Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
effect, the public became more interested in what chemists were pro-
ducing, and journalists responded.
Between 1935 and 1939, coverage of chemistry in Science Service's
main product - the 40-50 stories sold every week through a syndicated
service called
Daily Mail Report
- increased steadily from approximately
2% of stories during sampled weeks in September 1935 to 7% in March
1936, 11% in December 1938, 11% in May 1939, and 17% in October
1939.
23
Attention probably increased because of the achievements of in-
terdisciplinary research with obvious relevance to consumers, such as
work on sulfanilamide, plant hormones, fabrics, and insecticides. In
1936, stories discussed rayon and chemical production at Tennessee Val-
ley Authority plants; in 1939, they paid attention to liquid helium and ny-
lon parachutes. It was a view of chemistry as integrated smoothly into -
and essential contributor to - the scientific whole.
Analysis of content provides only one historical indicator. It is also
important to look behind the scenes at how, why, and by whom content
was constructed. Such analysis shows that during the organization's first
decade, the challenge had been to gain attention to
any
science, to con-
vince newspaper editors that the work of botanists, astronomers, and
chemists had sufficient relevance to compete on the front page with elec-
tion campaigns, business decisions, or murders. To do this, it was neces-
sary to create a 'demand' for science news. Scripps had advised Slosson:
“Anything that you could do in the way of attracting the attention of
journalists to the subject of science will naturally create a demand for
your product - and what is even more desirable, will create a demand by
editors for scientific matter generally.”
24
Slosson responded that Scripps
was, as usual, correct: “The indirect effects of Science Service are as you
23
These estimates are based on the author's analysis of 202 news stories from a sample
of
Daily Mail Report
for weeks in September 1935, March 1936, December 1938,
May 1939, and October 1939 located in SIA RU7091, Box 374. Newspapers sub-
scribing to the
Daily Mail Report
received about 8 to 10 short news stories a day (40
to 50 each week). Science Service had retained the backup and drafts for each story at
least through the 1960s. During the 1970s, when those records were transferred to the
Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian archivists unfortunately saved only a sample of
the complete
Daily Mail Report
files, randomly selecting a few weeks out of each
year. The remaining files are located in SIA RU7091, Series 8 (Boxes 373-381).
24
E.W. Scripps to E.E. Slosson, August 1, 1921; SIA RU7091, Box 12, Folder 2.
