challenge of writing science stories

We had our last laboratory exercise last Friday for Animal Science 1 (Ansc1). I and some of my classmates were on our way to our room when one of them asked me, “Ate, ano’ng course mo?”. I smiled and said “Devcom”. They asked me, why I am taking Ansc1. Maybe they were thinking I should only take communication courses. I told them Ansc1 is one of my electives.

Honestly, when I was thinking on what to put in my POS, I did not know why it is important for us, Devcom students, to take hard sciences as our electives. But as time goes on, I began to understand that it is useful in so many ways. We are exposed with these sciences, and it gives us background knowledge about the things we usually don’t deal with like chemistry, biology, zoology, etc.

As I read the article entitled “Bad Science in the Headlines”, I realized that in reality when we (future journalists) are already out of our comfort zone, we will be dealing with science stories. And with dealing with these stories, we have to have knowledge about it for us to be able to report it truthfully. Studying science during our years in college is a great help.

It is our duty to report stories as honestly and as accurately as we can. If we write something that does not have empirical proof, we might mislead the public that would affect their behavior toward the subject.

For me, reporting science is really something. Extra care should be given. Extra research should be done. Extra control should be observed. Science is a very sensitive topic to put into public. Whatever new discoveries in the world of science would surely affect the public because it somehow answers their questions about the world. If not, it gives the public new things that would help them make life easier.

Maybe these are the reasons why there are but few science journalists existing in the industry. We seldom see science headlines in the newspapers. And this reality is quite saddening. As it is mentioned in the article, people seldom read scientific journals. They mostly depend on newspapers, or news on TV or internet. It is our responsibility to give them the information they need without distorting the truth from the experts. However, the experts should also partner with the journalists so that there will be understanding from both parties to avoid producing information that might mislead their audience—the general public.

The lesson to be learned is that never write something you do not know. Aside from it being difficult, it may cause confusion to all the parties involved—the experts, the journalists, and the intended audience.

pressured :)

I always hear things like, “madali lang naman ang devcom eh”. I don’t agree. Definitely, it is not. It is never easy to write when you do not know what to write, how to write, and why write something. I admit that when I was in the early years in college, I said to myself that I was not challenged by the course I take, and I even thought that this is not for me. But now, the only thing I can say is that my course is too challenging, too demanding that it requires time, dedication, and most of all passion.

I remembered when I was in grade six; I wanted to be a journalist. Then came highschool, I changed my mind and decided that what I wanted is to be an engineer. However, my fate brought me to a communication course, which is DEVCOM. And here I am now, struggling with all the deadlines of the requirements, yet enjoying what I’m doing.

What we experience in the academe is nothing compared to the real practice of being a journalist. This is what our instructors always say when we are complaining about a deadline or an exercise. Everytime I think about being journalist in the near future, I get excited, and on the other hand, frightened and pressured. I always think of what I will be or if I will ever survive the challenges when I am already out of my comfort zone.

I always look up to those journalists who already marked their names in the media industry. Though our training here in the university is different form the training of mass communication students, I always dream of working in mainstream media. I want to work in CNN like Maria Ressa, or to other stations that are known in the country. It may sound ambitious, but I never know. It’s better to be ambitious than having no ambition at all.

With all the social media present in our generation nowadays, it is no longer too hard for us writers to get the attention of readers. Though journalists are known to be using only print media, we are now taking a step higher and utilizing the social media to engage readers. I believe that we have the same goal and purpose—that is to inform people and encourage them to act, but, this time we are using different media.

This would certainly put pressure on us future journalists. As Serlie Jamias mentioned in the symposium held last September 19, 2012 at SEARCA auditorium, the new journalist is a one man team. It only means we have to be flexible in every area. We are to learn using different media aside from print. We should know how to write for a certain medium, what to write in that medium, and how to write it effectively that readers would be encouraged to read it.

As development communicator in training, we are dealing with information that is not as palatable to the public compared to entertainment news or crimes. We are dealing with developmental information, science data, and other boring stuff. These information we are writing about turned out to be the more important information everyone should know. But since it is boring to the eyes of many, our problem is how to sell these information to people.

There are several ways to attract readers and sell our ideas to them. It is just we have to know our audience well. We have to be aware of what they want, and what they need. As the first rule in Devcom, before making a material, writing an article, and planning for an activity, you have to know your audience well. This, I won’t forget. J

I would like to share a quote by Patricia Evangelista that moved the inside of me. She said that “in every statistics, there’s a name, there’s a story, and it is our duty to tell their story in the best way we can.” As a future journalist, I will definitely not forget this. Writing stories of people or events I don’t know is never easy, but I know that this is the call of my duty. I will not underestimate the power of my pen and paper. What I write might not be significant to all, but might be useful to one—and that one is enough for me to continue to write. And now I realize, it is never too hard when you started loving what you are doing. For me, writing is a delight, and I am willing to learn everything to be an effective writer. J