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A recent wave of studies has diversified science communication by emphasizing gender, race, and disability. In this article, we focus on the understudied lens of religion. Based on an analysis of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) science journalism and its readership, we identify four main strategies for tailoring science, which we call the four "R"s—removing, reclaiming, remodeling, and rubricating science. By analyzing how science communication is produced by and for a particular religious group, we reveal the diverse ways a religious-sensitive science communication is shaped by community gatekeepers, while also exploring the ethical and epistemological tensions this tailoring entails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how journalists handled scientific uncertainty in their reporting of the COVID-19 pandemic. We performed interviews with U.S. journalists who reported on the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic and a content analysis of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine pause as one discrete scientific event during the pandemic. Results showed journalists were largely parroting public health officials instead of engaging in critical reporting, interrogating, and/or explaining the science associated with COVID-19. There was a lack of emphasis on uncertainty, indicating the need for a stronger focus on science news within journalism education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ÖZ:Bilim dünyasında toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliğini sağlamak üzere hayata geçirilen politikalara rağmen pek çok ülkede kadınlar bilimin çeşitli alanlarında yetersiz temsil edilmektedir. Kadınların bu dezavantajlı durumlarının gerisinde karmaşık toplumsal, kültürel, ekonomik ve yapısal bir dizi etken bulunmakla birlikte medya bu etkenler arasında öncelikli bir yere sahiptir. Zira medya, özellikle de gerçek hayattaki rol modellerinin yokluğunda, bilime ve bilim insanlarına dair tutum ve inançların şekillenmesinde rol oynayan temel bilgi kaynaklarından biridir. Bu bağlamda medya, kadınların ve kız çocuklarının bilime yönelmelerini teşvik edebileceği gibi onları bilimsel uğraşının dışında tutmaya ya da katılımlarını sınırlandırmaya da yol açabilir. Medyanın sahip olduğu bu potansiyelden hareketle, bu çalışmada Türkiye’de bilim haberlerinde bilim kadınlarının nasıl temsil edildiği incelenmektedir. Kadınların bilim dünyasına katılım oranlarının dünyanın pek çok ülkesine kıyasla yüksek olduğu Türkiye’de yazılı basında bilim kadınlarının görünürlük düzeyleri ile görünür oldukları alanları tespit etmek bu çalışmanın temel amacıdır. Bu kapsamda çalışmanın temel sorunsalı, farklı politik yönelimlere sahip BirGün, Hürriyet ve Yeni Şafak gazetelerinde yayımlanan bilim haberlerinin bilim dünyasındaki toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı eşitsizlikleri koruyup güçlendirmek mi, yoksa bu eşitsizliklere meydan okumak yönünde mi hareket ettiğinin belirlenmesidir. Çalışmada sözü edilen gazetelerin web sitelerinde 2019 yılının Ocak, Mayıs ve Eylül aylarında yayımlanan toplam 527 bilim haberi içerik analizi yoluyla incelenmiştir. Çalışmada gazetelerde yer alan bilim kadını oranının Türkiye’deki bilim kadını oranının oldukça altında olduğu; görünürlük düzeyleri ve bilimin farklı alanlarına katılımları konusunda farklı siyasal yönelimlere sahip gazeteler arasında küçük farklılıklar bulunmakla birlikte tümünün bilim kadınlarını yetersiz temsil ettiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. ABSTRACT:Despite policies aimed at ensuring gender equality in the scientific community, women are underrepresented in various fields of science in many countries. While there is a complex set of social, cultural, economic and structural factors behind women's disadvantage, the media has a prominent place among these factors. This is because the media are one of the main sources of information that play a role in shaping attitudes and beliefs about science and scientists, especially in the absence of real-life role models. In this context, the media can encourage women and girls to turn to science, but it can also exclude them from scientific endeavors or limit their participation. Based on this potential of the media, this study analyses how women scientists are represented in science news in Turkey. The main purpose of this study is to determine the level of visibility of women scientists in the print media in Turkey, where women's participation in the world of science is high compared to many countries in the world. In this context, the problematic of the study is to determine whether the science news published in the newspapers BirGün, Hürriyet, and Yeni Şafak, which have different political orientations, serve to protect and reinforce gender inequalities in the world of science or to challenge these inequalities. In the study, a total of 527 science news items published on the websites of the aforementioned newspapers in January, May, and September 2019 were examined through content analysis. The study concluded that the proportion of women scientists in the newspapers is well below the proportion of women scientists in Turkey; although there are small differences between newspapers with different political orientations regarding their level of visibility and participation in different fields of science, they all underrepresent women scientists.

