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Balance in science coverage, new health funds


Issue 143 July 22 - 28

In This Issue
BBC review

HRC grants

Academic freedom?

SMC is hiring

New from the SMC

Research highlights

Policy updates

Sci-tech events


Give less time to fringe views, BBC told
As the News of the World phone hacking scandal raged on this week in the UK, a major review of the BBC's handling of science stories was released.

The review led by geneticist Professor Steve Jones, was initiated in the wake of the Climategate scandal of late 2009, after the state broadcaster faced criticism for what some vocal critics saw as a lack of robust reporting on climate change.

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The review looked specifically at a month's worth of BBC programmes broadcast in 2009 and 2010 and found that no significant factual inaccuracies were reported. However Professor Jones concluded that the Beeb's devotion to providing balance in its reports had led too often to fringe views being placed alongside those backed up with scientific evidence:

"When faced with strongly opposed views in a scientific discussion, a journalist may not be certain of the facts presented on each side and may apply balance while describing it as impartiality - but if one proponent is presenting dubious evidence that claim is not justified," he wrote.

"For at least three years, the climate change deniers have been marginal to the scientific debate, but somehow they continued to find a place on the airwaves."

The BBC was found to be heavily reliant on PR material when it came to science stories, with 75 per cent of them generated by press releases. Women were also under-represented both in the science reporting staff and in science stories themselves.

The BBC responded to the report by saying it will appoint a science editor to coordinate science coverage across the broadcaster.

Scientists approached by the UK SMC responded favourably to the review. One scientist, David Nutt, recalls in the Guardian how he has been pitted against journalists and activists on BBC programmes when asked to discuss scientific issues.

Does science snuff out alternative views?

One critic of the BBC review, who suggests science has become a "priesthood" where only the consensus view on issues is publicly promoted and alternative views discouraged, is Connie St. Louis, an award winning journalist and BBC contributor who leads City University's Masters in Science Journalism programme.

In a BBC interview, St. Louis said the way society views science and the way journalists "interrogate" science tends to reinforce the consensus view being put forward.

"You don't see politicians making statements without being scrutinised, investigated and challenged. In science, whilst there is dissent, very little of it is seen."

St. Louis recently featured on a panel at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Doha, Qatar which examined whether the Science Media Centres around the world downplayed the Fukushima nuclear disaster by issuing statements from nuclear scientists that suggested the impact of the reactor damage was limited.

The panel discussion, which also featured input from the directors of SMCs in the UK, Australia, Canada and Japan, is available as a podcast here and is worth a listen if you are interested in learning more how the SMC network sees itself fitting into the science media landscape.

HRC funding: $75 million dished out
The Health Research Council's latest funding round has seen millions of dollars invested in new research to improve Kiwis' health.

This week the Health Research Council (HRC) announced the recipients of this year's funding - a grand total of $74.56 million, divided among 52 separate projects to be undertaken in universities, research institutes and District Health Boards.

The Council is the Crown agency responsible for administering the New Zealand Government's investment in health research. Chief Executive Robin Olds was impressed by the quality of successful applications, stating:

"We are supporting some very exciting studies this year, which reflect the very high calibre of New Zealand health research."

"This year our investment will speed the development of new drugs that attack cancer cells and leave healthy cells unharmed, give new hope to those affected by neurological disorders and provide urgently needed data on how to ameliorate the human impact of natural disasters,""

The full list of funded projects is available on the HRC website, and a round up of media coverage can be found here.
Academics at odds over de Freitas
The issue of academic freedom and how far it should extend in allowing university staff to put forward their views was the subject of a Weekend Herald piece last week which examined the views of "climate dissenter", the University of Auckland's Associate Professor Chris de Freitas.

Dr de Freitas
While de Freitas is well-known for questioning the extent of anthropogenic climate change, the article looked in particular at what he teaches his geography 101 students - and whether course materials present a skewed picture of the state of scientists' knowledge about climate change.

While colleagues of de Freitas interviewed by the Herald disagreed with his views on climate change, some backed his right to express those views, citing academic freedom. Others questioned whether allowing personal opinion to affect course content was appropriate for teachers of entry-level university papers, contending that this was not in keeping with responsibilities to students.

The debate spilled over into the letters pages of the Herald, attracting contributions from other scientists including UoA professor of geophysics, Geoff Austin who believes de Freitas was "villified" in the article.

"I hope students at universities continue to be presented with challenging ideas and not be required to regurgitate uncritically the conclusions of reports," wrote Austin.

However former associate professor of physics Robert White found that view "disturbing".

"The most disturbing aspect of [Austin's] letter is that he does not refer to reports in the article that, if correct, imply a lack of balance in how Dr de Freitas is presenting material on climate change to students in some courses at least. If correct, this needs addressing," wrote White.

Quoted: New Zealand Herald

"The right to have individual views is something that's preserved because it is important - but there does come a point when you have to ask, 'should you be teaching that? Courses in universities and schools should not be personal opinion."

Prof Martin Manning, Victoria University

On the science radar

X-Ray dogs , Southern Lights side-on, manipulative make-up , miming to machines , bacterial grappling- hooks and lunatic lions.

SMC vacancy: closing soon!
The Science Media Centre is seeking an experienced, news-savvy media advisor to join our team for a fixed-term maternity cover contract.

Join our small team dedicated to working with journalists and scientists to improve media coverage when science is in the headlines. You'll work in a fast-paced environment where you are immersed in scientific research and responding to breaking news stories - be they natural disasters or medical research breakthroughs.

