The Sciences’ Media Connection –Public Communication and its Repercussions (Sociology of the Sciences Yearbook Book 28)

The Yearbook addresses the overriding question: what are the effects of the ‘opening up’ of science to the media? Theoretical considerations and a host of empirical studies covering different configurations provide an in-depth analysis of the sciences’ media connection and its repercussions on science itself. They help to form a sound judgement on this recent development. Cover 1 Sociology of the Sciences Yearbook 28 3 The Sciences’ Media Connection – Public Communication and its Repercussions 4 ISBN 9789400720848 5 Preface 6 Acknowledgements 8 Contents 10 Contributors 12 Part I: Introduction 14 1 Exploring the Impact of Science Communication on Scientific Knowledge Production: An Introduction 16 1.1 Science in the News 16 1.2 The Concept of Medialization 17 1.3 The View from Science Policy 18 1.4 Roots: Studies of Science and the Mass Media 20 1.5 Science and Its Publics 22 1.6 Change of Perspective: A Differentiation Theory Approach 23 References 25 Part II: Medialization of Science -- Theoretical Considerations 28 2 The Lure of the Mass Media and Its Repercussions on Science 30 2.1 The Issue 30 2.2 Similarities and Differences Between Communication in Science and by the Mass Media: Types of Knowledge and Publics Addressed 31 2.3 Democratization and the Emergence of Mass Media 35 2.4 Conceptualizing the 'Medialization' of Science 37 2.4.1 Science as a Social System and the Science-Media Coupling 38 2.4.2 Resonance Between Science and the Media 39 2.5 Conclusion: Medialization as Coupling of Systems 43 References 44 Part III: Media Coverage of Science 46 3 Public Attention to Science 1820–2010 -- A ‘Longue Durée’ Picture 48 3.1 Public Spheres, Public Attention and News Intensity 50 3.2 Studies of Long-Term Science News Intensity 51 3.3 Constructing an Index of Fluctuations and Ignoring Volume 54 3.4 Additional Evidence of Ups and Peaks, Downs and Troughs 56 3.5 Why Is Public Attention to Science Not Constant? 59 3.5.1 Changing Societal Contexts 60 3.5.2 Endogenous Factors in the Operations of Science 64 3.6 Conclusion 65 3.7 Appendix: How to Calculate the Index of Public Attention? 66 References 67 4 Issue Selection in Science Journalism: Towards a Special Theory of News Values for Science News? 72 4.1 Introduction 72 4.2 Favourite Topics in Media Coverage of Science 74 4.3 Inside the Science Section: The Practitioner's Perspective 75 4.3.1 Time Dependent Selection Factors 75 4.3.1.1 Passive Background Effect (Crowding Out) 75 4.3.1.2 Active Background Effect (Pulling In) 76 4.3.2 Time Independent Selection Factors 77 4.4 The Theoretical Perspective of News Values: From General Journalism to Science Journalism 79 4.4.1 The Theory of News Values 79 4.4.2 News Factors in the Context of Science Journalism 80 4.5 Development of a Revised Catalogue of News Factors and a First Empirical Test 82 4.5.1 A Draft Catalogue of News Factors for Science Coverage 82 4.5.1.1 Analysis of Existing Catalogues of News Factors 83 4.5.2 Sample and Methods for the First Examination of the Draft Catalogue 87 4.5.3 Results 88 4.5.4 Reduction of the Draft Catalogue of News Factors 91 4.5.5 Summary and Limits of the Results of the Empirical Analysis 91 4.6 Conclusions and Forecast 93 4.6.1 Further Research Needed for a Final Catalogue 94 4.6.2 Lessons to be Learned for Research Outside the Science Sections 95 References 96 5 The Medialization of Regenerative Medicine: Frames and Metaphors in UK News Stories 100 5.1 The Nature of Medialization 100 5.2 Media Communication of Science 102 5.3 Regenerative Medicine in the Media 104 5.4 Scientific Revolutions and Medical Miracles 106 5.5 Autonomy and Control 109 5.6 Regenerative Medicine and Medialization 111 5.7 Conclusions 113 References 116 6 Medialization and Credibility: Paradoxical Effect or (Re)-Stabilization of Boundaries? Epidemiology and Stem Cell Research in the Press 120 6.1 Introduction 120 6.2 Epidemiology and Stem Cell Research -- Between Routine Coverage of Science for Policy and Science Policy for Breakthrough Science 125 6.2.1 Epidemiology 125 6.2.1.1 Method and Material 125 6.2.1.2 Empirical Results 126 6.2.2 Stem Cell Research 133 6.2.2.1 Method and Material 133 6.2.2.2 Empirical Results 134 6.2.2.3 Science as ''Sport'' 