Today's news users have a wide range of options when it comes to news consumption. Articles can be read on an app, via a news website, on social media or a printed newspaper. To provide these different platforms news media have become integrated newsrooms that shovel news as a standard practice. After posting a news article to the news website, the same news article can later appear on a social media platform like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. During the transportation from one platform to another the news inevitably undergoes changes. These remediations can be initiated by the platform: format-dependent constraints, e.g., the mandatory addition of a status message; based on preferences of the algorithm; or can be according to the personal preferences of the social media editor. Based on these insights we compiled a unique corpus of 109 news stories that map "a perfect chain" of science news in a one-to-one relationship between the news website, Facebook, and Instagram accounts of three traditional Flemish newspapers. We manually explored the circulation flow of these news posts and identified the corresponding types of news remediation. These results contribute theoretical and practical insights into the affordances, characteristics and constraints of social media news. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study identifies the journalistic features of four Israeli science-news websites and suggests a conceptual framework for describing and analyzing different channels of science communication. Findings show how these websites, while employing scientists as reporters, adopt journalistic practices in producing, presenting, and disseminating science news on various topics. Based on these findings, it is suggested to add to the traditional dichotomic classification of direct and mediated channels of science communication, a third entity we name "Peripheral science-journalism." Another insight that comes out of the findings is that amateur journalists' contribution to journalism and society should be evaluated by addressing the practices they employ and the product they provide rather than their personal, professional, or institutional affiliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite policies aimed at ensuring gender equality in the scientific community, women are underrepresented in various fields of science in many countries. While there is a complex set of social, cultural, economic and structural factors behind women's disadvantage, the media has a prominent place among these factors. This is because the media are one of the main sources of information that play a role in shaping attitudes and beliefs about science and scientists, especially in the absence of real-life role models. In this context, the media can encourage women and girls to turn to science, but it can also exclude them from scientific endeavors or limit their participation. Based on this potential of the media, this study analyses how women scientists are represented in science news in Turkey. The main purpose of this study is to determine the level of visibility of women scientists in the print media in Turkey, where women's participation in the world of science is high compared to many countries in the world. In this context, the problematic of the study is to determine whether the science news published in the newspapers BirGün, Hürriyet, and Yeni Şafak, which have different political orientations, serve to protect and reinforce gender inequalities in the world of science or to challenge these inequalities. In the study, a total of 527 science news items published on the websites of the aforementioned newspapers in January, May, and September 2019 were examined through content analysis. The study concluded that the proportion of women scientists in the newspapers is well below the proportion of women scientists in Turkey; although there are small differences between newspapers with different political orientations regarding their level of visibility and participation in different fields of science, they all underrepresent women scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to improve the status of the quality and the production efficiency of science news media is urgent. In order to depict the "misunderstanding" among the related personals, the current study interviewed the following members: "science edu-communicators" (those with science education background and worked as the mediators between the journalists and the scientists), "journalists" (those who interviewed the scientists and produced the science news media), and the "scientists" (those who were the knowledge providers explained the scientific contents to the audience). The "misunderstandings" were coded and labelled as "mismatch of frames". Through a series of semi-structural interviews, it was found that these divergent frames led to different interpretations, understandings and expectations to the production of the educational science news media. Thus, these "mismatching of frames" caused their conflicts. A total of 47 conflicts of frames were identified in the process of interviewing protocol. Among them, eight conflicts were about "awareness"; three conflicts were about "enjoyment"; two conflicts were about "opinion formation"; and 34 conflicts were about "understanding". There was no conflict related to "interest". Possible reasons regarding why the three parties held different frames in science communication are analyzed and discussed. Further, recommendations for future development of production model for science news media collaboration were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how to portray uncertain science to the public is a pressing goal for science communication. This study compared US public audience reactions to a news article depicting a novel discovery in neurogenomics as certain or uncertain, with statements of (un)certainty attributed to either affiliated or unaffiliated scientists. The uncertainty disclosure had no main effect on perceived news article credibility, scientist trustworthiness, objectivity of the scientists' depiction, or willingness to participate in genomic research. However, news credibility and scientist objectivity ratings were higher for