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| Print media rocked by restructuring
Australian print journalists are reeling from massive restructuring and redundancy announcements from Fairfax News & Media and News Ltd. that spell big changes for how the news media operates in Australia.
The Fairfax redundancies will total 1900 over the next three years, with at least 150 editorial positions to disappear. Fairfax will also move its flagship newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age to tabloid format and erect paywalls on its news websites. Management reserved the right to discontinue print editions should business conditions deteriorate. The changes will not impact on New Zealand operations, however Fairfax has already undertaken significant restructuring here.
News Ltd. followed Fairfax by announcing it would consolidate its 19 digital divisions to five and make an undisclosed number of employees redundant.
Endgame for print in sight
The consolidation is likely to impact on specialist coverage of areas like science, health and environment reporting and further repurposing of content across publications and websites.
But with media organisations weighed down by expensive printing infrastructure, the changes will only serve to propel them to a fully-digital world, where news is accessed on tablets and websites via subscriptions. At least that may lead to a more sustainable business model for quality news coverage as the free news model is diluted.
Amid the carnage, there are glimmers of hope for quality sources of specialist coverage - News Ltd. tempered the cuts with news it had spent $30 million acquiring business websites including Business Spectator and The Eureka Report. Niche publications continue to attract subscription and are therefore seen as valuable targets. Wilson de Silva, editor of leading Australian science magazine Cosmos, this week sped the groups digital transition with the launch of Cosmos on the iPad. The publication has been growing readership and subscribers.
The future of public-interest journalism?
Some commentators across the Tasman are worried the sea change in the industry will have major implications for the media's ability to undertake investigative journalism. Many are looking to the US, where numerous newspapers have shut down. The US has seen the rise of numerous independent centres of excellence in public interest journalism such as Propublica, the Center for Public Integrity and the California Center for Healthcare Reporting, which are undertaking investigative journalism in conjunction with a mainstream media under financial pressure.
Science Media Centre manager Peter Griffin will visit these centres and others early next year when he looks at what New Zealand can learn from them, as part of his research as the Fulbright-Harkness Fellow for 2012-13.
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| Rio+20 weaker without scientists
'A weak document' awaiting state leaders' 'rubber stamp' is how some observers are characterising the global agreement set to emerge from the Rio+20 summit.
 After months of negotiations, host country Brazil -- eager to avoid the down-to-the-wire wrangling and ultimate failure of Copenhagen's COP15 negotiations -- reportedly forced through a series of changes that removed any contentious text from the final draft. The result is a document lacking in firm commitments, monitoring requirements or timetables for agreed goals.
NGOs are rejecting the draft text, saying that world leaders have delivered a "new definition of hypocrisy" by failing to challenge the weakened wording agreed before their arrival
Cutting scientists out of the process is a key reason for the lack of substance in the agreement, according to veteran UK environmental journalist, Geoffrey Lean.
He writes in the Telegraph:
"Twenty years ago the basic documents for discussion were drawn up by experts in water, pollution, conservation and so on who packed them with content; so even though they were greatly weakened in the negotiating process, quite a bit of substance remained. This time, they were drawn up by the negotiators, meaning that they started close to the lowest common denominator and went downhill from there."
However, delegates are likely to be counting wins as the event winds down overnight.
Some initiatives that survived the negotiating process thus far include strengthening of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), initiatives to conserve fish stocks in international waters, commitment to create of a series of 'sustainable development goals', and support for seeking alternatives to GDP and valuing ecosystem services.
New Zealand's stated priorities of reducing destructive subsidies for fisheries and fossil fuels have made it into the draft agreement as 'renewed commitments' -- each laying claim to a single paragraph out of nearly 300.
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On the science radar...
Turtle sex fossils, super-sensitive robots, human powered helicopters, reality TV paranoia and bird flu data finally published.
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Alcohol in pregnancy research concern New research suggests low or moderate drinking in pregnancy has no adverse neuropsychological effects on kids, but experts are urging caution in interpreting the results.
 "Pregnant women can binge drink safely, says research" proclaims a newsarticle in the London Metro, just one of hundreds reporting on a series of five articles published in the medical journal BJOG.
The research analysed data from more 1,600 pregnant Danish women and found that low to moderate weekly drinking in early pregnancy had no significant effect on neurodevelopment of children aged five years, nor did occasional binge drinking.
