"Based primarily on a systematic review of the relevant literature between 2000 and 2017, this article reflects on the state of journalism about science in developing countries, with a focus on its issues, challenges and implications for their developmental processes and causes. Five major themes em
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erge from our analysis: (a) heavy dependence on foreign sources, especially the media of the Global North; (b) the low status of domestic science news in newsrooms; (c) uncritical science reporting that easily lends itself to influences of non-science vested interests; (d) tight grip of politics on science journalism; and (e) ineffective relationships between science and journalism. We will demonstrate that, while some of these problems exist in the North, they can have far more severe consequences on the progress of the South, where news plays an almost exclusive role in informing and engaging laypeople with science and its socio-cultural, economic and political implications." (Abstract)
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"Journalists who regularly cover science, health, environment and technology in Africa and the Arab world face a number of difficulties: Lack of elementary resources for journalistic research, and newsroom environments that are not always supportive of specialised reporting. Also a need for capacity
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to cover science is often bemoaned as well as difficulties in interactions between journalists and scientists. The evaluation of the world's largest support initiative for science journalism in developing countries, the SjCOOP mentoring programme, shows that some of these problems can be mitigated through a variety of support programmes, especially ‘distance mentoring’. The article analyses ways of building capacity and offering general support with the help of ICTs. Organisational structures for specialised reporting in 40 newsrooms are compared. Cases of structural advancement and innovation for science journalism are discussed." (Abstract)
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"The main findings of the review are: 1. General consensus on the importance of research communication among the donors interviewed, and wide interest in developing appropriate programmes and mechanisms. 2. Little evidence of a strategic approach within individual agencies, with research communicati
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on generally dispersed within the organisation. 3. Emphasis continues to be on the supply side of research, with a weak understanding of and capacity to support the demand side of research communication. 4. Many examples of good practice and of innovative initiatives, also related to engaging users and other stakeholders in the research communication process. 5. Several donors are placing a priority on being a learning organisation, with research communication contributing to internal knowledge management. 6. No comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation systems in place to assess the effectiveness and relevance of various research communication approaches, and to feed this information back into research communication policy and investment decisions. 7. Most donors maintain their own web portals / archives of research findings. 8. There is a strong interest among donors to explore and expand open access to funded research findings. 9. Most donors would welcome strengthening networking and linkages between donors interested in research communication to improve efficiency and effectiveness, for shared learning and for greater impact. 10. DFID is recognized and valued as one of the leaders in the field of research communication." (Summary)
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