Science-related Issues Research Articles

Confronting Ambiguity in Science

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] People are regularly confronted with environmental and science-related issues presented to them in newspapers, on television, or even in their own doctor's office. Often information they use to inform their decisions on matters of science may be ambiguous and contradictory. This article presents an activity that investigates how students deal with ambiguity in scientific data and whether they use such information to make decisions. The activity connects to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States 2013) practices of analyzing and interpreting data (Practice 4); engaging in argument from evidence (Practice 7); and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information (Practice 8). Environmental science literacy, the capacity [of an individual] to understand and participate in and make decisions through evidence-based discussions of socio-ecological systems, is important, because all citizens should be able to understand and evaluate evidence and make informed decisions using such evidence (Moore 2009, p. 1). Understanding ambiguity in data is a core issue for scientific inquiry, but many people do not comprehend it. Telling general public that data are uncertain may reduce their trust in science and scientists (Frewer et al. 2003) and lead policy makers to avoid or delay making decisions when faced with contradictions in data (Michaels and Monforton 2005). Kolsto (2001) hypothesized that public frustration with socioscientific issues was due to perceived disagreement among scientists and experts; at same time, science in textbooks often appears undisputed and clearcut, which misleads students. To address that misconception, instead of doing cookbook laboratory investigations with a single correct result, students should engage in messy labs that highlight inconclusive and ambiguous results, revealing ambiguity at heart of science (Metz 2005). [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Ambiguity in data is common. Nearly all data sets contain variation (or uncertainty) that students may see as ambiguity. Data may also seem ambiguous when students doubt trustworthiness of source, when details about experiment seem insufficient, or when scientists disagree about interpretations. Thus, we designed an activity called Ambiguity and Evidence in which students grapple with ambiguous and conflicting data to make science-related decisions. The activity Ambiguity and Evidence provides a context to initiate classroom discussions about ambiguity in scientific data and how students can make decisions using ambiguous information. The purpose is not to advocate that students make a specific decision but rather to demonstrate how evidence (even when ambiguous or incomplete) plays a role in decisions about scientific issues. The scenario In this one-period (about 50 minutes) classroom activity, 22 11th- and 12th-grade students in an Advanced Placement Environmental Studies class were tasked with deciding whether to develop an abandoned grassy school yard area into a concrete parking lot for cars and bikes. The grassy yard was described as connected to a river that flows into drinking water supply (Figure 1). The key science issue was how change from grass to concrete would affect water quality and ecosystem health. We asked students: Before reading additional evidence, would you be likely to support development of abandoned grassy field into a concrete parking lot? Yes or No? and, Why or why not? Reading and using evidence We created two sets of supplemental information for students to read before making a final decision--one biased toward building parking lot (packet 1) and other biased toward leaving grassy field alone (packet 2). Packets were assigned to students based on their initial decision. Students in favor of development were given packet biased toward leaving grassy field as is, and students opposing parking lot were given packet leaning toward developing it. …

SCIENCE COMPETENCY OF ARGENTINIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE FIRST YEAR OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY COURSES

The aim of this study is to assess the science competency of university students enrolling in the School of Biochemistry and Biological Sciences (first year of the courses of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral de Santa Fe, Argentina) and examine the effects of these courses on their competencies of Chemistry proficiency. The concept of science competency has been drawn from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). To collect the information, two ad hoc questionnaires were drafted with questions addressing three science sub-competencies: identifying scientific issues (ISI), explaining phenomena scientifically (EPS) and using scientific evidence (USE). The first questionnaire was designed with the aim to inquire into the initial sub-competencies of the first-year students (n= 84). The second one (n= 50) was designed to explore the influence of the courses on their developments of such sub-competencies. The results indicate that first-year students started with a low performance level for all the sub-competencies assessed but the first-year of education influenced to develop the sub-competencies identifying scientific issues and explaining phenomena scientifically. Performance levels on using scientific evidence decreased. Therefore, the findings suggested that the courses in the first year need to help students or boost this sub-competency to be able to draw conclusions based on evidence about science-related issues. Key words: chemistry, higher education, science competency.