High levels of alcohol intake - 9 or more drinks per week - was associated with lower attention span amongst five year olds However, despite the claims of the media, the research does not state that alcohol during pregnancy is safe. In fact the authors of the study conclude: "Safe levels of alcohol use during pregnancy have not yet been established. Consequently, women should be advised that it is safest to abstain from using alcohol when pregnant." In the UK, the NHS has criticised the media coverage claiming moderate drinking during pregnancy is safe, and provided an extensive analysis of the study's methods and findings New Zealand experts contacted by the Science Media centre agreed that there is no safe amount of alcohol in pregnancy. "These types of studies do not provide a reason for pregnant mums to pop the champagne! Sadly though that is often the effect they have" Christine Rogan of Alcohol Healthwatch commented. "The advice to avoid alcohol during pregnancy, when planning pregnancy and when breastfeeding remains the best, most valid and wise option for women to follow." Read more expert commentary on the SMC website. |
Big Food needs scrutiny - experts
The reach and impact of the multinational food and beverage industry - 'Big Food'- has been thoroughly under-examined, according to the authors of a new series of articles calling for greater scrutiny of the industry.
The journal PLoS Medicine this week launched a special series of articles highlighting the influence and impact of the food industry.
The series included an essay from guest editors Marion Nestle and David Stuckler, which describes the public health response so far to Big Food as a "failure to act."
The essay concludes, "Public health professionals must place as high a priority on nutrition as they do on HIV, infectious diseases, and other disease threats. They should support initiatives such as restrictions on marketing to children, better nutrition standards for school meals, and taxes on sugar sweetened beverages."
The Science Media Centre contacted New Zealand experts to comment further on the PLoS Medicine series and the influence of 'Big Food':
Dr Gabrielle Jenkin, Department of Public Health, University of Otago Wellington, commented: The food industry position on individual responsibility dominates the media discourse. Think of all the TV shows on weight loss that blame individuals - for example The Biggest Loser, Honey We're Killing the Kids - and very little on the food industry and the obesogenic environment.
"How can two thirds of the population be suffering from an epidemic of lack of will power and personal irresponsibility? The fact is, it is now abnormal to be a healthy weight!"
Prof Janet Hoek, Dept. of Marketing, University of Otago, said:
"The best option is for governments to show leadership, draw on the available research evidence, restrain the marketing that can be undertaken, and provide consumers with information they can actually see and use."
More information and expert commentary can be found on the SMC website. |
Quoted: 3 News
""Are you here to save face? Or are you here to save us?"
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| Podcast: Sweet and Sour
 A bumper edition this week of the Sciblogs podcast owing to the huge amount of interesting science news around the traps.
I kick off with my Science Media Centre colleagues John Kerr and Dacia Herbulockanalysing what's come out of the Rio20+ summit in Brazil - what have the world's nation's agreed on and is there any real potential to improve our performance on sustainability since we received a D- on our progress since the original summit in 1992?
And what was the New Zealand delegating angling for in Rio? The multibillion dollar subsidies propping up unsustainable fisheries and fossil fuel subsidies was in their sights, but did the issue get any airplay?
We catch up with Ian Mirandah, the young lawyer who dropeed $100,000 on one of the last Telsa sports cars to be made. Elizabeth Yeaman fills us in on the unique characteristics New Zealand has that makes us especially suitable to electric cars, andProfessor C.C Chang, the "grandfather" of the electric car outlines how New Zealand needs to aggregate demand with other small nations to get down the price of electric cars - which sell here at a 50 per cent premium compared to big markets like the US and Asia.
"Big Food" is in the gun this week with researchers in PLoS Medicine slamming the food and beverage industry for what they claim are cynical attempts to sell more fizzy drinks and junk food masquerading as social responsibility campaigns. Sciblogger and nutritionist Amanda Johnson joins us to discuss sugar - is it as evil and toxic as some public health advocates make out, and leading obesity expert Professor Jim Mann discusses whether its fair to compare Big Food's tactics to that of Big Tobacco.
And we wrap up with Darwin Tunes, the crowd-sourced music evolution project that is giving researchers clues as to how music progresses based on the tastes of listeners.
Click to listen to the podcast - also subscribe via RSS, on iTunes or Stitcher.com
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New from the SMC
Experts respond: Big food: Experts respond to a series of medical journal articles calling for greater scrutiny of the multinational food and beverage industry - AKA 'Big Food'.
