Science in the media
Dieser Artikel in Deutsch
What is a stem cell, and why is its being used for research purposes so controversial? Who wrote "La Traviata"? Which of these two questions should one be able to answer in all circumstances? Nowadays, a large number of readers will probably opt for the first question. The notion of what the essence of education is has clearly shifted over the last few decades. Today, fragments of knowledge about the natural sciences have replaced the quote from the classics with which members of the educated classes used to announce their membership of precisely these classes. Alongside the school and the university, the media are the chief source of this new educational canon.
A thriller has been on the German bestseller lists for months in which a dramatic plot alternates with pages and pages of information on the marine sciences. "Der Schwarm", by Frank Schätzing, presents a disaster scenario in which the ecosystem of the deep sea has gone awry, with fishermen disappearing without a trace, whales attacking harmless tourists, jellyfish blocking tankers and a Tsunami flooding Europe's coasts. Researchers are the heroes in this book. One of the author's scientific advisors, Gerhard Bohrmann, who was working at the Research Center for Marine Geosciences (GEOMAR) in Kiel (today: Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Kiel), when Schätzing was gathering material for his book, and is now a Professor of Marine Geology at the University of Bremen, features under his own name in the novel. This scientific "detective story" generates an attitude among readers in which facts about the Gulf Stream are assimilated with the same excited attention as the progression of the novel's plot. Science is "in". Having been the domain of special popular science journals for years, scientific topics are now increasingly entering the mainstream of information and entertainment culture. Towards the end of 2004, the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", as one of Germany's leading national newspapers, and "DIE ZEIT", one of the country's major weeklies, almost simultaneously launched a popular science magazine in a neck-to-neck race. Since then, both of them have established themselves on the market, boasting a circulation of 200,000 (ZEIT Wissen) and 150,000 (Süddeutsche Wissen).
German radio and television channels broadcast spots on science at almost every time of the day, and in a wide range of formats. Animal films can be viewed alongside programmes providing information on health issues, and cultural features alongside documentaries. In all, the spectrum ranges from the detailed and sophisticated coverage of a topic reflecting its various aspects to the use of scientific elements in quizzes, where research results act as curiosities or as pegs to hang show effects onto. But as well as welcoming the greater presence of science, there is criticism, too.
"Currently, competition between the entertainment programmes is getting tougher," observes Ranga Yogeshwar, Science Editor for the "Westdeutscher Rundfunk" and moderator of various TV science programmes. "The claim to following scientific insights as they evolve, to addressing controversies, and to giving a comprehensible account of the entire process of scientific thought is disappearing. There is nothing wrong with also using entertaining effects to explain science. However, this should be done purposefully. The stimulus should be used to open up doors and attract viewers to a topic."
One of the reasons for the increasing popularity of scientific topics could be the public relations activities on the part of science and, in particular, the organisations funding science. Funding bodies such as the European Union or the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research have been making efforts to achieve a more intensive dialogue between science and society for years. The reason for this is the desire to give the taxpayer, who invests in science, something in return. A change of mentality in this context has also been observed by Professor Dr. Detlev Ganten, Founding Director of the Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine in Berlin-Buch and Chairman of the Board at the Berlin Charité, Europe's largest university hospital. "Until a few years ago, colleagues wouldn't take people seriously who gave statements to a non-scientific audience," Ganten recalls. "Now there are initiatives such as 'Wissenschaft im Dialog' (Science in Dialogue) or the Communicator Award of the Donors' Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany, which is granted by the German Research Foundation each year. They have all realised that if science is not made comprehensible, it cannot reckon with the support of politics and society."
In order to promote this dialogue, Ganten himself has published a book succinctly titled: "Naturwissenschaft: Alles, was man wissen muss" (Everything you need to know about science), in which a sort of educational canon of science is developed. Here Ganten and his co-authors give a summary account of the universe, the Earth as a habitat and the human body. "Nature observation, which rouses a child's initial inquisitiveness, is the crucial element. It is from nature observation that culture develops. Dealing with the natural sciences is part of the route to the knowledge society," says Ganten.
One of the consequences of the countless popularisation activities is certainly that inhibitions about dealing with scientific contents are being overcome. This in turn is part of the re-codification process that the general understanding of science is currently experiencing. So science is no longer exclusively the domain of those who have acquired the right to participate in discussions thanks to their educational biography. On the contrary, everyone who feels addressed by the topic has the right to a say, whether it be because research results are impacting on his or her everyday life in some way or because of the sheer interest in the subject.
|