Pre-school children’s agency in learning for sustainable development

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in pre-school children’s meaning-making and learning in education for sustainability. Young children should be recognized as ‘agents for change’ and active participants in their own day-to-day practices. Such issues are thoroughly discussed in the early childhood education for sustainability field. However, only a few research reports are presented on the subject. In this paper, our purpose is to examine empirically how agency is constituted when pre-school children explore science-related issues in a context of education for sustainability. The empirical material consists of video-recording sequences of four- to five-year-olds. In the analysis, we use a methodological approach based on Dewey’s pragmatist philosophy. We describe what a small group of children are doing and their ‘course of action’ towards ‘fulfilment’. In view of this, agency is explained as something that children achieve together in transactions rather than something they possess. Furthermore, the findings show the significance of the aesthetic relations in the constitution of agency. At the end of the article, we also discuss agency in relation to the ongoing debate on participation in young children’s meaning-making for sustainability.

Local Authorities and Communicators Engaged in Science: PLACES Impact Assessment Case Study of Prague

Local Authorities and Communicators Engaged in Science: PLACES* Impact Assessment Case Study of Prague Abstract: Regional aspects of science communication represent a potential asset and as such are quite suitable topic for further examination with respect to future social and economic development in Prague based on the city's main development strategies. Closer analysis of SCIP aspects at re- gional level can present a suitable complement for development of suitable measures and projects of the regional innovation and education policies. This study focuses on research questions related to regional dimension of science communication, its impacts and suitable tools. Document analysis and questionnaire distributed among selected experts were chosen as tools for elaboration of the study. Results suggest that regional dimension of science communication policy and initiatives (SCIP) is a relevant one in case of Prague. However, the attention given to this topic by national and regional authorities is unsatisfactory resulting in lack of co-ordination of activities of the respective stakeholders. Impacts of SCIP, as far as causality can be identified, lie in encouraging young people in their interest in science, increasing awareness of general public in science-related issues and explaining role of science in society and problems that science (as a sector) is facing. To maximise effects of science communication there is a space for national and regional authorities to play an integrating role. Given the concentration of SCIP actors, the City of Prague could aspire to develop its science communication policy in order to promote itself as a Central European centre of science. Keywords: science communication policy and initiatives; regional dimension of science communication; city of scientific culture * PLACES Project „Platform of Local Authorities and Communicators Engaged in Science" is the four-year European project (2011-2014), financed from FP7, establishing and developing the concept of the European City of Scientific Culture. The overall goal of PLACES Project is to offer, to a wide and diverse community of actors, a common platform to structure their science communications activities, at a city/regional level.

Reflexive Engagement? Actors, Learning, and Reflexivity in Public Dialogue on Science and Technology

This article contributes to a more reflexive mode of research on public engagement with science-related issues through presenting an in-depth qualitative study of the actors that mediate science-society interactions, their roles and relationships, and the nature of learning and reflexivity in relation to public dialogue. A mapping framework is developed to describe the roles and relations of actors mediating public dialogue on science and technology in Britain. Learning within public dialogue networks is shown to be instrumental only, crowding out potentials for reflexive and relational learning. This calls for renewed critical social science research alongside more deliberately reflexive learning relating to participatory governance of science and technology that is situated, interactive, public, and anticipatory.

"보살핌 윤리"를 적용한 과학 교육 가능성 탐색

보살핌 윤리를 과학 교육에 적용하기 위해 본 연구에서는 보살핌과 보살핌 윤리, 보살핌 교육 등에 대한 다양한 문헌을 탐색하여 관련 이론들을 정리했다. 이를 통해 보살핌 윤리를 적용한 과학 학습 모형을 제안했다. 이 모형은 문제 상황 제시, 문제 관련 가치 파악하기, 보살핌 윤리 가치 선택하기, 보살핌 대상에 감정 이입하기, 보살핌 체험하기, 보살핌 효과 확인하기 등의 단계를 가지는데, 맥락성, 관계성, 실천성 등의 보살핌 윤리 철학이 반영되었다. 이 모형을 통해 학생들이 자연을 보살피는 대상으로 고려하고 과학과 관련된 사회 문제 해결 시 보살핌 측면에서 의사 결정할 수 있기를 기대한다. To apply "ethics of care" into science education, this study summarized previous studies of care, ethics of care, and caring education. Through a wide range of literature review, we proposed science learning model with ethics of care. This model has steps of 'being in a context of issue, perception of issue-related value, choosing value with ethics of care, feeling empathy to caring subject, experiencing care, and verifying the effectiveness of caring, which are reflected characteristics of ethics of care, contextual, connected, and practical. It is expected that students will be able to solve science-related issues while keeping in mind consideration for nature as a caring subject.