In the News:
Ancient artwork: NZ researchers analysing charcoal drawings on a rock discovered in Australia's Northern Territories estimate the artwork is 28,000 years old.
Briefings:
Electric vehicles: Listen to audio of the media briefing on electric vehicles in NZ, held ahead of an APEC workshop in Wellington this week. A round up of media coverage is also available.
Reflections on Science:
NZ teen address Rio+20: As the winner of an international competition, 17 year-old Kiwi Brittany Trilford gives an opening address at Rio+20.
Rod Oram blogs from Rio+20: Follow journalist Rod Oram as he blogs from the conference in Brazil.
Siouxsie Wiles on Radio NZ: Microbiologist and Sciblogger, Dr Siouxsie Wiles talks with Kim Hill on Radio NZ.
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Sciblogs highlights
Some of the highlights from this week's posts:
Print-on-demand books - what's the hold-up? Ken Perrott wonders why booksellers are having trouble becoming book makers.
Open Parachute
Morgan: 'tree-huggers' need reality check - SMC-IRL intern and guest sciblogger Skye Wishart reports back from the NZ Forest & Bird conference where economist Gareth Morgan took the left to task over rhetoric.
Guest Work
Is the food industry ripe for scrutiny? Nutritionist Amanda Johnson takes a balanced look at the idea of Big Food exerting undue influence in society.
Food Stuff
Finch report: Shift away from journal subscriptions - Peter Griffin highlights the findings of, and response to, the UK's recent report on scientific publishing.
Griffins Gadgets
Why you shouldn't bother buying a thermometer- Don't blindly trust measuring devices says Marcus Wilson - always ask, 'how do I know it's telling the truth?'
Physics Stop
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Research highlights
Please note: hyperlinks point, where possible, to the relevant abstract or paper.
Groundwater dating: Hydrogen isotopes have been largely ignored as a way of radio-dating water, because nuclear testing in the 1960's released massive amounts of isotopes into the global atmosphere, masking the trace amounts that could be used to determine the age of groundwater aquifers. But now NZ researchers say the effects of nuclear testing have faded enough that hydrogen isotopes can be used to accurately date water samples. Using this dating system they show how intensifying agriculture since WWII has increasingly put nitrates, pesticides and CFC refrigerant chemicals into underground reservoirs.
Journal of Hydrology
Carbon storage quake hitch: Many organisations - including NZ's Solid Energy - have invested in large-scale carbon storage research, but American researchers now warn that injections of large volumes of CO2 into underground reservoirs may trigger earthquakes. Based on American research into large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) the scientists say that "there is a high probability that earthquakes will be triggered by injection of large volumes of CO2 into the brittle rocks commonly found in continental interiors".
PNAS
Mobile data tracks quake exodus: Population movements during disasters may be significantly more predictable than previously thought, according to researchers who used mobile phone records to track people caught in the 2010 Haiti quake which killed up to 300,000 people - including New Zealanders - eight months before the first of Christchurch's big tremors.Though the population of Port-au-Prince initially fell 28 percent, survivors kept to pre-quake mobility patterns.
PNAS
Gigapixel camera: A 'supercamera' that can take one-gigapixel images has been revealed by US researchers. The system uses 98 micro-cameras and a specially designed electronic processing unit to process the large volume of imaging information at high speed.The new camera has the potential to capture up to 50 gigapixels of data, which is 50,000 megapixels. By comparison, most consumer cameras are capable of taking photographs with sizes ranging from 8 to 40 megapixels.
Nature
No increase in fat cats: It has been suggested that feline obesity has increased recently in parallel with the prevalence of obesity in the human population. However, a new study from Massey University has found that there has been no significant increase in feline obesity between 1993 and 2007 - at least in Palmerston North. The study collected data on the environment, diet, health and behaviour of 200 cats, and found that in 2007 feline obesity was 27% - compared with 26% in 1993.
Preventive Veterinary Medicine
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Policy updates
Some of the policy highlights from this week:
PHARMAC takes on vaccines: Pharmac will take over managing the National Immunisation Schedule, including purchasing vaccines, from the Ministry of Health. However the Ministry will remain responsible for the overall immunisation programme.
Fish stocks report: The Ministry of Primary Industries Fisheries Assessment Plenary Report highlights the discovery of a new group of orange roughy, and a southern blue whiting population that is at a historic high.
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Upcoming sci-tech events
For these and more upcoming events, and more details about them, visit the SMC's Events Calendar. |
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