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WiFi program proves that science education is needed - fast!

by Manek Dubash | posted on 06 December 2007

We mooted last week that part of the reason why technology proves such a problem for so many was due in part at least to a lack of scientific education. We received a flood of responses suggesting that we struck a rich vein of frustration on this issue. Well, one individual was keen enough to agree...

However, in suggesting that the problem is confined to the upper reaches of the British class system, we may have done the rest of the UK's educational system a disservice. It's clear that the problem of a lack of scientific education is just as widespread among the rest of the population.

The latest row over WiFi, prompted by an unbalanced edition of the BBC's once-great Panorama current affairs documentary, is evidence enough.

The BBC's editorial complaints unit recently ruled against Panorama's bosses, and criticised the way that the editorial team constructed a documentary about wireless networking in schools.

Only one scientist supported the idea that WiFi was, on the balance of evidence currently available to us, probably OK, and his arguments were questioned. Fair enough so far, but the other side of the argument was buttressed by three scientists, none of whose arguments were questioned.

This, according to the BBC's complaints unit, "gave a misleading impression of the state of scientific opinion on the issue". Quite so.

But in the meantime, the letters pages of local papers are humming with anxious parents worrying about WiFi in schools, and readers back their arguments using circumstantial, unscientifically produced evidence that so-and-so felt dizzy when the system was switched on.

Yet in focusing on one (dubious) result, people miss the point that WiFi can hardly constitute a major danger when the rest of the world and all available evidence point to the risk, if any, being minuscule.

Meanwhile, no-one on the Panorama team is likely to lose their job for misleading the nation, while dozens of other news staff are being shown the door in the latest round of cuts.

It's a pity they're not all being put to work producing scientific literacy programmes in the guise of celeb-led reality TV.