Science and the Media

Abstract

During my lifetime, a new profession has arisen — that of science journalist. Today, the public learn about science, not in the main from scientists, but from science writers and from the producers of radio and television programmes. It was not so fifty years ago. I was taught no science at school, but by the time I was eighteen I had given myself an admirable grounding in science by reading Jeans, Eddington, Haldane, Huxley, Wells, Einstein and Sherrington. All these men were writing science for the general public, and all, except H. G. Wells, were working scientists. For any child trying to do the same job today, the science would be filtered through the minds of this new profession. What kind of a job are they doing?