Welcome to the CPAS 2023 Seminar Series!

About the talk -- The Global South’s over-reliance on science news sources from the Global North: causes, consequences and solutions 

Developing countries rely heavily on the developed world for not only scientific expertise but also science news output. From Africa and the Middle East to South America and developing parts of Asia, a large proportion of science news consumed in the Global South has been found to be translated or, at best, synthesised from foreign sources, especially global media outlets based in the Global North. Such reliance is a double-edged sword: while it helps to enhance general awareness and understanding of global science developments in the Global South, this double-layered structure of dependency bears many negative long-and short-term implications for local and global development. Drawing on recent content analyses and in-depth interviews with science journalists in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, this paper will address this critically important, but rarely studied, phenomenon. I will discuss the causes and impacts of such over-reliance on foreign sources and offers some thoughts on potential solutions to the problem. In general, this requires a holistic approach and international cooperation efforts to address the many traditional shortfalls of science and science news cultures in the Global South. 

About the speaker
An Nguyen is Professor of Journalism and Co-Director of the Centre for Science, Health and Data Communication Research at Bournemouth University, UK. His research expertise includes, inter alia, news audiences, public engagement with science and health controversies, science journalism, the use/misuse data and statistics in the news, and constructive journalism. An did his masters and PhD at the University of Queensland before leaving for the UK in 2007. Prior to academe, he was an award-winning science journalist in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 

Staff profile: https://staffprofiles.bournemouth.ac.uk/display/anguyen#overview
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/an-nguyen-65a7b545/ 
Twitter: @anducnguyen