Click here for the full advert - the role is for maternity cover starting from mid to late August. Applications to the SMC by Wednesday July 27.

New from the SMC

SMC Doha discussions - At the World Conference of Science Journalists in Doha, Qatar, the representatives from SMCs met to talk about how they perform their core functions. The breakout conference session was based around one the year's biggest science stories, the Fukushima nuclear crisis. You can listen to the audio here.

In the News:

Chch Quake odds - Paul Gorman, reporting for the the Press, quizzes GNS Science on the most up-to-date odds of another strong shake hitting quake-stricken Christchurch.

HRC funding announced - the Health Research Council (HRC) announced the the recipients of funding from the latest funding round. A grand total of $74.56 million was allocated to projects in universities, research institutes and District Health Boards.

Experts Respond:

BBC Science review - Key players in the UK science sector respond to the results of a BBC review of science coverage which suggests the a drive accuracy has been sacrificed for impartiality in scientific debate.

Sciblogs highlights

Some of the highlights from this week's posts include:

The inverse femtobarn - In discussing the Large Hadron Collider, Marcus Wilson comes up against the question: 'what is an inverse femtobarn?'
Physics Stop

New Zealand's voyage of economic self-discovery - Shaun Hendy charts a course to a better financial future for all Kiwis through high tech innovation.
A Measure of Science

Technology for technology's sake, or is there something more? - Is the iPad the new book of the modern classroom, or are we just getting distracted by gadgets? Allison Campbell investigates.
Bio Blog

Science has the real debate - in preparation of a potential NZ tour by climate skeptic Lord Monckton, Ken Perrott takes a moment to separate scientific debate from 'talkfests'.
Open Parachute

The transient teapot - Sagittarius (aka the teapot) and surrounding Deep Sky Objects are subjected to the astronomical scrutiny of Elf Eldridge.
Just So Science


Research highlights

Please note: hyperlinks point, where possible, to the relevant abstract or paper.

Knights in shining armour not so flash: A full suit of armour might offer good protection in the medieval battlefield but it comes a cost. A collaboration between New Zealand and UK researchers has examined the energy requirements of sporting a suit of plate armour and found that the weight placed heavy energy demands on wearers when walking or running. Participants wearing replica European armour used more energy than if they were carrying the same weight in a backpack.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Pollinators waylaid by farmland crops: Pollination of endangered trees may be inhibited by the presence of agricultural crops. A new study of pollen follow in Chilean forests shows that insects near attractive farm crops will not move far, limiting the spread of pollen. Meanwhile, resource-poor pine forests act as a corridor to other areas as insects speed through them to find better areas.
Current Biology

NZ plant disease a tough survivor: The fungus-like pathogen Phytophthora kernoviae is known to infect a variety of plants, including Pinus radiata in New Zealand. New research has shown that Kiwi and UK strains of the microbe can survive in moist, nutrient-poor sand and produce viable spores for up to a year at temperatures below 30 deg C. The research has important implications for the control of potential outbreaks.
New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science

Ancient footprints trample assumptions: Researchers have shown that footprints of a human ancestor dating back 3.7 million years ago, show features of the foot with more similarities to the gait of modern humans than with the type of bipedal walking used by chimpanzees, orang-utans and gorillas. Human-like bipedalism was previously assumed to emerge around 1.9 million years-ago.
Royal Society Interface

Picking apart rock-paper-scissors: Is gesture choice in the game of rock-paper-scissors entirely random? The results of a new study suggest 'no'. When one player was blindfolded while playing rock-paper-scissors the rate of draws - where both players choose the same gesture - was above chance, and higher than when both players were blindfolded. This suggests that, even when it's against our best interests, we can't fully resist 'automatic imitation'.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Manual breast milk expression: Expressing breast milk by hand in the first days after birth is better for boosting breastfeeding rates among poorly feeding newborns than the use of a breast pump, according to new study. The researchers undertook a randomized trial comparing hand expression with breast pumping for mothers of term newborns feeding poorly, and found that the former was more effective at increasing breastfeeding rates.
British Medical Journal


Policy updates

Some of the highlights of this week's policy news:

Climate change negotiators meeting -Tim Groser, Minister Responsible for International Climate Change Negotiations, announced that New Zealand will host a meeting of international climate change negotiators in Auckland next week.

Further Chch areas 'Green Zoned' - Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has announced further areas of Christchurch that will be included in the Green Zone rebuild area. The updates zone maps of the city are available here.

Biosecurity agreements open NZ-China trade - Government-level agreements are paving the way for imports from China. New agreements on biosecurity standards will enable traders to take advantage of New Zealand's free-trade agreement with China, while at the same time keeping biosecurity risk offshore.

Climate change consultation - The Ministry for the Environment is seeking submissions on proposed changes to the Climate Change (Stationary Energy and Industrial Processes) Regulations 2009 and Climate Change (Other Removal Activities) Regulations 2009. The changes will impact the way energy products and emissions are monitored in New Zealand.

Upcoming sci-tech events

How to Make Life from the Primordial Soup - Royal Society Rutherford Lecture, Prof Warren Tate - 26 July, Rotarua; 27 July, Palmerston North; 28 July, Auckland.

Capturing Value Creating Profit - Hort NZ conference - 26-27 July, Rotarua.

Diet and Obesity: Down a Road Less Traveled - Lecture by Prof Mike Gibney -Auckland University Vice Chancellors lecture series - 28 Jul, Auckland.

Association of Women in Science - 2011 Conference - 28-29 July, Auckland.

For these and more upcoming events, and more details about them, visit the SMC's Events Calendar.

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