Is There a Medialization of Climate Science? Results From a Survey of German Climate Scientists

Abstract

The relation between science and the media has recently been termed a medialization of science. The respective literature argues that interaction of scientists with the media and journalists as well as scientists' adaptation to media criteria has increased. This article analyzes whether German climate scientists are indeed "medialized." The results of a survey among 1,130 scientists suggest that medialization phenomena exist in climate science but that they differ significantly among different subgroups. While media interactions are more common for high-ranking scientists, an adaptation to media criteria is more typical for scientists with less experience

Public communication by climate scientists: what, with whom and why?

“…with a policy actor, and 54% had contacted with a non-governmental organisation (Ivanova et al, 2013). Importantly, these studies including ours presented here, suggest a community of highly engaged communicators amongst climate scientist.…”

“…For example, 44% of the surveyed climate scientists reported more than two contacts with news media channels iii , compared to 33% of German medical researchers (stem cells and epidemiologists) who reported more than two contacts a year (Peters et al, 2008), a further indicator of the medialization of climate science (Boykoff, 2011;Ivanova et al, 2013 (Post, 2009), which inhibit them to use these fast propagators of fake news (Vosoughi, 2018).…”

“…To date, the existing literature is scarce and has mostly focused on case-study analyses of specific forms of engagement including climate scientists' uses of traditional news media (Ivanova et al, 2013;Post, 2016, Tosse, 2013 and social media networks (Schäfer, 2012), stakeholder engagement (Anderegg et al, 2010;Prokopy et al, 2015;Wilke and Morton, 2015), and to a lesser extent, behaviours of climate scientists or what mobilizes them to go public (Sharman andHowarth, 2017, Hosse, 2013). These studies point to a close relationship between climate scientists and the media, despite only a small number interacting with journalists frequently or contributing to policy (Lehmkuhl, 2012), often high-ranking scientists with a stronger focus on climate research and social scientists (Ivanova et al 2013, Bray & von Storch, 2007. When it comes to content, climate scientists choose not to communicate uncertainties about climate change to journalists, distancing themselves from environmentalists and other interest groups (Post, 2016), and political purposes (Tosse, 2013).…”

Scientists, the Media, and the Public Communication of Science

“…However, PIOs' influence on these relationships seems to be growing, with some scholars noting how media relations have becoming increasingly institutionalized within scientific organizations and universities (Peters ). This phenomenon, which is commonly referred to as ‘medialization’ (Weingart, ), has resulted in a growing body of research that is documenting the increasing salience of media criteria within the scientific community and research process (Ivanova et al ; Peters et al 2008; Rödder , ). For example, one recent study (Sumner et al ) analyzed news releases about scientific and biomedical research emerging from 20 UK‐based universities, the related scientific papers, and the news articles associated with the releases.…”

Colonising the academy? Organisational mediatisation and public research institutions in Norway

“…Torgeir Uberg Naerland legitimacy. Moreover, a media orientation among researchers seems to be more accentuated in specifi c and often politicised disciplines such as climate science (Ivanova et al, 2013) and stem cell research or epidemiology (Peters et al, 2008a;2008b). Although some concern has been raised about the internalisation of media concerns in scientifi c decisionmaking (Schäfer, 2014, p. 579), Rödder & Schäfer (2010) suggest that such internalisation is exceptional and related to specifi c fi elds and highly particular contexts.…”