From Inception to Infection :

1. From Inception to Infection: Comparing scientific literature on the discovery of a disease to its news article counterpart General overview: When scientific literature is published in a public news format, aspects are conserved, discarded, and others are added. Here it begins with an article from Nature linking a fungus to a disease afflicting bats in North America and how the BBC took this information and organized it in the context of a news piece. Nature: Scientific literature and the “inception” of news • Together: • Blog links and comment boxes allow for audience participation • Utilization of experts in the article either as authors, citations, or interviewees • Both titles share the main idea of a disease being linked to a fungus • Any outside sources are noted in some respect • Nature: • Format • High density text with multiple columns per page • Citations utilized to give credit for any work not original to this piece • Full reference page • Highly uniform format with headings for methods, results, discussion, etc. • Visual • 5. Diagrams and graphs are utilized to support data mentioned in the literature • Purpose • To inform and publicize a scientific discovery 1 Nature is a journal among journals in the scientific world. Only accepting articles detailing specific scientific discoveries or unique takes on a topic this journal has a reputation for reporting some of the most significant work in the life sciences. Structured to be impactfulyet concise the journal maintains strict limits on text density and article length, creating a comprehensive design that almost makes it a read manageable to non-experts. 2 4 Audience Though a very concise paper Nature is still written to an audience of life science experts and researchers. The text heavy and technical layout of each article is very functional and does very little to intentionally attract an audience. In other words, the reputation and purpose of the journal itself is what drives its audience to seek out each piece of literature and read it. 5 3 • BBC: • Format • Low density text with headings and spaced paragraphs • Hyperlinks lead to sources and related stories • List of links at the bottom but no uniformity in citation or specific purpose • Visual • 4. Visual media such as pictures of bats and video of an expedition • 5. Interview statements and expert opinions introduce implications of disease • Purpose • Focus on discovery in relation to the impact on bats and how people can participate (prevent the spread of disease) • To educate audience about a discovery concerning a bat pandemic and its implications 1 3 The BBC “Infection”: popularizing science with applications and visual media BBC (British Broadcasting Channel) news is a radio show turned international television program that began in the 1920s and now hosts a spot on televisions worldwide informing, educating, and entertaining through various shows, films, and news programs. They are built on a reputation of impartial and independent news and divulge reports from more places in the world than almost any other show of its kind. Because of this foundation their science articles very much preserve the original data found in the journal articles they cite and often link to. 4 5 • Sources: • http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15460894 • http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html • http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2009/06/04/69470/deadly-bat-disease-spreading-fast.html • http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090305102709.htm Audience BBC attracts a global audience of all shapes and sizes, but its science news is specifically geared towards people who already have an interest in and knowledge of the sciences. Their articles stay true to the original science they cite from, making them more appealing to people already familiar with the field being written about.