Internet Presents Problems and Opportunities for Science Journalism

by Andrew McGregor

When I was teaching English in Beijing I faced a problem of how to explain the concept of a nerd to a Chinese student.

“It’s someone who studies a lot and is good at math and science, but they do it too much.”
“Like Bill Gates?”
“Yeah.”
“And it is bad to be a nerd?”
“Yes, kind of.”
“Why?”

Without the cultural context of life in America it was very difficult to explain the concept of what a nerd is.

The internet is dragging science journalists into the future with demographically violent trembles affecting the entire field.  The internet allows unparalleled access to science news and information, but this access comes at the price of analysis and context so crucial to science journalism.

Internet search functions are predicated on connectivity and the popularity of websites: the googleization of information.  Within this process there is no human arbiter to provide the appropriate scientific context and meaning.  One can use the internet to access studies from labs across the planet on esoteric components of quantum mechanics.  However, without an appropriate scientific context it is unlikely that the findings will be adequately conveyed or understood.

Essentially, the internet is facilitating unprecedented access to information but this is coming at a direct cost of science writers being able to explain what it means.

Internet use also means that science writing will have great opportunities like the exploration of online programs that can allow a user to be a climatologists and run tests on what adding carbon dioxide will do to the atmosphere and things of this nature.

It is uncertain what science journalism will look like as the internet continues to change the way media is consumed.  What is clear is that science journalists will have to play a dual role of protecting the intellectual credibility of their craft while employing the nascent technologies that may lead to its degradation.