uncertainty disclosure attributed to the affiliated scientists. Participants with greater preference for information about uncertainty found the scientists more trustworthy, their depictions more balanced, and the news article more credible when the research was described as uncertain, and these effects were stronger for affiliated scientist attribution. Findings underscore the important roles of disclosure source and audience characteristics in public reactions to media representations of scientific uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how user comments influence perceptions of a lesscontroversial news story. The results of a 2 (argument direction: supporting vs. dissenting comments) × 2 (evidence type: anecdotal vs. scientific evidence referenced in comments) between-subjects factorial design experiment with a no-comments control group (N = 426) showed that comments have independent effects on the evaluation of medical science news stories on perceived relevance, uncertainty, and risk perception. Also, the types of comments interact with participants’ intellectual humility and subjective numeracy. The findings illustrate that comments may have a deleterious impact on audience perception of journalistic stories and scientific issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the specific characteristics of science news stories posted on social media platforms during the first phase of the global pandemic crisis (the first semester of 2020). The focus of the study is to enhance our understanding of the selection criteria for science-related news content posted on social media platforms. Our approach takes into consideration the evolving technological environment of these platforms and the new relationships between media professionals and social media users. Our findings indicate that, under specific circumstances, scientific discoveries may be prioritized in the selection of news stories. We also suggest specific additions to the framework proposed by Harcup and O'Neil (2017), indicating that news stories during crisis situations are more internationally oriented, where audience proximity is created not around "nearby" events but those occurring in other countries around the world. In times of crisis, the main target of news stories is not simply to attract the audience's interest with classic clickbait tactics but to respond to the immediate socio-political context in a meaningful way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the specific characteristics of science news stories posted on social media platforms during the first phase of the global pandemic crisis (the first semester of 2020). The focus of the study is to enhance our understanding of the selection criteria for science-related news content posted on social media platforms. Our approach takes into consideration the evolving technological environment of these platforms and the new relationships between media professionals and social media users. Our findings indicate that, under specific circumstances, scientific discoveries may be prioritized in the selection of news stories. We also suggest specific additions to the framework proposed by Harcup and O’Neil (2017), indicating that news stories during crisis situations are more internationally oriented, where audience proximity is created not around “nearby” events but those occurring in other countries around the world. In times of crisis, the main target of news stories is not simply to attract the audience’s interest with classic clickbait tactics but to respond to the immediate socio-political context in a meaningful way.

Copyright of Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschap is the property of Amsterdam University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschap is the property of Amsterdam University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Disagreement and incivility are increasingly common in science communication. While previous work has explored effects on issue attitudes, it has not examined how disagreement and incivility in news coverage influence attention to and trust in science. In this study, we investigate how civil and uncivil disagreement about non-politicized issues affects attention to science news, evaluations of research, and scientific trust. Results reveal that disagreement and incivility can not only lead to less attention to and acceptance of particular science issues, but also broader mistrust of scientists and scientific methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined strategies employed by journalism students to accommodate scientific communication into public news. Data were collected from news articles of 130 journalism students, 130 science-based research articles, 3,990 minutes of interviews between scientists and trainees, and among 25 focal participants. We found that some journalism students could not adequately accommodate scientific articles into news reports due to their passive knowledge of newswriting journalese. We also observed that journalism students had difficulty in interpreting scientific research claims, and showed less resilience to cope with the angst of scientists about the journalistic profession and the humanities. The paper concluded that the accommodation of scientific communication into public news is a rigorous process that requires the active participation and praxis of journalism students.

