Ethics in Science Journalism
Journalists like to think of themselves as independent, impartial, honest, co-operative, altruistic, precise, and critical. Just like scientists!
However, scientists are human and thus vulnerable to intellectual and moral corruption, especially when presented with opportunities that promise influence and success. This is the disturbing reality found by an in-depth study of the role German scientists played during the Nazi regime. Are science journalists equally susceptible?
The seminar “Ethics in Science Journalism,” to be presented at 14:30 on 20 July, at the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) in Barcelona, Spain, will examine those moral and ethical values which most scientists and science writers share.
Unfortunately, today many long-held principles are being challenged by the increased competition for esteem and resources, by the fast-changing technologies of knowledge acquisition and information dissemination, and by the intense global economic pressures on both academia and media.
Organised by the European Union of Science Journalists‘ Associations (EUSJA), the seminar aims to increase awareness of how the ethics of the science community and the ethics of the media may influence each other, as well as how these values influence, and, in turn, are influenced by, society – both positively and negatively.
Philosopher Marc DRESSLER will set the stage for the discussion by describing the ethical framework of the interdependencies between science, journalism, society, and economy.
Science Writer James CORNELL will offer a global perspective on the way science reporting is done in different cultural regions of the world. He will also speculate about some possible future ethical dilemmas for the media caused by changes in ways people communicate in knowledge-based societies.
Editor Wolfgang GOEDE and historian Christian FOERSTER will show how German science and technology journalists adopted – even welcomed – the Nazi ideology in the same way as many scientists and engineers did.
Editor Viola EGIKOVA will review how science reporting was done in the former Soviet Union, and, by way of contrast, describe how contemporary science journalism has fared in the “new” Russia.
Of course, these presentations are intended as only the starting point of the seminar. As mediators between science and society, journalists are quite aware of societal needs, but are not always as familiar with the needs of scientists – or the games they play to achieve them.
To look at these issues and advance the discussion, the audience – scientists, researchers, reporters, and policy makers – will be asked to become active participants in the process, as commentators, critics, and insightful contributors.
The organisers hope both sides of the desk might profit from such an exchange. For example, scientists may better understand those ethical questions specific to journalism. Reporters may better appreciate the vulnerabilities of scientists in the face of professional pressures. And, both groups may recognise the extent to which external societal and cultural factors shape our ethical standards and moral stances.
Organiser of the seminar: Hanns-J. Neubert, EUSJA-President
2008-07-10, Länge/length: 477 words - eee
However, scientists are human and thus vulnerable to intellectual and moral corruption, especially when presented with opportunities that promise influence and success. This is the disturbing reality found by an in-depth study of the role German scientists played during the Nazi regime. Are science journalists equally susceptible?
The seminar “Ethics in Science Journalism,” to be presented at 14:30 on 20 July, at the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) in Barcelona, Spain, will examine those moral and ethical values which most scientists and science writers share.
Unfortunately, today many long-held principles are being challenged by the increased competition for esteem and resources, by the fast-changing technologies of knowledge acquisition and information dissemination, and by the intense global economic pressures on both academia and media.
Organised by the European Union of Science Journalists‘ Associations (EUSJA), the seminar aims to increase awareness of how the ethics of the science community and the ethics of the media may influence each other, as well as how these values influence, and, in turn, are influenced by, society – both positively and negatively.
Philosopher Marc DRESSLER will set the stage for the discussion by describing the ethical framework of the interdependencies between science, journalism, society, and economy.
Science Writer James CORNELL will offer a global perspective on the way science reporting is done in different cultural regions of the world. He will also speculate about some possible future ethical dilemmas for the media caused by changes in ways people communicate in knowledge-based societies.
Editor Wolfgang GOEDE and historian Christian FOERSTER will show how German science and technology journalists adopted – even welcomed – the Nazi ideology in the same way as many scientists and engineers did.
Editor Viola EGIKOVA will review how science reporting was done in the former Soviet Union, and, by way of contrast, describe how contemporary science journalism has fared in the “new” Russia.
Of course, these presentations are intended as only the starting point of the seminar. As mediators between science and society, journalists are quite aware of societal needs, but are not always as familiar with the needs of scientists – or the games they play to achieve them.
To look at these issues and advance the discussion, the audience – scientists, researchers, reporters, and policy makers – will be asked to become active participants in the process, as commentators, critics, and insightful contributors.
The organisers hope both sides of the desk might profit from such an exchange. For example, scientists may better understand those ethical questions specific to journalism. Reporters may better appreciate the vulnerabilities of scientists in the face of professional pressures. And, both groups may recognise the extent to which external societal and cultural factors shape our ethical standards and moral stances.
Organiser of the seminar: Hanns-J. Neubert, EUSJA-President
2008-07-10, Länge/length: 477 words - eee
ScienceCom – http://sciencecom.twoday.net/stories/5050569/
RSS
