THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN COMMUNICATING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The Kenya’s Vision 2030 recognizes the role of Science and Technology (S&T) in a Knowledge Based Economy, in which new knowledge plays a great role in promoting the country’s economic status.

It has long been acknowledged that media play an important role in society by providing information that is critical to the way people comprehend and make sense of the world in which they live. The media do these by representing issues, interpreting and evaluating them and in the process helping make sense of the world and events on behalf of their audiences. The way people understand science and technology is influenced to a significant degree by media coverage, interpretation and presentation.

Communication Medias are very powerful tools that enable science and technology to be understood by many. The idea that someone’s perceptions and actions can be changed by information received through sight, sound or touch, is rather profound.  Even more so is the idea that, through exchanging information and ideas, people can influence and change the course of whole societies.

The normal way  in which   people access  information, basically; press  from  newsagents, radio, television and more recently free press  is being pushed aside by new  channels and media like websites, blogs, podcasts and google/news and by a gradual change in the  attitude of the  public  in terms of how  to  consume information and,  in general, science and technology. 

These channels help in facilitating the public understanding of science and technology in a clear and understandable manner.

Through the use of the mentioned Medias in communication, every individual that forms part of society will be in a position to increase their knowledge and understanding of new technologies and innovations, as well as their ability to make informed decisions and use the new applications derived from science in an effective way.

Communication between science and society is crucially important as it helps in informing the broader public about issues related to science, technology and innovations, it also helps to impact on policy-making and agenda- setting.

In addition to that,  it  also affects the  legitimacy of  research, and  it  plays  a  major   role  in the   governance  of  science,  technology and   risk. 

Moreover, blogs,   home  pages  and   open  source  publishing offer   scientists  more possibilities for distributing information to  each other, and  the  wider  public also  has  access to enormous amounts of information online.

In terms of communicating science and technology, the Medias are seen as brokers between science & technology and the public, framing the social reality for their readers and shaping the public consciousness about science & technology-related events. They are the preferred accessible Medias for many readers about science and technology.

Medias also help in bridging the knowledge gap of science and technology since enormous number of audience is reached. However, limited coverage could also be as a result of modest knowledge of science and technology within the media.

The media in Kenya have been  at  the  forefront  of  educating  the  public  on  matters relating to science and technology by  persistently, consistently and accurately conveying basic scientific information about new inventions and other technological advancements. In focusing on such information, the media can affect the scope and form of public knowledge, values, and action via their agenda setting, issue framing, and audience priming functions.

Lastly, the media industry should work closely with training institutions to introduce science curricula as a way of improving the understanding of science and technology issues. Such a foundation is crucial to long-term interest in the field and improvement in its coverage.