The Science Source Pathways Project will conduct initial work designing and testing a new model for providing news on STEM related topics to the rural and Native American communities in Montana. This project will enhance understanding of how the communication of scientific research reaches and impacts underrepresented audiences. A collaborative model will be developed between the environmental journalism program at the University of Montana and various local television, radio, and online media outlets that are either operated by or reach Native Americans on reservations and throughout the state.
Project deliverables include a survey and analysis of current science reporting reaching this audience; and production and testing of prototype science news stories for dissemination on various platforms (print, radio, TV, web). The development of science news pieces will be led by graduate students in the School of Journalism under the careful guidance and mentorship of experienced professors.
This project will enhance the communication and amount of STEM content delivered to underserved groups, and provide diverse opportunities for them to engage in STEM related environmental issues that affect their local communities.
News is an essential element in civic engagement, creating knowledge and fostering communication about the issues important to our communities. With so much of Montana facing significant decisions about natural resources – decisions that can influence water quality, land use, and our global environment for decades and even centuries to come – having access to accurate information about the intersection of science, policy and the environment is critical. Local news may be especially important for reaching some audiences. In the current news climate, however, local news organizations have been cutting back on reporters, especially those with specialty "beats," such as environmental science, so that few news outlets offer coverage of this important topic. In Montana’s remote, sparsely populated regions, few opportunities exist to engage with science outside of school. The internet – when it is available – offers as much misinformation as information about science, and audiences may be more influenced by friends and family than by scientifically credible content. Reading about science in the news helps people understand science, however, and they want to talk about science news. One interviewee said she used Facebook like her "clipping service," using it to find important and credible articles on environmental issues. The people we talked to believed that news was important to their understanding of science, and they wanted more, especially news stories about local environmental issues. Science Source was designed as a news model to help fill that niche. Using graduate students majoring in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism at the University of Montana, Science Source developed partnerships with news organizations across the state to produce high quality journalism related to our environment specifically for Montana’s Native American and rural audiences. The model was highly successful, too. We produced locally relevant environmental science news stories that appeared in local news outlets (such as the Fort Peck Journal, Char-koostra News, Lewistown News-Argus, Montana Standard), regional news outlets (such as the Missoula Independent, the Great Falls Tribune, Montana Public Radio, and the Northern Ag Network), and national news outlets (such as Indian Country Today, National Native News, NationalGeographic.com, and High Country News). In fact, many of these organizations requested specific stories from Science Source that they felt were important for their audiences. For example, the Fort Peck Journal asked us to report on fracking. They needed help explaining all aspects of hydraulic fracturing – the amount of water and chemicals used, seismic implications, the effect on the Missouri River, the effect on Native American culture, etc. The story turned into a 4,000-word feature that included the perspectives of tribal leaders, geologists, engineers, oilmen and landowners. And, it had much broader appeal, too. It appeared on the cover of the national newsmagazine, Indian Country Today, as well as on Buffalo’s Fire (a web-only publication that covers Native American issues), and in the Missoula Independent. Science Source also produced a radio package aired by KGVA on the Fort Belknap Reservation – Montana's first and only Native radio station. Science Source covered topics as diverse as GMOs to glaciers, and wildfire to wildlife, providing understanding and insight that comes from experience reporting on science for general audiences. When the discovery of a new species of sculpin was announced, we took a unique approach to the story, explaining the underlying genetics and the scientific sleuthing necessary to decipher what a species really is. When wild bison returned to the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, science mixed with policy, the law, public fears, and history. We used the conservation of this ancient species as a backdrop for this emotional and culturally sensitive issue. Native news outlets didn’t have the opportunity to report on this important story, despite its significance. The Science Source story appeared in local, regional and national news outlets, including both KGVA and on National Native News radio. More importantly, we found that the experience was crucial to the development of the students as science journalists. As reporters, these students gained valuable experience with the practice and application of science. They learned how to tell the complex stories of science and make them relevant to audiences. And they learned that telling good science stories takes pre-reporting, fact-checking, and working with a diversity of sources (including neutral sources that can provide insight to political spin and misinformation). Moreover, students learned that the application of science in journalism also takes experience with science, practice in journalism, and feedback from editors and sources alike. The Science Source experience opened their eyes to the opportunities to tell these kinds of stories. Our Native American graduate student proclaimed "The experience was invaluable and I honestly think it may have changed my career path, diverting it straight toward science-based storytelling. Whether that be in radio, multimedia, TV production, photojournalism or print… I’m officially on board!"