135 6.2.2.4 Science as a ''Guild'' 136 6.2.2.5 Science as ''Hubris'' 137 6.3 Conclusion 139 References 141 Part IV: Scientists' Attitudes to Media Visibility 144 7 Re-ordering Epistemic Living Spaces: On the Tacit Governance Effects of the Public Communication of Science 146 7.1 Eroding Demarcations Between Science and Society and the Consequence for Research(ers) 148 7.2 Material and Methods 151 7.3 Tracing Medialization 153 7.3.1 Keeping Society Close but Outside -- 'Scientists' Narratives on Sciences' Strategic Use of the Media 153 7.3.2 Press-Packaging Science? Why and How Life Scientists Relate Their Work to the Media 155 7.3.3 Their Stories About Us and Our Stories About Ourselves. Researchers' Perception of Their Work Between Media Narratives and Everyday Practice 157 7.4 Tacit Governance Effects of the Medialization of Science 160 7.4.1 The Impact of Media and Societal Framings on the Development of Research Fields in the Austrian Life Sciences 160 7.4.2 On Becoming a Scientist -- Media Images and the Career Decisions of Young Scientists 162 7.5 Discussion and Conclusion 164 References 166 8 The Ambivalence of Visible Scientists 168 8.1 Introduction 168 8.2 “Shun the Limelight” or “Thou Shalt Communicate”? 170 8.3 Material and Methods 174 8.4 Results 175 8.4.1 Normative Expectations Towards Visible Scientists 175 8.4.2 Are Scientists ''Media Shy''? 177 8.4.3 Ambivalence Management 181 8.4.3.1 Condition 1: Sound Scientific Work 182 8.4.3.2 Condition 2: Reference to an Institutional Role 182 8.4.3.3 Condition 3: No Proactive Media Contact 183 8.4.4 Visibility as Part of the Role-Set of Scientists? 184 8.5 Conclusions 186 References 188 9 Practitioners' Perspective: Medialization and Scholarship: A Historian's Point of View 192 9.1 Getting Started 192 9.2 The Roles of "Public Intellectual" and "Expert" 193 9.3 Into the Mass Media -- Transformations and Tensions 197 9.4 The Organizational and Social Context 198 Reference 199 Part V: Organizational Responses to Media Expectations 200 10 Staging High-Visibility Science: Media Orientation in Genome Research 202 10.1 Introduction 202 10.1.1 Theatrical Self-Consciousness and Media Orientation 205 10.2 The Announcement and Mediated Reception of a Commercial Human Genome Project 207 10.2.1 The Announcement 209 10.2.2 The NHGRI's Response 213 10.2.3 The Wellcome Trust's Response 215 10.2.4 Extracting Information, Criticizing Coverage 216 10.2.5 Unavoidable Visibility 219 10.3 Discussion 222 References 226 11 Scientific Sources and the Mass Media: Forms and Consequences of Medialization 230 11.1 Introduction 230 11.2 Media Relations of Scientists and Research Organizations 231 11.2.1 Institutionalization 232 11.2.2 Professionalization 235 11.2.3 Strategic Utilization 239 11.3 Consequences of Medialization 241 11.3.1 Public Constructs of Science 242 11.3.2 Repercussions on the Research Process 245 11.3.3 Science-Politics Relationship 248 11.4 Discussion 250 References 251 12 Campaigns and Coalitions: Governance by Media 254 12.1 Introduction 254 12.2 Engaging the Origin Story of the Science Media Centre 256 12.3 Science Media Centre Origin Stories 257 12.4 Pro-active Reaction to the Cloning News Agenda 262 12.5 "A Model of How Scientists Should Engage with the Media? 263 12.6 Conclusion: Unashamedly Pro-Science 267 References 268 13 Practitioner's Perspective: The Role and Function of the Science Media Centre 270 13.1 Introduction 270 13.2 History 271 13.3 How the Science Media Centre Operates 274 13.3.1 The SMC Database of Experts 274 13.3.2 Rapid Reactions 275 13.3.3 Round-Up Press Releases 275 13.3.4 SMC Press Briefings 276 13.3.5 ''Crap Busting'' 276 13.3.6 Supporting Scientists 277 13.4 Spinning for Science 277 13.5 Science in the Media: Turning the Tide? 279 13.5.1 An Example to Aspire To: The Battle for Human-Animal Embryos 281 13.6 Conclusions 283 References 283 Part VI: Media Impact on Scholarly Communication 284 14 Scientists' Blogs: Glimpses Behind the Scenes 286 14.1 Introduction 286 14.2 The Slow Growth of Science Blogging 288 14.3 Uses and Impacts of Science Blogging 290 14.4 Features of Scientists' Blogs 291 14.5 The Special Case of Climate Science 294 14.6 Discussion 298 References 300 15 Debating Troy in the Mass Media -- The Catalytic Impact of Public Controversy on Academic Discourse 304 15.1 Introduction 304 15.2 