Book Review: Science in Indian Media

BY Rahul Basu| IN Media Practice | 18/02/2003

The author traces the reasons for the lack of sufficient representation of science in the media 

Review of `Science in Indian Media’ by Dilip Salwi                                 

Rahul Basu

The Institute of Mathematical Sciences

Chennai

Despite the fact that in the present age, science (and, for that matter, technology) plays a vital role in the daily life of all citizens, awareness of science in general among the common people is pathetically minimal. The reasons are of course many, not least the fact that even in this 21st century, coverage of science (and technology) issues in the media is woefully inadequate. This is more so in the case of science where, unless there is some `spectacle` that merits

attention, there is virtually no coverage in the media.

Dilip Salwi, author of numerous books on science and scientific matters has written a remarkably cogent and incisive book on precisely these issues. He addresses not only the reasons why science in the Indian media is under-represented, but makes many concrete and thought-provoking suggestions on how it could be improved.

He starts off by pointing out that the scientific method is a powerful tool for mental growth and imparts rational thinking and analytical ability, something absolutely crucial in India where superstition, caste, creed, custom hold sway for a large percentage of even the educated masses. The stranglehold of religion (in its more negative connotations of a set of mechanical rituals, customs and beliefs) is particularly severe in India - ironical in a country which has one of the few, perhaps only constitutions in the world which exhorts its people to develop a scientific temper.

Salwi traces the reasons for the lack of sufficient representation of science in the media and his conclusions merit attention both from scientists as well as journalists. He points out that there is no formal mechanism for science communication - both scientists and media

personnel think the activity belongs in the others` purview. Scientists often look down on the media and couldn`t be bothered with discussing science with them, and media personnel frequently come from non-science backgrounds and therefore have trouble deciding which science issues are important and which are not.

This leads to cases where, only when science is a spectacle ( e.g the nuclear explosions at Pokhran), is it covered substantially in the media and it is touted as a great scientific success story (and, for that matter, as an issue of national pride), when in reality, there are innumerable

other (related) issues like nuclear energy which are far more complex and more representative of serious scientific matters. There was no attempt to put matters in perspective with regard to their respective  importance. An even more absurd example is provided by the story of

the milk drinking Ganesh which was splashed across all newspapers for days; on other hand sober and rational attempts to explain this and debunk the `miracle` hardly made it in the media.  

Salwi has provided boxes giving profiles of Kalinga awardees in India (the award is given for science popularisation) and their views about how to address the problems. He shows that in some ways science coverage has actually declined in India. Science Today, a very good science magazine brought out by the Times of India group in the `60s and `70s was very popular in its day along with Science Reporter (published by CSIR) and Science Age. Today Science Reporter is the only main general science magazine left. The Times of India spends many more column inches on Miss India shows and the like than on science - perhaps a reflection more of our society than the media.

There are of course significant exceptions to this bleak scenario. Some newspapers started science supplements in the `80s and `90s. Pride of place in this regard must go to the venerable Madras newspaper `The Hindu` as also the Indian Express. Overall the situation is better (perhaps not just on this issue!) in the Southern newspapers with a lot of science coverage, for example, in the magazine `Frontline` - again from the Hindu stable. On the other hand, even these newspapers do not have a regular science and technology section on a daily basis like, for example, the New York Times, which has one that is updated daily.

The case of TV and Radio is more interesting. AIR and Doordarshan have always had a certain component of science programming, albeit often made in a ham-handed way. Programmes like Turning Point and Quest were very popular when first shown and it was the much maligned government broadcaster DD which took the lead in such programming. It is interesting that today, with a plethora of channels, there is not a single private Indian channel which devotes any significant time to science matters, unless (as already mentioned) it is a spectacle. One of the reasons given for this is the lack of sponsors without which no private channel is willing to risk broadcasting such shows. Discovery and National Geographic etc. are of course science channels but these are foreign imports - there is virtually no coverage of science made specifically for the Indian viewer and with the Indian context in mind.

Having discussed all these problem Salwi present a series of

recommendations to improve the situation. He presents his `Laws of

Scientific Communication` and having conducted innumerable interviews

with scientists who have contributed to science popularisation,

summarises their views. Salwi`s main recommendations are:

> Devote 2-5 minutes to science news at prime time in all news

bulletins

> Sensitize top editors and managers on the importance of various

science issues. At the same time, make sure top scientists take

interest in popularising science.

> Stress science writing in the vernacular. Most scientists who do write popular science articles do so in English (the eminent astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar being a notable exception). Salwi makes a plug for the local language press and points out that this is the only way science can be conveyed to the masses all through the country.

> Start by convincing scientists to at least have home pages where they describe their work in layman terms. That itself gives many journalists who are so disposed, a place to start. Such home pages are very common in the West (particularly the US) but virtually non-existent in India. The internet is a great place to search for science issues but unfortunately few Indian sites (including those of scientific institutions funded by tax payers money) have any useful information at all.

> Make science dissemination one of the mandates of every scientific

organisation.

> Begin serious science communication courses. Most people including

media barons don`t realise  that science writing and popularisation is

a specialised subject and reaching the standards of some of the great

popular science magazines like `Scientific American` needs proper

training.

> Begin science resource centres.

> Begin science bureaus in major newspapers and a science broadcasting

DIVision for Prasar Bharati.

This book could not have come at a more timely moment - a time when

instead of advancing into the 21st century, we seem to be regressing

into the middle ages with an obsession over the birthplaces  of

mythical characters, and pseudo-science mumbo-jumbo like Vaastu Shastra

and Feng-Shui, issues which didn`t even exist in the middle years of

the last century.

Salwi ends his book with an Epilogue which is an appeal to raise ones

voice for science communication. He laments the absence of an

M. C. Mehta for science communication, and in what is perhaps the only

overly dramatic aspect of the book, suggests even a PIL against all

media to make them cover science adequately!

My only regret about this book is that being published by Vigyan

Prasar, it might not get the kind of publicity and circulation that it

deserves and that a bigger publisher might have been able to provide.

 contact: rahul@imsc.ernet.in

published by Vigyan Prasar, pp 174, Price Rs 200. Available from Vigyan Prasar,

C-24 Qutb Institutional  Area,  New Delhi 100016. Email:  vigyan@hub.nic.in