Is Television Scientifically Illiterate?

Is Television Scientifically Illiterate?

LONDON, December 5/PRNewswire/ -- Last night Nick Ross, journalist and presenter, argued that television
still does not engage seriously with the scientific issues which have
critical impact on our society. Giving the keynote address at the 'Window on
Science/Vedere la Scienza Awards' evening at the Institution of Engineering
and Technology in London, he maintains that television lacks a sense of
purpose.

"Scientific literacy is not a luxury or the private domain of the
priesthood [of scientists]," he commented. "We live in a democracy. Ordinary
people's views on science influence public policy much more than their views
on theatre or the visual arts... whether to build more nuclear power
stations, whether to conduct trials on GM crops, whether it's safe to live
under power lines or mobile phone masts, and whether to immunise our babies."

Nick Ross was an early champion of public engagement in science and
continues today as chairman of the renowned Science Book Prizes. "Some of the
science output [on tv] is inspired. I suspect the public is a good deal
better informed today than it has ever been in history. But that's not to say
it's perfect - or even good, compared to what it could be. TV is still
largely scientifically illiterate. Most producers couldn't tell you how TV
signals get through the wall. Most reporters would be hard pressed to
describe what science really is. Playwrights and journalists still tend to
have childish views of scientists and engineers: as gods unveiling the latest
miracle - or as wild-haired eccentrics - or as dangerous madmen."

He continued: "Overwhelming scientific consensus is disregarded by
writers and broadcasters who think they know better or are desperate for
controversy. A scientist who says the world is round is pitted against an
idiot who says it's flat - in a fraudulent pretence of equivalence as though
somehow their views deserved equal weight".

"Most science series lapse into human interest and general documentary,
anecdotal evidence, alarmism or still, on occasions, even pseudoscience".
Nick Ross goes on to suggest that broadcasters lack a strategic sense -
programming is piecemeal and rarely takes into account the long-term, overall
effects it has on viewers.

"Who in the broadcasting industry really measures what we do in terms of
gaps in public knowledge? Who considers whether there is a deficit on public
understanding, and then seeks to commission programmes which put it right?

"Certainly one of my hopes is that broadcasters can project science for
what it really is: Not a collection of facts, not a set of subjects like
physics, chemistry and biology, not a quasi-religion, not a burdensome
compliance issue which means we have to run science strands, not a haphazard
collection of stories, which happened to be about scientists or science. The
best way we have, communally, of assessing evidence and individually of
working out who and what to believe".

The EuroPAWS Festival for Science and TV Drama, now in its eighth year,
draws on productions worldwide to celebrate and reward successful programmes
which involve science and technology. This year for the first time, there is
a broader remit to the Awards which are now co-organised by EuroPAWS and the
Universita degli Studi di Milano. The two organisations have had separate
well-established festivals and this year the two come together for the first
time to create the first "Window on Science/Vedere la Scienza" Awards
evening.

There were eight presentations for the two Awards: Best portrayal of
Science through TV Drama or Docu-Drama and the Best TV Drama production
drawing on science and technology. This recognises the growth of cross-genre
television and the power of mixing documentary and drama styles to capture
scenarios beyond the reach of live coverage alone.

Notes to Editors

1. The Supporters of the awards are: UK Resource Centre for
Women in Science, Engineering and Technology, The Institution of
Engineering and Technology, Università degli Studi di Milano and the
Provincia di Milano.

2. The PAWS Drama Fund encourages and supports television drama drawing
on science and technology. It offers a range of activities to bring
science and technology to TV writers and producers in a sympathetic way, and
offers financial and scientific support to promising new TV drama ideas. The
European arm of PAWS, EuroPAWS, also runs a number of similar activities
including an annual festival at a European level, which naturally includes
the UK. In 2006/7 the Festivals and Awards will reflect a wider interest,
embracing docu-drama and general TV programmes which have science or
engineering content. www.pawsdrama.com

3. The IET

The Institution of Engineering and Technology is the largest professional
engineering society in Europe and reflects the interdisciplinary, global and
inclusive nature of engineering and technology.

With a worldwide membership of more than 150,000, the Institution aims to
lead in the advancement of engineering and technology by facilitating the
exchange of knowledge and ideas at a local and global level and promoting
best practice, ensuring that its members are thoroughly equipped to meet the
needs of today's rapidly changing technological world.

Membership comprises of individuals from a diverse range of technical
backgrounds including IT, communications technology, electronics, electrical,
power engineering, software, control, informatics and manufacturing and range
from students to leading figures in industry, research and development and
education.

The IET was formed in 2006 by the Institution of Electrical Engineers and
the Institution of Incorporated Engineers

For more information about the IET please visit www.theiet.org

Source: PAWS, EuroPAWS and IET

For further information, please contact: Juliet Upton, for PAWS., www.pawsdrama.com, Telephone: +44-(0)7811-440918 or email: juliet@eurotech.freeserve.co.uk

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