Inter-specialist Controversy in the Mass Media 305 15.3 The Troy Controversy 2001–2005 307 15.4 Debating Troy in the Media 312 15.5 Conclusions: Catalytic Dynamics in Public Debates 315 References 317 16 Diagnosing the Present: Towards a Sociology of Medialized Social Science 320 16.1 Introduction: A Sociology of Sociological Knowledge 320 16.2 Medialization, Popularization, and Autonomous Science 322 16.3 Media Experts and Public Intellectuals: A Delicate Distinction for the Social Sciences 324 16.4 From Intellectual Discourse to Diagnoses of the Present 326 16.5 Making Social Change Newsworthy 332 16.6 Conclusion: Medialized Sociology and the Public Intellectual 338 References 341 17 Making Science News: The Press Relations of Scientific Journals and Implications for Scholarly Communication 346 17.1 Introduction 346 17.2 The Scientific Publication System 347 17.3 Publishing Decisions at Scientific Journals 349 17.4 A Media Conflict in Science? 351 17.5 Characteristics of a Media Conflict: A Case Study on Stem Cell Research 355 17.6 Discussion: The Medialization Effects on Scholarly Communication 359 References 362 18 Practitioner's Perspective: Science as a Public Resource: Rules of Engagement 366 18.1 Opening Access to Scientific Information 366 18.2 Run-Away Media 368 18.3 Inviting Public Participation 370 References 373 Part VII: Conclusions 374 19 Dimensions of Medialization. Concluding Remarks 376 19.1 Theoretical Considerations 376 19.2 Empirical Findings 379 19.3 Conclusions 384 References 386 Biographical Notes 388 940072084X,9789400720848 Springer 2011 Front Matter....Pages i-xii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Exploring the Impact of Science Communication on Scientific Knowledge Production: An Introduction....Pages 3-14 Front Matter....Pages 15-15 The Lure of the Mass Media and Its Repercussions on Science....Pages 17-32 Front Matter....Pages 33-33 Public Attention to Science 1820–2010 – A ‘Longue Durée’ Picture....Pages 35-57 Issue Selection in Science Journalism: Towards a Special Theory of News Values for Science News?....Pages 59-85 The Medialization of Regenerative Medicine: Frames and Metaphors in UK News Stories....Pages 87-105 Medialization and Credibility: Paradoxical Effect or (Re)-Stabilization of Boundaries? Epidemiology and Stem Cell Research in the Press....Pages 107-130 Front Matter....Pages 131-131 Re-ordering Epistemic Living Spaces: On the Tacit Governance Effects of the Public Communication of Science....Pages 133-154 The Ambivalence of Visible Scientists....Pages 155-177 Practitioner’s Perspective: Medialization and Scholarship: A Historian’s Point of View....Pages 179-186 Front Matter....Pages 187-187 Staging High-Visibility Science: Media Orientation in Genome Research....Pages 189-215 Scientific Sources and the Mass Media: Forms and Consequences of Medialization....Pages 217-239 Campaigns and Coalitions: Governance by Media....Pages 241-256 Practitioner’s Perspective: The Role and Function of the Science Media Centre....Pages 257-270 Front Matter....Pages 271-271 Scientists’ Blogs: Glimpses Behind the Scenes....Pages 273-289 Debating Troy in the Mass Media – The Catalytic Impact of Public Controversy on Academic Discourse....Pages 291-306 Diagnosing the Present: Towards a Sociology of Medialized Social Science....Pages 307-332 Making Science News: The Press Relations of Scientific Journals and Implications for Scholarly Communication....Pages 333-352 Practitioner’s Perspective: Science as a Public Resource: Rules of Engagement....Pages 353-360 Front Matter....Pages 361-361 Dimensions of Medialization. Concluding Remarks....Pages 363-373 Back Matter....Pages 375-379 The Yearbook addresses the overriding question: what are the effects of the 'opening up' of science to the media? Includes theoretical considerations and a host of empirical studies covering different configurations providing an in-depth analysis of the sciences' media connection and its repercussions on science itself. They help to form a sound judgement on this recent development Annotation In this book, theoretical considerations and a host of empirical studies covering different configurations provide an in-depth analysis of the sciences' media connection and its repercussions on science itself. They help to form a sound judgement on this recent development