Charles Wendo and his group created Script Connect App to help journalists in Africa find reliable researchers to interview for comment or original stories.
Charles Wendo, a training coordinator at SciDev.Net, and his group created Script Connect App to help journalists in Africa find reliable researchers to interview for comment or original stories. The tool links journalists in the area with scientists and researchers.
The biggest issues facing science journalism in East Africa, according to scientists, journalists, and communicators, were lack of access to scientific information and difficulty understanding the information in front of them according to study carried out by SciDev.Net. The study focused on Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
He said, “We created an app that facilitates journalists‘ work by assisting in locating the experts to interview. The app also aids researchers in locating journalists who might be interested in covering their research.
Script Connect App, which was formally introduced in July 2022 at a conference on science communication held at Moi University in Kenya, had 40 journalists and 135 researchers in its database at the time of this writing.
Using the app, journalists can search for researchers by their areas of expertise and message them. During its pilot phase, the app concentrated on agriculture and hired specialists in Kenya and Uganda. Later, Wendo said, “We intend to expand to other nations and topics.”
Ambrose Kiprop, deputy vice chancellor of administration, planning, and strategy at Moi University and one of the first researchers to use the app, explained that while there is a sizable amount of research across scientific disciplines produced by universities in East Africa, only a small portion reaches the people who need the information most: for example, farmers, manufacturers, and automakers.
Kiprop believes that a simple channel should be created to share paramount findings with consumers, as this is the optimum goal for every scientist who has the well-being of the consumer at heart.
Even though Script Connect App is still in its early stages, Kiprop has been able to network with researchers across a wide range of disciplines, including agriculture, animal health, human health, and the environment sector, in his search for regional and local scientific collaborations.
Additionally, he sees enormous potential for the app to be scaled to include more disciplines and to grow the pool of journalists using it outside of East Africa, into Europe, Asia, and the United States.
Mercy Korir, a doctor and journalist based in Kenya, said the app helps her connect with relevant scientists for her stories. She does not have to worry about the credibility of the scientists, as they are the right experts with the relevant skill sets and knowledge.
Beth Waweru, a doctoral student in bioscience engineering at Ghent University in Belgium, helped sign up scientists from the agricultural sector to use the app. She emphasised that scientists should take the initiative to report their findings and connect with journalists in different communities.
The first stories facilitated by Script Connect will be published in early 2023, and new features are lined up over the next 24 months. New Vision, the largest media group in Uganda, is working to refine the service.