The Role of Emotional Factors in Building Public Scientific Literacy and Engagement with Science

This study uses the database from an extensive international study on 15-year-old students (N = 8,815) to analyze the relationship between emotional factors and students' scientific literacy and explore the potential link between the emotions of the students and subsequent public engagement with science. The results revealed that students' scientific literacy is significantly correlated with their interest, enjoyment, and engagement in science learning (p < 0.001). The groups of students with high levels of emotional factors outperform their medium- and low-level counterparts in scientific literacy. Additional comparisons of emotions during science learning between these students and the adult population from another study indicate a number of similarities with the exception that the adults are more involved in learning science through television. It is suggested that improving the emotions that current students experience when learning science is more likely to enhance future public engagement in science-related issues.

A growth medium for the message: Online science journalism affordances for exploring public discourse of science and ethics

Little attention has been paid to how new media foster public discussion of science-related issues. In this exploratory study, we examine discussions generated by articles on the most popular daily news website in Israel. All articles dealt with research studies that involved animal experimentation, a topic often linked to deep ethical conflicts. Based on analysis of 10 articles and more than 600 reader comments, we found that topics in both science and ethics are initiated both by the original article and in the linked discussion threads. The most fruitful topics (measured by number of comments) were initiated in the discussion threads, not in the articles themselves. We suggest that discourse in new media can be understood by thinking of the audience as a ‘growth medium’ in which seeds planted by individual stories can grow (through the affordances of new media) into both knowledge of the sort imagined by the story writers and new branches nurtured by the community itself.

Beyond the Movie Screen: An Antarctic Adventure

ABSTRACT Movies depicting science-related issues often capture the attention of today's youth. As an instructional tool, movies can take us beyond the drama and action and thrilling scenes. In this article we share our experiences of using the movie Eight Below as a centerpiece for developing high school students’ understanding of basic chemistry concepts. In addition to the science concepts developed using the context of the movie, we engaged students in thinking about the ethical dilemmas embedded in the movie.

Regulatory Impact Assessment and Sustainable Development: Towards a Common Framework?

This section regularly examines Regulatory Impact Assessment (IA) at three levels: the EU, the Member States and internationally. Contributions aim to cover aspects such as the interface between IA and risk analysis, looking at methodologies as well as legal and political science-related issues. Contributions are meant to report and critically assess recent developments in the field, develop strategic thinking, and make constructive recommendations for improving performance in IA processes.

Frame-based guide to situated decision-making on climate change

The present paper describes a frame-based approach to situated-decision-making on climate change. Building on the multidisciplinary literature on the relationship between frames and decision-making, it argues that decision-makers may gain from making frames more explicit and using them for generating different visions about the central issues. Frames act as organizing principles that shape in a “hidden” and taken-for-granted way how people conceptualize an issue. Science-related issues, such as climate change, are often linked to only a few frames, which consistently appear across different policy areas. Indeed, it appears that there are some very contrasting ways in which climate change may be framed. These frames can be characterized in terms of a simple framework that highlights specific interpretations of climate issues. A second framework clarifies the built-in frames of decision tools. Using Thompson's two basic dimensions of decision, it identifies the main uncertainties that should be considered in developing a decision strategy. The paper characterizes four types of decision strategy, focusing on (1) computation, (2) compromise, (3) judgment, or (4) inspiration, and links each strategy to the appropriate methods and tools, as well as the appropriate social structures. Our experiences show that the frame-based guide can work as an eye-opener for decision-makers, particularly where it demonstrates how to add more perspectives to the decision.

Regulatory Impact Assessment

This section regularly examines Regulatory Impact Assessment (IA) at three levels: the EU, the Member States and internationally. Contributions aim to cover aspects such as the interface between IA and risk analysis, looking at methodologies as well as legal and political science-related issues. Contributions are meant to report and critically assess recent developments in the field, develop strategic thinking, and make constructive recommendations for improving performance in IA processes.

