Over the last few years the media and especially television have focussed on presumed health emergencies such as mad-cow disease, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the Di Bella cancer-cure case and the Lipobay case. Topics such as these have a strong emotional impact on public opinion and subscribe to the dictates of the ratings rather than following the more or less prescriptive rules of scientific communication. In a highly competitive environment, if the ratings prevail against information, it is obvious that news follows the rules of fiction, health reports become mere
Terms such as gmo, genetic tests and pharmacogenomics, which were once used only by experts, belong today to everyday language. The new vocabulary of molecular biology shows an increase in the interest of society in scientific problems, and in particular the recent cultural supremacy of molecular biology. For all of us, the gene symbolizes progress and power, the hope of fighting incurable diseases, and the fear of terrifying genetic manipulations. These aspects become real events and characters in the Human Genome Project. But this great international project has also shown that the relation
The purpose of this article is to discuss the media effects approach broadly, to point out limitations the traditional approach imposes on the field, and to discuss a “mix of attributes” approach with a focus on the study of “new” technologies for the dissemination of news. It is argued that the mix of attributes approach would better serve to advance both theory and empirical research, not only in the area of new media technologies, but also for more traditional media effects research.
Ways of Knowing, Inc. is producing two one-hour film documentarties for public television on the origin, nature and history of writing. "The Writing Project" (working title) is about the study of writing as a technology. The goal of the films is to explain how writing systems work and to make people aware of the importance of writing in societies. The programs will address what reading and writing is, how writing was invented and how it is used in dozens of different systems around the world. The focus is on the diversity, yet sameness, of writing systems and on the grand variety of its uses. The target audience is the PBS television audience, with follow-up educational viedocassette distribution to schools and colleges to be used as an introduction to linguistics "basic text." The program's outreach will be enhanced by a companion website and book.
Freedom Machines is a one-hour special for public television which will highlight the information about the newest technological advances which support over 54 million Americans with disabilities. Through personal narratives, high-impact storytelling, and a comprehensive public education and outreach campaign, the show will inform viewers about assistive technology (AT) being used, and how it is adapted and designed by people with disabilities. The individuals to be profiled, many of them leaders in science and technological fields, will encourage young people with disabilities to pursue careers in the sciences. Many of the devices and approaches to be featured will also show how valuable these technologies are for the able bodied, general public. The sixty-minute documentary is structured around the themes of Pioneers, Partners and Prophets in order to examine the evolving relationship between technology and the disabled, profile emerging technologies and explore the larger societal implications of this growing phenomenon. A companion website and extensive outreach program will continue the informative material, support and create networks, and promote linkages between viewers, either abled or disabled, and the technology that might benefit them. Technological changes have always been influenced by people with needs beyond the ordinary. This dynamic is even more relevant in today's information age. Freedom Machines will dramatically demonstrate that designing a world of inclusion benefits everyone.
The Fred Friendly Seminars is producing a three-part, prime-time television series about the ethical, legal and social implications of advances in genetic research and technology. The audience for the series is the general public with special emphasis on the scientific and policy-making communities. Each of the programs will begin with a presentation of the basic genetic science linked to a specific ethical and policy issue and then will engage a panel in a Socratic dialogue based on a hypothetical situation related to that issue. The panel will represent a wide range of perspective including scientists, policy makers and people experiencing the dilemmas presenting in the hypothetical situations. Outreach material for the project will be developed by the National Center for Science Literacy, Education and Technology and Exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History. The center will produce a 16-page discussion guide designed for by a variety of informal education organizations that reach the general public. This guide will be available in both print and on the project web site. In addition to the guide, the web site include guidelines about how to use segments of the series as catalysts for discussion, a list of annotated resources on genetics, and a behind-the-scenes look at the genomic research labs of the museum.
Twin Cities Public Television, in association with Red Hill Studios, is producing and disseminating an Exploring Time television special and associated outreach material. The project will augment and leverage the Exploring Time traveling exhibit now being developed by the Science Museum of Minnesota (NSF grant #99-01919). The goal of both the exhibit and the television special is to increase the public's understanding of our world by revealing the unseen world of natural change -- the multitude of changes that are occurring in the present but at rates too slow or too fast to be seen. The television special will provide visual explorations of changes that take place over a vast range of timescales -- from billionths of seconds to billions of years. The television series and exhibit will be supplemented by a range of materials. Both low- and high-bandwidth, web-based material will be available and a teacher's guide will be developed for middle school classrooms. A "Time Explorers Toolkit" will be available to both formal and informal learners. This CD-ROM includes detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to create time-lapse movies. The project also will coordinate outreach with the Community Technology Centers Network, the organization that supports technology centers that serve individuals from underrepresented and low-income groups.
