People all over the world show growing interest in research and technological and other innovations. Actually, people need or can benefit science based information in their every day life – in questions of health, food, well-being, studies, hobbies etc. People can utilise science also for recreation, enjoyment and "nice-to-know" purposes.
Citizens, political decision makers, people in the business world and many others want to learn about scientific interpretations of climate change, decisions and solutions concerning the world economic crisis, development of societies and cultural changes and questions concerning health and well-being.
Scientific interpretations are best disseminated by the media. To do this, we need open science communication and independent, critical, professional and enthusiastic science journalism. What does this mean?
In open science communication researchers can freely communicate their findings to and in the society. There are researchers who are active in disseminating their knowledge to lay audience even though it might not be considered as a merit in their scientific communities. Some of them manage to receive respectability both by their scientific colleagues and the general public. For instance the late Leena Peltonen-Palotie, a Finnish academician and geneticist, was an internationally highly recognised and awarded scholar. To the general public she was one of the most well-known scientists in Finland.
Independent science journalists should be free from economical, political or other liabilities. When I told this to a Vietnamese delegation of science and technology administrators, they said, diplomatically, that there are countries where journalists are not so free. I answered that even there journalists should be aware of there liabilities.
Critical science journalists are not driven by their sources and they are not loudspeakers or PR officers of scientific institutions. There have been cases in Finland that e.g. a medical journalist has been shown to drive the interests of a big medical company.
Professional science journalists know how to find out interesting news and how to create stories for their readers, listeners or watchers. Science journalists must have a good understanding of scientific work in general and of certain fields of science specifically. Quite often we can read even in the biggest newspapers articles by news reporters who obviously have not understood what researchers have been telling to them.
Enthusiastic science journalists love their work and they get their energy from searching for the truth or for something which explains better than earlier who and what we are, mysteries of the universe or at least why it was necessary to save Greece from a collapse.
