Science should be about science, regardless of who does it.
This week, I received an e-mail from a Dutch journalist. She regularly contacts me to comment on recent ornithology papers, but this time she had a different request. She has her own section in the magazine where she covers the career and work of Dutch scientists. She wanted to know more about my goose research. So, I provided a summary of my work and mentioned that I was Belgian (“I hope that is not an issue”). A few hours later, I received a disappointing reply. The editors of the magazine advised her to cancel the request because her magazine section exclusively focuses on Dutch scientists (in Dutch: “van Nederlandse bodem”). I could feel the embarrassment in her e-mail and I don’t blame her.
Although this incident was disappointing, it did not affect me much. I don’t really need – or actively seek out – publicity and attention. I just continued my work, writing papers on avian hybrids and teaching ecology students. But I did learn two important lessons.
Lesson 1: Nationalism and Journalism
Many (science) journalists have nationalistic tendencies. If you flip through local newspapers or magazines, you will often see headlines such as “Dutch scientists discovered X” or “Belgian researcher found a cure for Y”. Reading the newspaper from my region (Het Belang van Limburg), for example, gives the impression that ground-breaking research is only done at the University of Hasselt.
But when you read the entire article or look up the original study (which you should always do because science journalists tend to cherry-pick the juicy bits), you will see that these local scientists were part of a bigger international team. I understand that journalists highlight local scientists, but they should not ignore the international aspect of scientific research.
Science is rarely done in isolation. International collaboration is key. Indeed, my own research involved collaborations with Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, German and British scientists. Science doesn’t care about the imaginary boundaries that we draw across the globe. Science should be about science, regardless of who does it.
Lesson 2: Life isn’t fair
When I shared this story with colleagues and friends, many told me that this was unfair. Well, here is a newsflash for you: life isn’t fair. Some people don’t get what they deserve, while other people get what they don’t deserve. You can whine and complain about this injustice, but that won’t change anything.
Here, the dichotomy of control comes into play (a stoic idea that I covered in a previous blog post). As the Greek philosopher Epictetus wrote: “Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle. Some things are within your control. And some things are not.” I cannot control the shortsightedness of the editors, but I can control my response to it. So, I just let it slide and continued my research and teaching. Shouting at the editors won’t make a difference.
Note: Some people asked me about the name of the magazine, but I won’t share it here. Naming and blaming doesn’t solve anything.
jente ottenburghs 