The University of Oregon, Eugene, is producing "Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold," a three-hour television documentary series about the field of low-temperature physics, the field in which one-third of all physicists are working today. The series explores key concepts, significant individuals and events in the field's turbulent history, and the enormous impact that the mastery of cold has had on society through technologies such as air-conditioning, refrigeration and liquefied gases. The film, based in large part on Tom Shachtman's book of the same name, will document how four centuries of research into lower temperatures has produced stunning scientific insights and applications that have revolutionized the world we live in. Planned outreach includes public programs, museum activities, and an interactive web site. The PI's for the project are Russell Donnelly of the University of Oregon, Richard Hudson of Twin Cites Public Television, and Meredith Burch of Meridian/Windfall Productions, Inc. Other key staff members include Thomas Shachtman, author of the book upon which the series is based; David Dugan, Co-Producer/Director of Windfall Films; David Heil of David Heil and Associates; Barbara Flagg of Multimedia Research; and Irene Goodman, of Goodman Research Group.
The Informal Science Education Program has been supporting the radio series "Living on Earth" for several years. The World Media Foundation is now adding environmental science and technology features to "Living on Earth" and is developing and testing an outreach component that will involve youth as researchers and radio producers. The science and technology features, ranging in length from four to twenty-four minutes, will depart from the usual news-driven reports on the programs. Many of the segments will illustrate basic building blocks of environmental science, technology and related mathematics. Others will profile diverse pioneers in these disciplines. The radio programs will be the framework for an interdisciplinary exploration program for youth. Working with a team of educators from the Antioch University Graduate Program in Environmental Education, the project staff will develop a program in which secondary school aged youth cooperate with peers to produce professional, concise reporting on local environmental issues. Living on Earth will feature the best of the student work on National Public Radio and highlight these pieces as an expanded feature on its website.
The Center for Science and the Media is requesting $2,006,069, of a total budget of $5,597,518, to develop the Science and Technology News Network (STN2) that will produce science news segments to be used by local television stations in their news programs. The products delivered to the stations will include 90-second video news stories in two versions -- with and without voice-over; scripts that local newscasters can read on air; topical and regional tips sheets to help producers localize the stories; follow-up research and one-on-one support by the project staff; explanatory or science-angle sidebars; web stories to introduce upcoming TV stories and provide more in-depth coverage; and Internet support with resources important to local TV producers. The project also provides content to the abcnews.com science site and to ABC News One, the network affiliate news service. The science modules will produce segments in both English and Spanish. The PI and General Manager for the project is Eliene Augenbraun, a former research scientist with experience in management and media. The News Director and Co-PI is Ira Flatow. They will work with an advisory committee of scientists and science journalists.
National Geographic Television requests $1,121,583 (35%) of a total project budget of $3,192,249, to produce a documentary series in 13 half-hour and one hour-long special, "Facing the Wild: The Crittercam Chronicles," with associated informal science education materials and programs. This project will feature the natural histories of some of the Earth's most enigmatic and charismatic marine species, highlight the groundbreaking technology employed to study these extraordinary creatures and celebrate the scientists who devote their lives to understanding marine creatures. The project's goals include: to educate audiences about the vital importance of the world's oceans to the health of the planet; to celebrate the ingenuity of novel technology developed for science and exploration; to illustrate that many tantalizing mysteries remain yet unsolved and a great deal of exciting science and exploration has yet to be done; to provide viewers with scientific role models and help motivate them to pursue careers in science. Employing cutting-edge remote imaging tools, including "crittercam", and National Geographic's trademark storytelling, Facing the Wild's strong conservation message is designed to appeal to a national and global audience. A robust web site, virtual teacher workshops and Student Ocean Conferences will augment the impact of the series.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Greg MarshallKeenan SmartBarbara Flagg
Public Radio International (PRI) is developing and producing a three-year technology initiative in the internationally distributed news and information radio series, "The World." The series is co-produced by PRI, the BBC World Service, and WGBH/Boston. PRI will establish a Technology Desk and assign a reporter full-time to covering technology. In addition, "The World" will benefit from the full resources of the BBC Science Unit. Technology reports will be produced in several radio formats including: At least 26 direct news reports annually (approximately four minutes each); Technology updates in daily newscasts (approximately 52 minutes per year); A weekly Lab Report highlighting emerging technologies (approximately three minutes each); Three monthly in-depth features (Approximately five minutes each); Two major annual in-depth series of five installments each (approximately six minutes each). This emphasis on the latest technology developments will provide listeners with up-to-date information about important developments in such areas as nanotechnology and micro-electrical machines, quantum cryptography and genetic manipulation of agricultural products. In depth reports would cover topics such as the Human Genome Project and the influence of technology on archaeology. PRI will work with the Exploratorium in San Francisco to design and produce outreach components for the project. A web resource will be developed to extend and deepen technology covered in broadcasts over the radio. It will include further information about topics, directions for conducting experiments, transcripts of technology reports and bibliographies of additional resources. PRI and the Exploratorium also will implement a three-year pilot project to involve children from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in the creation of online broadcasts (webcasts) on technology-related themes. This element of the project will determine whether programming derived from a news program and produced by children for children is an effective production model and whether the model is appropriate for replication.