Not all news is good news. That's what a number of scientists in the UK concluded after seeing how journalists covered scientific issues. The nonprofit Sense about Science was sparked by this collective frustration about how science is portrayed in the media. The group works to promote the public understanding of science by responding to misleading or incorrect scientific claims. "We chase out bad science stories," says director Tracey Brown. Then they try to correct the record. As a result of ongoing interactions with scientists and journalists, Brown and her organization created the Voice of Young Science. "One of the things a lot of journalists said to us is that the only people who speak out about science and public issues are people right at the end of their careers," Brown says. "So we started thinking about where the young voices are." < Back | Continue >

Sense about Science hosted workshops for young researchers who wanted to engage with the press. The scientists stayed in touch, eventually forming the VoYS network. The researchers investigated various scientific claims they saw being made in advertisements and shared their findings with one another. They spoke with journalists about how the media worked and how to create a public language of science. And they published what they learned in a booklet called "Standing Up for Science," with the goal of teaching other young researchers how to speak out effectively. Voice of Young Science is beginning to join up with interested researchers abroad, and Brown hopes to help other nations set up their own networks of young scientists who can speak out in the name of science. < Back | Continue >

More: senseaboutscience.org