Reporting on Science as an Ongoing Process (or Not)

Slater, Matthew H.; Scholfield, Emily R.; Moore, Janet

doi:10.3389/fcomm.2020.535474

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Science journalists covering diverse scientific fields aim to increase science literacy by informing the public about a wide range of scientific projects, fostering awareness, education, and understanding of the positive impacts and potential risks of science on society. Slater et al (2021) explain that the endeavors to promote scientific literacy among the public primarily seek to empower individuals to make well-informed choices, both in their personal lives (such as health and sustainability decisions) and in the broader public arena.…”

Section: The Importance Of Science and Science Reportingmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Investigation into the Frequency and Patterns of Science Reporting in Three Leading Online Nigerian Newspapers from 2016-2022

Matyek,

Maimoko,

Ochai

2023

Soc. Bull. YU

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This study conducts a comprehensive seven-year analysis of science reporting in three prominent Nigerian online newspapers: Vanguard, Daily Sun, and Punch, spanning from 2016 to 2022. Research conducted before has shown that science journalists in Africa face difficulties. These challenges include editors who do not provide enough support and focus too much on politics, low salaries, and not having enough resources to do their work effectively. They also face criticism from scientists for perceived shortcomings in education, interview preparation, reporting accuracy, and ethical concerns regarding payment for information. In view of this, the problem of this study is the need to understand and analyze the frequency and patterns of science reporting in Nigerian newspapers, specifically in Vanguard, Daily Sun, and The Punch, from 2016 to 2022. Utilizing descriptive research methods, the research scrutinizes the frequency of science reports and their percentage relative to general reports in each newspaper. The findings reveal variations among the newspapers, with Vanguard consistently featuring the highest number of science reports. Noteworthy fluctuations are observed from year to year, indicating potential shifts in editorial priorities or public interest in science-related topics. The study underscores the importance of enhancing science reporting efforts in online newspapers to foster scientific literacy and awareness among readers. It emphasizes the necessity of adapting reporting trends to align with evolving public interests and scientific advancements.

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Section: The Importance Of Science and Science Reportingmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Investigation into the Frequency and Patterns of Science Reporting in Three Leading Online Nigerian Newspapers from 2016-2022

Matyek,

Maimoko,

Ochai

2023

Soc. Bull. YU

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…(Don't the articles about the health benefits of wine seem so much more compelling? )7 We document this empirically for a recent subset of leading national newspapers inSlater et al (2021).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Trust of Science as a Public Collective Good

Slater¹,

Scholfield²

2022

Philos. sci.

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The COVID-19 pandemic and global climate change crisis remind us that widespread trust in the products of the scientific enterprise is vital to the health and safety of the global community. Insofar as appropriate responses to these (and other) crises require us to trust that enterprise, cultivating a healthier trust relationship between science and the public may be considered as a collective public good. While it might appear that scientists can contribute to this good by taking more initiative to communicate their work to public audiences, we raise a concern about unintended consequences of an individualistic approach to such communication.

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Journalism and public trust in science

Schipani

2024

Synthese

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Journalists are often the adult public’s central source of scientific information, which means that their reporting shapes the relationship the public has with science. Yet philosophers of science largely ignore journalistic communication in their inquiries about trust in science. This paper aims to help fill this gap in research by comparing journalistic norm conflicts that arose when reporting on COVID-19 and tobacco, among other policy-relevant scientific topics. I argue that the public’s image of scientists– as depositories of indisputable, value-free facts, trustworthy only when in consensus– makes it particularly difficult for journalists to ethically communicate policy-relevant science rife with disagreement. In doing so, I show how journalists, like scientists, face the problem of inductive risk in such cases. To overcome this problem, I sketch a model of trust in science that is grounded in an alternative image of scientists– what I call the responsiveness model of trust in science. By highlighting the process of science over its product, the responsiveness model requires scientists to respond to empirical evidence and the public’s values to warrant the public’s trust. I then show why this model requires journalists to be the public’s watchdogs by verifying and communicating whether scientists are being properly responsive both epistemically and non-epistemically.

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Reporting on Science as an Ongoing Process (or Not)

Cited by 3 publications

References 37 publications

An Investigation into the Frequency and Patterns of Science Reporting in Three Leading Online Nigerian Newspapers from 2016-2022

An Investigation into the Frequency and Patterns of Science Reporting in Three Leading Online Nigerian Newspapers from 2016-2022

Trust of Science as a Public Collective Good

Journalism and public trust in science

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