Improving the public understanding of science: New initiatives

The United States may be on the brink of losing its global edge in science. Many American students are underprepared for and uninterested in the scientific and technical careers they may be asked to take on. Furthermore, these students, their teachers, and the broader public lack basic understandings of what science is and how it works, which may negatively impact their ability to make reasoned and informed decisions about science-related issues. We describe two unique and recently developed projects designed to help tackle these problems by improving public understanding of and interest in science. The Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science is a grassroots effort to lower the barriers between the scientific community and the public. It aims to inspire broad appreciation of science, inform the public about the nature and process of science, and make science accessible to everyone. Understanding Science is a web-based project that aims to improve teacher understanding of the nature of the scientific enterprise, to provide resources that encourage and enable kindergarten through undergraduate (K-16) teachers to reinforce the nature of science throughout their teaching, and to serve as a clear and accessible reference that accurately portrays the scientific endeavor. The botanical and broader scientific communities are invited to participate in these efforts.

A novel course of chemistry as a scientific discipline: how do prospective teachers perceive nature of chemistry through visits to research groups?

To achieve sufficient pedagogical content knowledge on nature of chemistry related issues, teachers need structured opportunities for reflection and discussion. One way to provide those opportunities is through teacher-scientist interaction. This study is based on reflective essays of thirty prospective teachers who participated in a new course about the nature of chemistry and its implications for teaching, organized by the Chemistry Teacher Education Unit in the Department of Chemistry. As a part of the course, prospective teachers visited various research groups, discussed chemical research with the researchers, and wrote reflective essays about their experiences. The nature of chemistry related issues the students perceived when participating in teacher-scientist interaction during these visits were identified from their essays by qualitative content analysis. According to this analysis, students made observations about i) chemical research as an inquiry, ii) the collaborative nature of chemical research, and iii) the relationship of chemical research and society. The visit provided prospective teachers with opportunities for reflection on several ideas-about-science central to understanding the nature of chemistry. However, teacher-scientist interaction and research group visits are not an all-inclusive context for teaching nature of science related issues in chemistry. For some issues, a historical approach or the discussion and critical evaluation of the scientific arguments seemed to be more fruitful ways of approaching the topics.

Interest In Biology: A Developmental Shift Characterized Using Self-Generated Questions

Why Are Interested in Interest? Within the science-education community, much thought has been given to the question of people should know about science. In contrast, the question of people are interested in knowing about is rarely considered. Interest refers to a differential likelihood of investing energy in one set of stimuli rather than another (Csikszentmihalyi & Hermanson, 1995). It is a form of intrinsic motivation, which refers to doing something because it is inherently interesting or enjoyable (Ryan & Deci, 2000), in contrast to extrinsic motivation, which refers to doing something because it leads to a separable outcome such as praise or avoiding punishment (Vallerand et al., 1992). Interest is a powerful motivator (Deci, 1992), which differs from most other motivational concepts by its content specificity (Krapp, 2002). Although positive relationships have been reported between individual interest and a wide range of indicators of learning (Schiefele, 1998), the potential benefits of motivation for school reform have been largely ignored (Anderman, 1997). The issue of students' interests may also be viewed in the context of the voice in movement. Involving students in decisions about their life in school is viewed as a useful and pragmatic practice, as well as an important moral and educational principle (Davie & Galloway, 1996). However, until recently, the pupil's voice was marginalized or neglected by educational researchers. The student was regarded as an object of study but not as someone who could make an informed judgment on what should be taught in school science courses (Jenkins & Nelson, 2005). This is not only true for formal K-12 science education. Too often television science programs reflect a lack of interest in the audience and its needs. What questions would most people really like to have answered about science? asks LaFollette (1992), adding that We know little about which facts the audience is interested in. Jenkins (1999) examined the implications of citizen science, i.e., science which relates in reflexive ways to the concerns, interests and activities of citizens as they go about their everyday lives, for the form and content of school science education. He suggested constructing science curricula that enable young people to engage in science-related issues that are likely to be of interest and concern to them (Jenkins, 1999). This idea has also been present in the recommendations of several organizations, including the National Research Council (1996) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1993), which proposed that science curricula provide a common basis of knowledge while addressing the particular needs and interests of students. Therefore, the ability to identify students' interests in science plays an important role in improving existing curricula to meet their needs. Compared to other science subjects, biology enjoys the most popularity among students (Qualter, 1993; Dawson, 2000; Osborne & Collins, 2000; Baram-Tsabari & Yarden, 2005; Murray & Reiss, 2005; Baram-Tsabari et al., 2006) and adults (Falchetti et al., 2003), especially among females. According to results from the ROSE project in Denmark (Busch, 2005) and England (Jenkins & Nelson, 2005), girls are most interested in biological topics regarding health, mind and well-being. Results from the ROSE project in Finland indicated that boys are more interested than girls in basic processes in biology (such as ecology and cell biology), whilst girls find human biology and health education more interesting than boys (Uitto et al., 2005). Interest in biology is not a constant trait--it changes with age. Stawinski (1984) found that among 13--to 16-year-old students, human biology becomes important while interest in plants and animals decreases. Older pupils' interest in human biology is well-attested to by a number of studies, including one conducted in England (Osborne & Collins, 2000), and another in Israel (Tamir & Gardner, 1989). …