Copyright of Cultural Studies of Science Education is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The ocean's remoteness, ecological complexities, lengthy ecosystem processes, and vulnerability to multiple and cumulative anthropogenic threats make marine conservation communication particularly difficult. Both scientists and journalists face unique challenges in explaining the science of these often out‐of‐sight ecosystems. Given the inadequacies of marine news, improvement appeared necessary. However, the experiences and views of journalists and scientists have hardly been examined within marine news contexts. Thus, this study sought the perspectives of these two professional groups to provide a discussion on ways to improve news coverage of complex ocean issues through enhanced journalist–scientist working relations.Both journalists and scientists rated the quantity, breadth and quality of marine news as average and were receptive to alternative ways for reporting ecosystem complexities. Although some frustrations remain, both valued impactful news stories resulting from their working relations and preferred direct contact with each other over indirect methods such as press releases and science news platforms. Both groups generally agreed on what to include in marine news, but scientists favoured a collaborative approach to news content decision‐making more strongly than journalists.Journalists' and scientists' commonly shared views and goals concerning marine news identified in this study could serve as a common ground for uniting the two professions. Institutional policies that permit one‐on‐one journalist–scientist interactions could lead to mutual understandings about the contexts of their relationship challenges. More trustful and mutually beneficial relationships, in turn, could be a basis for a more collaborative news generation process. Compiling and making marine visuals readily accessible to journalists; training programmes that enhance journalists' and scientists' understanding of the influence of media message framing on conservation actions; media appreciation of marine ecosystem complexities' newsworthiness; and the notion of media's social responsibility in reporting marine conservation issues could contribute to more impactful coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown that uncertainty communication by scientists (i. e., expressing reservations towards their own research) increases the public's trust in their work. The reasons for this have not been elucidated, however. In the present study, we provide a theoretical explanation for this phenomenon. Specifically, we expected that attributed communicator bias would mediate the effect of uncertainty communication on trust. Results from a mixed-design experiment (N = 88), using modified science news articles, revealed support for this hypothesis. Positive effects of uncertainty communication on trust and donation intention were both mediated by attributed communicator bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Misleading news claims can be detrimental to public health. We aimed to improve the alignment between causal claims and evidence, without losing news interest (counter to assumptions that news is not interested in communicating caution). Methods We tested two interventions in press releases, which are the main sources for science and health news: (a) aligning the headlines and main causal claims with the underlying evidence (strong for experimental, cautious for correlational) and (b) inserting explicit statements/caveats about inferring causality. The ‘participants’ were press releases on health-related topics (N = 312; control = 89, claim alignment = 64, causality statement = 79, both = 80) from nine press offices (journals, universities, funders). Outcomes were news content (headlines, causal claims, caveats) in English-language international and national media (newspapers, websites, broadcast; N = 2257), news uptake (% press releases gaining news coverage) and feasibility (% press releases implementing cautious statements). Results News headlines showed better alignment to evidence when press releases were aligned (intention-to-treat analysis (ITT) 56% vs 52%, OR = 1.2 to 1.9; as-treated analysis (AT) 60% vs 32%, OR = 1.3 to 4.4). News claims also followed press releases, significant only for AT (ITT 62% vs 60%, OR = 0.7 to 1.6; AT, 67% vs 39%, OR = 1.4 to 5.7). The same was true for causality statements/caveats (ITT 15% vs 10%, OR = 0.9 to 2.6; AT 20% vs 0%, OR 16 to 156). There was no evidence of lost news uptake for press releases with aligned headlines and claims (ITT 55% vs 55%, OR = 0.7 to 1.3, AT 58% vs 60%, OR = 0.7 to 1.7), or causality statements/caveats (ITT 53% vs 56%, OR = 0.8 to 1.0, AT 66% vs 52%, OR = 1.3 to 2.7). Feasibility was demonstrated by a spontaneous increase in cautious headlines, claims and caveats in press releases compared to the pre-trial period (OR = 1.01 to 2.6, 1.3 to 3.4, 1.1 to 26, respectively). Conclusions News claims—even headlines—can become better aligned with evidence. Cautious claims and explicit caveats about correlational findings may penetrate into news without harming news interest. Findings from AT analysis are correlational and may not imply cause, although here the linking mechanism between press releases and news is known. ITT analysis was insensitive due to spontaneous adoption of interventions across conditions. Trial registration ISRCTN10492618 (20 August 2015)

Tarihin her döneminde "gerçeküstü" olana ilgi gösterilmiştir. Bilimsel bilgi öncesinde, hurafeler zamanında bu durum makul kabul edilebilir. Bununla birlikte sanayi devrimini takip eden süreçte yerleşen bilimsel bilgi anlayışına ve bilginin tabana yayılmasını sağlayan kitle iletişim araçlarına rağmen gerçeküstüye olan ilginin son yıllarda artması incelemeye değer bir toplumsal olgudur. Araştırmanın amacı, medyanın antik Maya uygarlığının kullandığı takvimden yola çıkarak bilimsel temelden ve gerçeklik bağlamından uzak, "gerçeküstü" bir temsil sergilediğini ortaya koymaktır. Örnekleme dahil olan haberler çerçeveleme yaklaşımı ile değerlendirilecektir. Mayaların takvimi konusu ile ilgili tarih, arkeoloji, antropoloji bilimlerinin ortaya koyduğu bilimsel bilgi yerine bilimsel dayanağı olmayan veriler üzerinden nasıl bir temsil oluşturulduğu saptanacaktır. Haberin başlığı, alt başlık ve üst başlıkları, spotu ve kullanılan görselleri ile nasıl bir çerçevede okura sunulduğu tespit edilecektir. Çerçeveleme yaklaşımına ek olarak haber metinlerinin dil üzerinden bilimsel bağlamdan ne şekilde uzaklaştığını ortaya koymak üzere söylem analizinden yararlanılacaktır. Böylece haberin nasıl "gizemli" ve "gerçeküstü" bir dil ile kurgulanarak okura aktarıldığı ortaya konulacaktır. Araştırmada kıyametin kopacağı yıl olduğu iddia edilen 2012'de yayınlanan Hürriyet, Habertürk ve Milliyet gazetelerinin internet sitelerindeki haber metinlerinin tamamı incelenmiştir. Ancak makalenin sınırlılığı göz önünde bulundurularak burada 18 adet habere yer verilmiştir. Tüm haberlerin analizine ilişkin bulgular sonuç kısmında aktarılmıştır.

