{"id":202,"date":"2008-09-18T11:10:04","date_gmt":"2008-09-18T11:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/rpg\/2008\/09\/18\/on_newspapers_and_open_access\/"},"modified":"2008-09-18T11:10:04","modified_gmt":"2008-09-18T11:10:04","slug":"on_newspapers_and_open_access","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/rpg\/2008\/09\/18\/on_newspapers_and_open_access\/","title":{"rendered":"On newspapers and Open Access"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neil claims<\/a> that The Australian<\/em> is about the only Australian daily with a science\/nature section on their website (q.v. Pamela<\/a>). Coincidentally a local contact suggested I approach the Australian about running the Science Blogging Conference(s) in their ‘Higher Education’ section, so I thought I’d better check them out (rather than simply read headlines in my RSS–which is “great”:http:\/\/network.nature.com\/people\/rpg\/blog\/2008\/09\/14\/on-depression\u2014a-personal-perspective#comment-17147 –as I normally do).<\/p>\n

\nThus I came across an article on Open Access<\/a>, and suddenly got all excited about important<\/em> scientific controversies being picked up in the mainstream media.<\/p>\n

\nAlas, The Australian<\/em> concentrates on what is really only an insignificant part of Open Access (self-archiving to assist with research assessment exercise), taking side-swipes at academics’ predilection for scantily-clad<\/a> women (as if journos aren’t the biggest perves of all) and University in- (and out-) fighting.<\/p>\n

\nThe message of Open Access, and its importance to ordinary people, gets lost in the noise. I guess that’s what sells newspapers.<\/p>\n

\nFortunately Heather<\/del> Alethea has a nice weblog entry<\/a> on Open Access, with links<\/a> to information<\/a> and a competition<\/a>, and suggestions on what to do for Open Access Day. To her list I’d add <\/p>\n