Media orientation of German university decision makers and the executive influence of public relations

Kohring, Matthias; Marcinkowski, Frank; Lindner, Christian; Karis, Sarah

doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2013.01.002

Cited by 52 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Psychological factors may still have a mediating influence on how scientists play out this part of their role-they may do it enthusiastically or reluctantly-but "playing along" is the default, and refusing media contacts without legitimate reason has become unacceptable. Catalysts for this change of the scientist's role are research organizations (e.g., universities), which consider visibility in the media as an important way to secure public and political support (51,52), and high-ranking journals such as Science and Nature, which aim not only at scientific resonance but also at a wider public impact (53). A large proportion of scientists believe they have profited in their careers from media visibility whereas only a very small minority experienced mostly negatively impacts (47).…”

Section: Media Orientation As Part Of Scientist's Rolementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the belief that visibility in the media helps secure societal support and legitimacy, attracts the attention of sponsors, and increases competitiveness in "markets" for students, patients and research and development contracts, public relations on the part of scientific organizations have become part of the strategic management of these organizations (26,56). In recent decades, the institutionalization and professionalization of media relations on the part of science have increased, as has the strategic use of media relations (51,52,57). Bauer and Gregory attribute this trend to the growing commercialization of science (58).…”

Section: Media Orientation As Part Of Scientist's Rolementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Coverage by the media is widely perceived as an indicator of relevance and success, as in policy fields related to science (63). The assumption that media visibility helps to secure social support and public legitimacy-not only for science in general but also with respect to specific organizations or projects-is widely held by the management and public relations staff of science organizations as well as by scientists (51,52). Finally, the media contribute to a transformation of scientific knowledge by relating it to phenomena, events, issues, knowledge, and concerns outside science, for example.…”

Section: Science Journalism and Response Of Scientific Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gap between science and media revisited: Scientists as public communicators

Peters

2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

261

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The present article presents an up-to-date account of the current media relations of scientists, based on a comprehensive analysis of relevant surveys. The evidence suggests that most scientists consider visibility in the media important and responding to journalists a professional duty—an attitude that is reinforced by universities and other science organizations. Scientific communities continue to regulate media contacts with their members by certain norms that compete with the motivating and regulating influences of public information departments. Most scientists assume a two-arena model with a gap between the arenas of internal scientific and public communication. They want to meet the public in the public arena, not in the arena of internal scientific communication. Despite obvious changes in science and in the media system, the orientations of scientists toward the media, as well as the patterns of interaction with journalists, have their roots in the early 1980s. Although there is more influence on public communication from the science organizations and more emphasis on strategic considerations today, the available data do not indicate abrupt changes in communication practices or in the relevant beliefs and attitudes of scientists in the past 30 y. Changes in the science–media interface may be expected from the ongoing structural transformation of the public communication system. However, as yet, there is little evidence of an erosion of the dominant orientation toward the public and public communication within the younger generation of scientists.

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Section: Media Orientation As Part Of Scientist's Rolementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Media Orientation As Part Of Scientist's Rolementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Science Journalism and Response Of Scientific Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Gap between science and media revisited: Scientists as public communicators

Peters

2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

261

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“…Although, as Kohring et al [2013] found in their comprehensive study on the practice of science communication in the German higher education system, the executive influence of university's PR departments is still considered marginal, the administrative decision makers differ in their assessment from their counterparts on the academic boards. The former, who also have more contact with PR managers than the latter, attribute more influence to their PR departments which "implies that the executive influence of PR managers might increase as the power within universities shifts from academic to administrative decision makers" [Kohring et al, 2013, p. 176].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Science communication and the issue of trust

Weingart¹,

Guenther²

2016

JCOM

128

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Science communication, whether internally or to the general public depends on trust, both trust in the source and trust in the medium of communication. With the new 'ecology of communication' this trust is endangered. On the one hand the very term of science communication has been captured by many different actors (e.g., governments, PR experts, universities and research institutions, science journalists, and bloggers) apart from scientists themselves to whom science communication means different things and whose communication is tainted by special interests. Some of these actors are probably more trusted by the general public than others. On the other hand, the channels that are used to communicate science are also not trusted equally. Particularly the widespread use of social media raises doubts about the credibility of the communication spread through them. AbstractScience and media; Science and policy-making; Science communication: theory and models Keywords

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“…It draws on a strong journalistic writing tradition proven to work extremely well as a tool to communicate science to the public. Furhtermore, it might be difficult to change since it's closely related to the way universities are economically managed [9] and it's also linked to the publication system, where major journals 3 often take a leading role when it comes to sending out research press releases. The challenges for science communication seem to lie elsewhere.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Press releases — the new trend in science communication

Autzen¹

2014

JCOM

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Scientific institutions have for a long time known the importance of framing and owning stories about science They also know the effective way of communicating science in a press release This is part of the institution’s public relations. Enhanced competition among research institutions has led to a buildup of communicative competences and professionalization of public relations inside the institutions and the press release has become an integrated part of science communication from these institutions. Changing working conditions in the media, where fewer people have to publish more, have made press releases from trustworthy scientific institutions into free and easily copied content for the editors. In this commentary I investigate and discuss the communicative ecosystem of the university press release. I especially take a close look at the role of the critical and independent science journalist in relation to this corporate controlled communication

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Media orientation of German university decision makers and the executive influence of public relations

Cited by 52 publications

References 14 publications

Gap between science and media revisited: Scientists as public communicators

Gap between science and media revisited: Scientists as public communicators

Science communication and the issue of trust

Press releases — the new trend in science communication

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