Francisco Salvá not only made significant contributions to the field of medicine, but he also explored the use of electricity in long-distance communication. While early telegraph machines used automatic mechanisms to spell out messages, Salvá used human subjects to hold the wires instead. His exploration didn’t stop there—he also experimented with electric telegraphy using cables submerged underwater. This gave Salvá the opportunity to present his first report to the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona decades before further innovations in electric telegraphs emerged during the 1830s. Read full article here
Research
Improving media literacy could boost trust towards the news, IMPRESS report suggests
The UK media is regulated by the likes of IPSO and Ofcom. The report by press regulator IMPRESS highlights the link between low levels of media literacy and trust in the news. The study found that three quarters of those who did not know if journalists were regulated did not trust the news. It suggests that improving media literacy is one way to stem the erosion of trust, and shows that audiences have an appetite for information on news processes. Stakeholders need to collaborate in order to rebuild trust in the news, and independent media is well placed to do this. Read full article here