As I listened to a presentation on phylogeny and the evolution and the genomics of green plants, I became inundated with scientific jargon. I had to listen carefully and decipher this secret scientific code plants evolved to serve a function. As I tuned in to the topic of the speech, I realized that this is precisely why science reporters are needed. The reporter is needed to take the jumbled scientific jargon and translate it into words that can be understood by the public. I listened to a couple of other meetings, such as a human genome seminar and a meeting discussing life after brain injury.
Journalists also use the opportunity to build a network of contacts that can lead to future stories.
What I learned was contrary to what I was taught in journalism classes. I was always taught to seek the hard, timely news. But in this scenario, I discovered that science reporters look beyond tomorrow morning's stories and instead find what will be news next week or next month. All rights reserved.