Role of science journalism pressed
BRINGING science journalism is important in this country says awardwinning Filipino writer Dr. Jose Dalisay Jr.
In his lecture during the 22nd Graciano Lopez Jaena Community Journalism Workshop at the University of the Philippines Baguio on Wednesday, Dalisay looked back on his journey entering the world of journalism and highlighted the importance of communicating science through journalism.
“Science journalism is important in this country and one of the basic reasons for that is that for far too long we have let other people mainly politicians, businessman, priests, generals make decisions for us. They control public discourse, they create public agenda. Sino ang wala sa equation na iyan, scientists, artists. Nobody listens to scientists in this country basically because nobody knows who they are and what they do,” he said.
Breaking into the world of media at a young age, one of his first job was to fill a half page of feature stories every day.
“I learned to look for story by looking into landscape. It is easy to come out with a story but how do you make it yours. But I still believe that with enough insight and creativity you can write a story as if it is entirely yours,” he added. “Sharing his story he highlighted his interests in sciences even if he turned into literature the scientific method. “It has always been with me.”
Dalisay added there is a long tradition of mistrusting of science and scientists and expressed it is very important that arguments in science be sorted out for the ordinary people and policy makers can be guided rationally.
“There are areas of science which today be debated upon like the genetic engineering. In other words there is a deep sited suspicion of science which is actually a suspicion of knowledge itself we are just kind of rooting out some deeply held cultural beliefs, in all humanity. This is of course how science works theoretically it supposed to improve the human life by using knowledge bring about benefits to the society,” Dalisay quipped.
Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication Professor Elena Pernia said in order to communicate correct science journalism, efforts are important to help the public understand the science so that they can make important and informed decisions.
“In our individual journalistic efforts to inform and educate, we must remember to think about of the bigger picture which is really the public good although we start now, we start our stories now,” Pernia said.
Community journalists gathered from all over Northern Luzon to discuss problems and prospects in the field. This year’s fellow’s is the third batch of the science journalism workshop with the theme: "Sustainability Science: Indigenous Practices in Biodiversity and Resource Management."