Student-Centered Deliberations of Ethical Care &amp; Use of Animals

Most biology teachers implement animal dissection (real or virtual) and often lead discussions on research involving annual subjects. Such activities provide excellent opportunities to explore ideas about ethical conduct in the care and rise of animals. The challenge for teachers is to present information about animal care and rise that enables students to contemplate what society considers ethical arid lawful, and why. We suggest using a constructivist learning cycle Yager, 1991) with four main components: * Engage students in the topic by considering everyday encounters between humans arid other organisms. * Explore existing ideas about codes of conduct in general and animal rise in particular. * Explain federal guidelines about animal care and use. * Take action by considering sample case studies. The goal of the lesson is riot to debate different points of view regarding animal research, but to discuss the scientific ethics of animal care arid use. We refer teachers to Chowning (2005) for implementing student debates oil science and ethics. In order to engage students in the topic, a solid understanding of the term scientific ethics is necessary. Ethics refers to the nature of morals and moral choices made by individuals in relation to other individuals. (Morals are principles of right and wrong.) The prefix, scientific, restricts the term to the morals arid moral choices trade by scientists in relation to other scientists and the general public. As such, scientific ethics represent the rule, or codes of conduct governing scientists and science educators. A solid understanding of this term helps students recognize that whole societies (not just scientists) decide on the rules governing scientific activities, including animal research. Being informed about scientific ethics is critical for all members of society. For example, scientists must understand scientific ethics in order to conduct themselves appropriately in their jobs. Science educators must teach students about science, and how to engage in effective dialogue about science arid public policy. The general public must make science-related decisions (e.g., health care decisions) and must vote based on science-related issues (e.g., for legislators who support rising federal income tax money to conduct scientific research). The study of scientific ethics should begin in elementary school and continue throughout the lifespan, particularly during adolescence when advanced decision-making skill, are refined. …

The Omnibus Bill Isn't Only About Dollars

The massive spending bill that each house of Congress adopted last month addressed many controversial science-related issues.

CHEMISTRY IN THE NEWS

UNIVERSITY CHEMISTRY COURSes often offer little opportunity to discuss the nexus between science and societal issues. Yet it is the complexity that comes from these connections that brings the subject to life, makes students better learners, and provides them with the abilities to become lifelong learners and free citizens in a democratic society, says chemistry professor Rainer A. Glaser of the University of Missouri, Columbia. That's why Glaser and others have developed college courses that highlight the role of chemistry in current events. It's a fact-oriented approach that tries to get kids involved in learning about things that are relevant in their lives, says chemistry professor David N. Harpp of McGill University, Montreal, who has been involved in these efforts for decades. An example of such a news-related course is Chemistry Biology and Molecular Modeling, developed by chemistry professor James P. Snyder at Emory University, Atlanta. The course is based on science-related issues discussed...

