With the exception of The Irish Times, the national media do not tend to employ science correspondents. When the Government agreed to the recent increase in the RTE licence fee, it specified that RTE should appoint a science correspondent and I was glad to see the post advertised in the newspapers in recent weeks. If public service broadcasting means anything, it means that such subjects should be highlighted. RTE's increased focus on science should help to heighten awareness of the importance of science and the issues of concern to the scientific community.