Communicating science effectively and rigorously is still one of the many challenges facing scientists and researchers today. Indeed, in the current context it is more important than ever to involve society in the work undertaken at universities and research centres.
One of scientists’ main goals is to get their research results across and make both the scientific method and the ins and outs of science comprehensible to a wider public. As part of their communicative endeavour, researchers are also exploring other ways to reach out to society beyond the traditional media.
Likewise, journalists are faced with the task of making science attractive to readers in such a way that it is easy to understand but does not compromise the precision and accuracy that science demands. This task, however, is becoming increasingly difficult to carry out given the economic crisis, which has also hit the media sector hard with ongoing cutbacks, making science journalists an endangered species.
Two professional cultures, scientific and journalistic, need each other but are often at loggerheads due to differences in opinions on how to communicate science.
This issue of MÈTODE was sparked by a seminar organised in Valencia by the UIMP last September to hear what professionals working in science journalism and communication have to say, and to analyse the current situation of this specialised genre in the press. Future challenges facing outreach activities are also discussed.
Monograph coordinated by Anna Mateu and Martí Domínguez.