Science education as/for participation in the community

AbstractIn this paper, we take up and advance the project of rethinking “scientific literacy” by Eisenhart, Finkel, and Marion (American Educational Research Journal, 1996, 33, 261–295). As part of a project of rethinking science education, we advance three propositions. First, because society is built on division of labor, not everybody needs to know the same basic sets of concepts; it is more important to allow the emergence of scientific literacy as a collective property. Second, scientific knowledge ought not to be privileged in democratic collective decision making but ought to be one of many resources. Third, rethinking science education as and for participation in community life sets up the potential for lifelong participation in and learning of science‐related issues. To show the viability of these propositions, we provide a case study based on a 3‐year, multisite ethnographic research project as part of which we investigated science in the community. Framing our work in terms of activity theory, we provide descriptions of science in a local middle school, where students learn science while participating in a community effort to contribute to the knowledge base about a local creek. The children's activities are continuous with those of adults concerned about environmental health. In this way, rather than preparing for life after school, science education allows students to participate in legitimate ways in community life and therefore provides a starting point for uninterrupted lifelong learning across the presently existing boundary separating formal schooling from everyday life outside schools. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 88:263–291, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/sce.10113

Capturing public unease

Nowhere has the public become more distrustful of scientists than in the UK, following some major agricultural and health scandals. But Britain's Royal Society is now trying to do something about it. Nigel Williams reports.Astronomers may feel hard done by in the funding battles but they have one crumb of comfort: the public shows considerable interest and support for their work. But researchers in many other fields, including life science areas, are often perceived in a quite different light and are increasingly losing the public's trust. This is nowhere more so than in the UK following the devastating occurrence of the BSE epidemic, foot and mouth disease, animal cloning etc.Such are the concerns about the lack of trust in scientists, the Royal Society, Britain's science academy, has set up a programme to gather systematically public opinion with a view to developing a number of key priorities on which it can take action.So with independent funding — the Society was keen not to use government funding for such a study — they arranged a series of regional workshops where members of the public were invited to come along and discuss their concerns about scientists.The results of these meetings were compiled into a number of themes which were presented at the first National Forum for Science held in London in March. Four main themes were thought to capture most of the public's concerns. First, lack of control of applied science. The public felt a lack of involvement and influence and that regulation was inadequate. Second, the need for information. Information was felt to be controlled by powerful groups and there was a lack of funding transparency. Third, communication and the media. The public found sensation-seeking reporting of complex issues confusing and frightening and that scientists often don't understand the public's needs. Finally, education and understanding. The public was not well informed about the difference between science and its application and the difficulty in understanding relative risk and probabilities.Ahead of the meeting the Royal Society also commissioned a telephone poll to identify the science-related issues causing greatest concern. The results from more than 1,000 people polled revealed that the top five issues are: biological weapons (74 per cent of respondents), global warming (70 per cent of respondents), genetic modification of food and animals (60 per cent of respondents), BSE/CJD (55 per cent of respondents) and nuclear power (53 per cent of respondents).Paul Nurse, director of the charity Cancer Research UK, and chairman of the Royal Society's Science in Society initiative who was also a panel member at the National ForumNational Forum said ‘The two big issues, biological weapons and global warming, have received a lot of media attention and are genuinely frightening issues. The other three issues, genetic modification, BSE/CJD and nuclear power, are all ones which have shaken public confidence in the scientific advice coming out of government.’ David King, the government's chief scientific adviser and panel member, said that it was important to try to recover confidence in science. ‘There's a real need to be open and transparent with the public.’Fig. 1National Forum panel: (l to r) Charles Secrett, executive director of Friends of the Earth, Margaret Beckett, agriculture secretary, Douglas Parr, chief scientist, Greenpeace, David King, chief government scientific adviser and Fay Wheldon, novelist.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint SlideThe poll also asked questions about the funding and reporting of science. Over half agreed that the funding of scientific research is becoming too commercialised (55 per cent) and over half again wanted more influence over the type of scientific research that is done (53 per cent). ‘Because of the high publicity given to commercially funded research especially when new venture capital is being raised, the public probably underestimate how much scientific research is actually carried out in the UK by independent university scientists,’ said Nurse.The poll also found that only 39 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement ‘the media present science in a responsible way’.‘The interests of the scientist, the press, the state and the public overlap but do not coincide. It is at the margins that trouble occurs, and where doubt and mistrust breed,’ says novelist Fay Wheldon, one of the Forum panel members.