本研究的目的在於以「科學新聞SPHERE 提問模式」作為高中學生閱讀科學新聞的學習鷹架，藉由閱讀時的自我提問脈絡，在科學新聞文本中找到較為明確的架構與解讀的線索，並藉以判斷科學報導的目的、實驗設計、結果與證據間的邏輯性，以此提升高中學生對於科學新聞的判讀與理解。研究對象為臺灣中部某高中一年級兩班學生（實驗組32人，控制組38人）；研究工具為自行發展之「科學新聞提問學習單」及「科學新聞理解測驗」，研究資料蒐集期間為四個月。共變數分析結果顯示，隨著實驗組學生對於自我提問模式的熟悉，三次測驗的素養表現出現成長趨勢；此外，分析結果也發現，本研究設計的「科學新聞SPHERE 提問模式」閱讀策略可提升實驗組學生的素養表現，包括科學素養中的「科學地解釋現象」及 「科學地解釋數據與證據」等能力，以及閱讀素養中的「擷取與檢索」、「統整與解釋」、「省思與評鑑」等能力，但對於實驗設計題的學習幫助則不如預期。 This study proposed a scaffold of a science news questioning model for high school students when they read science news. It is hoped a clear framework and clues for news reading can be facilitated by the self-questioning strategy to judge the purpose, experiment designing, and logical relations between results and evidence. Seventy students (experimental group: 32 and control group: 38) from a senior high school located in Central Taiwan participated in this study. A learning sheet of science news questioning and a comprehension test for science news were developed. The study duration was two months. The analysis of covariance results indicated that the students in the experimental group exhibited steady literacy performance improvement in three tests. Moreover, this self-questioning teaching model is helpful for their scientific literacy performances (i.e., for scientifically explaining the phenomenon and scientifically interpreting data and evidence collected) and reading literacy performances (i.e., accessing, retrieving, integrating, interpreting, reflecting on, and evaluating information). However, this model was not very helpful for designing scientific inquiries.

This research studies the critical thinking skills of six teenagers in their final years of high school. It looks at the way those students use a set of cognitive skills in order to analyze scientific and pseudoscientific information available in online news articles. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six students chosen according to their results in a questionnaire about interest in science topics. Results show a large gap between participants' use of critical thinking skills. Most of these skills were mainly used for text comprehension, evoking general knowledge, numeracy, arguments assessment and production, and life skills (open-mindedness and metacognition). The participants were often confused when they were asked to justify their stances, and when they had to compare arguments' value. This exploratory study could lead to a better understanding of teenagers' strengths and weaknesses in news media literacy, and the part that schools could play in helping students develop them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutional offices for the communication and dissemination of science are gaining in importance at Spanish universities, and their activities can contribute to increasing the visibility and reputation of researchers. The objective of this study is to analyze the relations between the institutional communication of research results to the public and the impact and academic visibility of scientific papers. For this purpose, science communication and dissemination undertaken through press releases on R+D+i results from the Science Culture and Innovation Unit (SCIU) at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) were selected as a case study. This SCIU was chosen because it has published yearly reports for more than a decade on the impact in the media of its press releases. Press dossiers of the last five years available (2014-2018) were examined, and a database was created of the citations received by texts published in scientific journals indexed in the Web of Science as well as their mentions on social networks through the company Altmetric.com. After that, this information was statistically analyzed. The main results show that the journal impact index is important for obtaining academic citations or appearing in Twitter conversations. However, the influence of the journal impact factor turns out to be lower when it comes to popularizing scientific publications in the media. Furthermore, the statistical evidence points to the fact that scientific publications disseminated through the SCIU receive proportionally more citations than research that has not been disseminated through the institutional channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined strategies employed by journalism students to accommodate scientific communication into public news. Data were collected from news articles of 130 journalism students, 130 science-based research articles, 3,990 minutes of interviews between scientists and trainees, and among 25 focal participants. We found that some journalism students could not adequately accommodate scientific articles into news reports due to their passive knowledge of newswriting journalese. We also observed that journalism students had difficulty in interpreting scientific research claims, and showed less resilience to cope with the angst of scientists about the journalistic profession and the humanities. The paper concluded that the accommodation of scientific communication into public news is a rigorous process that requires the active participation and praxis of journalism students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]