Tuesday, January 21, 2014

JOURNALISM AND SCIENCE (WANT TO STUDY TSUNAMI?) …


A JOURNALIST stated recently that he wanted to study tsunamis.
I said he has to study Science, particularly Physics, Geophysics and possibly a bit of Geology/Engineering.
He said he did not want to study Science – he wanted to take a short cut.
“We journalists know a bit about everything,” he said, showing a strong sense of self-confidence.
I stopped talking.

I was thinking: “How will a journalist understand the technical and scientific aspects of the phenomena that cause the giant waves?
“To explain to others about tsunamis, you need to know about the science of waves (seismic waves, water waves), pressure, heat and energy.”

Just last night I watched an American science journalist speaking on babies learning many things about in the womb and really appreciated what she was saying.
Science journalists usually have a good amount of training in Science combined with learning the skills to write for newspapers, magazines or journals.
I wish the best for the journalist who plans to take short cuts to study tsunamis. I do not know where he will study the subject though.
If you want to be a Science journalist, work hard on learning Science as well as mastering the skills to write properly.
Or, get a degree in Science and then study skills to write for newspapers and magazines.

Cheers.       

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