As a recently emergent issue, public familiarity with orbital debris is likely low, and therefore especially susceptible to the influence of news media representations. To better understand media representations of orbital debris issues, a content analysis of all orbital debris news articles (N = 207) across four major U.S. media outlets (2011 – 2022) was conducted. It examines portrayals of risks associated with orbital debris, response measures, and terminology choices. Despite evidence that risks to satellite services are most consequential to everyday civilians, this risk was not a leading theme in any article. Instead, risks associated with falling debris to Earth was the most frequent leading theme across all news outlets. We also found differences across partisan outlets, including greater attention to space sustainability/safety risks and mitigation in a liberal outlet compared with a conservative outlet. Linguistically, the more colloquial “space junk” was more prominent than the more jargon-y “orbital debris.”

This practice insight explores the potential of broadcast television news and current affairs programs for science communication in everyday viewing environments. Using the Japanese news program Shins¯o H¯od¯o Bankisha! as a case study, we assessed its impact on public knowledge of “blue carbon”, a relatively new scientific topic. The program aired on May 28, 2023, reaching an estimated 2.76 million viewers in the Kanto region. A survey revealed that viewers exposed to “blue carbon” through the broadcast showed significant knowledge gains compared to non-viewers, regardless of their interest in science. This included individuals with low scientific interest, a group often excluded by traditional science communication methods. Despite the rise in popularity of digital media formats, broadcast television news and current affairs programs showed their unique ability to disseminate scientific knowledge to diverse audiences, even in today’s multitasking environments. These findings highlight the enduring relevance of television in science communication and its potential to complement digital platforms for broader public engagement.

In May 2021, the World Health Organization announced a new naming system for SARS-CoV-2 variants intended to replace potentially stigmatising names referencing geographic locations. A quantitative content analysis was conducted to identify the names and frames present in Australian news media coverage before and after the new names were announced. Results demonstrate uptake of the new names but also indicate the potential for intended outcomes of de-stigmatisation to be compromised, particularly by persistent negative framing. These findings indicate that future health communication efforts might be strengthened by integrating disease naming considerations into ongoing public health preparedness efforts and support ongoing scholarly inquiry into naming and framing in news media communication.

Micro-patronage provides a new model of funding for research communication. This article uses the Lingthusiasm podcast as a case study to describe how micro-patronage can work and some of the benefits and challenges involved. The authors draw on their own experience of micro-patronage to demonstrate how to create sustainable projects. They also discuss how it sits alongside university funding structures, while also providing a measure of independence from those structures.

Movements opposing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) remain one of the most impactful protest movements in recent times, successfully suppressing the widespread global acceptance of GMOs through strategically crafted anti-GMO rhetoric. Yet, inadequate research has focused on the arguments used by GMO-promoting advocates. In this media content analysis study, inspired by the Neo-Aristotelian Method of Rhetorical Criticism (NAMRC), we analyze news articles about GMO technologies gathered from the most-read news portals in Ghana. We identify the rhetorical strategies used by GMO-promoting institutions that are reported in media interactions when the legitimacy of these technologies is questioned. We found that pro-GMO rhetoric focuses on themes of problem-solving technology, defensive advocacy, hope for the future, and scientific evidence to persuade publics. In the media coverage we analyzed, pro-GMO advocates defended both the safety of the technology and the legitimacy of scientific research and agricultural innovation. To ensure that advocacy for genetically modified crops is both responsible and credible, advocates of GMO technologies must strike a balance between conveying enthusiasm for these technologies and exercising caution about their limitations.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed media professionals to the complex challenge of communicating scientific uncertainty. Using an automated, dictionary-based approach, we examined how different types of publications addressed scientific uncertainty at both the onset and the declared end of the pandemic. In the early stages of this health crisis, both general interest and science-focused media showed increased scientific uncertainty scores, with specialised outlets using scientific uncertainty markers more frequently. When the pandemic was declared over, science-focused publications maintained high scientific uncertainty levels across all stories, while general interest media reverted to pre-COVID-19 levels. The findings provide insights for journalists and science communicators.

Despite the rising popularity of video-based platforms, systematic guidelines for developing effective video-based science communication remain scarce. Training scientists in these skills is vital for combating misinformation and engaging audiences. This study reviewed evidence-based strategies for communicating science via video-based social media platforms, identifying 28 articles that included original video-based data and were published in the past decade. Articles were identified through library database searches, journal archives, and publication lists from relevant researchers. Predominantly focusing on YouTube (42.9%) and TikTok (28.6%), qualitative findings revealed best practices related to narrative structure, emotion and connection, video features, professionalism and quality, and social media strategies. Highlighting actionable strategies, this research provides valuable insights for scientists navigating the dynamic landscape of video-based science communication.

This paper studies how artificial intelligence was set to the agenda in the press and social media in France. By simultaneously analysing the framing of AI and the key actors who dominated the discourse on this technology in the national press and on the X and Facebook platforms, the study highlights, on the one hand, the influence of digital companies and government narratives, and on the other, the presence of alternative stakeholder perspectives that diverge from dominant discourses and contribute to political polarisation on AI-related issues such as facial recognition. Our study sheds light on how AI framing can highlight dominant and alternative narratives and visions and may contribute to the consolidation of socio-technical imaginaries in the French public sphere.

The advent of generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI) is expected to have a significant impact on journalism. In this study, we address whether this development could help mitigate the crisis in science journalism. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 German science journalists, asking them about the potential impact genAI may have on the news-making process (i.e., selection, production, and distribution). The results suggest that interviewees anticipate many future benefits associated with genAI, some believe that the technology is unlikely to worsen the crisis in science journalism, while others express concerns about potential negative consequences (e.g., job loss).

Based on an ethnography of the development and production of science YouTube videos – a collaboration between a German public broadcaster and social science scholars – we identify three intermediary steps through which recommendation algorithms shape science content on social media. We argue that algorithms induce changes to science content through the power they exert over the content's visibility on social media platforms. Change is driven by how practitioners interpret algorithms, infer content strategies to enhance visibility, and adjust content creation practices accordingly. By unpacking these intermediate steps, we reveal the nuanced mechanisms by which algorithms indirectly shape science content.