|
|
Kenya: Science Reporting Taking Its Rightful Place in Kenya
 |
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
Business Daily (Nairobi)
4 May 2008
Posted to the web 5 May 2008
Liz Ng'ang'a
In any given international forum most examples regarding Africa are often used to illustrate a story of dependency and deprivation. I am therefore always happy to snatch a moment when I can stand up and say: "Ah, but we have so much better of that, or we do that a lot better, in Africa" as the case might be.
One such moment was at a recent meeting between a group of distinguished scientists, their public relations minders and journalists. I listened with a sense of déjà vu as both sides outlined similar, if not greater challenges, as would be expressed in a similar forum in Kenya. But what really brought a smile to my face (yes, I know it is sadistic) was to learn that all is not well with science journalism in the United Kingdom.
Scotland, for instance, has just two specialist science writers. One of them, James Morgan of the Herald, who was at the forum further noted the absence of dedicated science pages in the country's newspapers.
Moreover, as the Guardian observed earlier this month, there is a growing unease about science journalism in the UK in general. With its roots going back to the 1920s, the field now finds itself at a crossroads, with a feeling, especially amidst contemporary journalists that "science in the daily media is too often reported in the same deferential way as political journalists used to report politics in the 1950s," in the words of Jonathan Leake, science and environment editor at the Sunday Times.
In addition, science journalists seem to be getting marginalised by emerging issues in areas such as environment and health. It is in this context that I was happy to offer Kenya and indeed Africa as an example of "how it can be done".
Although the country's science journalism can be said to be still in its infancy, it is worth noting that the Daily Nation has had a long-running science pull-out, Horizon. Most of the other dailies have followed suit. Rising from humble beginnings, science communication is slowly, but quite surely taking its rightful place in Kenya.
This trend can best be seen through the Media for Science, Environment and Health (MESHA-Kenya), an association, which brings together an array of science communicators, press officers, journalists, as well as freelance correspondents from across the country.
|
Among the imaginative approaches that this group has come up with is the concept of science cafes, where lively discussions can be held on topical scientific issues.
Even though I am tempered by the fact that science journalism in Kenya still faces many challenges, I feel that, if we nurture the current energy and spirit, we are on the right path.
Ms Ng'ang'a is a postgraduate researcher at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland UK.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 Business Daily. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
