have guessed that Science News would be among the highest public ratings and lead the list of down- loaded pod radio. This chapter tells the story about how Science Newswas established. One of the bigger obstacles to get science in the news was not the lack of curiosity among the audience but rather the lack of interest of colleagues in the media. Traditionally, people working in media have a non-scientific education and it is therefore possible to see this as a confrontation between the two cultures, first described by C. P. Snow. As a journalist dealing with science you have to work on two fronts, the first being to tell the public how crucial development in science is for their daily life and the second to convince colleagues within the media that science is an essential part of our society today. Europe, for several reasons, needs to cultivate professional science journalism and build a network among people working in the field. This work is essential as the research of today will be on the front page tomorrow