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• Date of publication Sep 22, 2014 Category: Editorial

  On the roles of scientists, press officers and journalists

  by Emma Weitkamp

  This issue of the Journal of Science Communication raises a number of questions about the ways that new scientific research emerges from research institutions and in particular the role played by scientists, press officers and journalists in this process. This is not to suggest that the public don't play an equally important role, and several articles in this issue raise questions about public engagement, but to explore the dynamics at play in one specific arena: that of news production. In this editorial I explore the increasing reliance of science journalists on public relations sources and consider what questions this raises for science communication.

  Volume 13 • Issue 03 • 2014

• Date of publication Sep 22, 2014 Category: Article

  Is it my responsibility or theirs? Risk communication about antibiotic resistance in the Swedish daily press

  by Gustav Bohlin , Gunnar E. Höst

  Antibiotic resistance is an increasing global threat involving many actors, including the general public. We present findings from a content analysis of the coverage of antibiotic resistance in the Swedish print media with respect to the risk communication factors cause, magnitude and countermeasures. The most commonly reported cause of development and spread of resistance was unnecessary prescription of antibiotics. Risk magnitudes were mostly reported qualitatively rather than using quantitative figures. Risk-reduction measures were analyzed using a framework that distinguishes between personal and societal efficacy. Measures at the societal level were more commonly reported compared to the individual level.

  Volume 13 • Issue 03 • 2014

• Date of publication Sep 22, 2014 Category: Article

  War, anxiety, optimism and triumph: a study on science in the main Brazilian TV news

  by Yuri Castelfranchi , Luisa Massarani , Marina Ramalho

  We analysed the representations of science and of scientists at Jornal Nacional, the main Brazilian TV news. We carried out content and frames analysis, besides the lexical and semantic analysis of the transcriptions of the science and technology stories. Our results show a narrative that highlights the novelties and the epopee of the scientific advance, mainly in the health field. But to the emotional palette feelings of combat, anxiety and triumph were added. The face of the scientist presented by the TV news is mainly masculine, suggesting a stereotyped role of the male and female scientist: meanwhile men go out to literally explore other worlds, women take care of health and of the body.

  Volume 13 • Issue 03 • 2014

• Date of publication Sep 22, 2014 Category: Article

  Types of knowledge in science-based practices

  by Nelius Boshoff

  Science communication as an interdisciplinary field of study has always been concerned with issues of knowledge utilisation. This theoretical paper focusses on the “knowledge” part of knowledge utilisation and provides a conceptual frame to distinguish between different types of knowledge in science-based practice. A practitioner’s knowledge store is portrayed as a dense set of personal knowledge, consisting of procedural knowledge, factual knowledge, potential factual knowledge and opinions/beliefs; the totality of which is continuously refined through more experiences and additional information received from people, documents or events. Implications for future studies of knowledge utilisation in science-based practices are highlighted and a number of questions posed to science communication as a profession.

  Volume 13 • Issue 03 • 2014

• Date of publication Sep 22, 2014 Category: Commentary

  Public communication from research institutes: is it science communication or public relations?

  by Rebecca B. Carver

  There is growing competition among publicly funded scientific institutes and universities to attract staff, students, funding and research partners. As a result, there has been increased emphasis on science communication activities in research institutes over the past decade. But are institutes communicating science simply for the sake of improving the institute’s image? In this set of commentaries we explore the relationship between science communication and public relations (PR) activities, in an attempt to clarify what research institutes are actually doing. The overall opinion of the authors is that science communication activities are almost always a form of PR. The press release is still the most popular science communication and PR tool. There is however disagreement over the usefulness of the press release and whether or not gaining public attention is actually good for science.

  Press releases — the new trend in science communication

  by Charlotte Autzen

  Research institutions: neither doing science communication nor promoting ‘public’ relations

  by Michel Claessens

  The changing rationale of science communication: a challenge to scientific autonomy

  by Frank Marcinkowski and Matthias Kohring

  Public relations as science communication

  by Matt Shipman

  Volume 13 • Issue 03 • 2014

• Date of publication Sep 22, 2014 Category: Commentary

  Public relations as science communication

  by Matt Shipman

  Public communication from research institutions often functions as both science communication and public relations. And while these are distinct functions, public relations efforts often serve as science communication tools. This is because successful science communication and public relations efforts for research institutions both rely on finding shared language and disseminating findings in context.

  Volume 13 • Issue 03 • 2014

• Date of publication Sep 22, 2014 Category: Commentary

  Press releases — the new trend in science communication

  by Charlotte Autzen

  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

  Volume 13 • Issue 03 • 2014

• Date of publication Sep 22, 2014 Category: Commentary

  Research institutions: neither doing science communication nor promoting ‘public’ relations

  by Michel Claessens

  In this commentary I explain why research institutions are neither doing science communication nor developing ‘public’ relations in the proper sense. Their activities are rather a mix of different things, serving various purposes and targets. However, dealing with PCST, their main responsibilities [should] include: promoting genuine communication and dialogue, being open and accessible to the public, providing high quality scientific information, ensuring good internal communication and educating their scientific staff.

  Volume 13 • Issue 03 • 2014

• Date of publication Sep 22, 2014 Category: Commentary

  The changing rationale of science communication: a challenge to scientific autonomy

  by Frank Marcinkowski , Matthias Kohring

  We argue that the institutionalized push communication of academic institutions has become the dominant form of public science communication and has tended to force other forms and functions of science communication into the background. Given the new schemes of public funding, public communication of science now primarily serves the purpose of enabling academic institutions to promote themselves in a competition that has been forced upon them by the political domain. What academics working under these conditions say about themselves and their work (and what they do not) will depend crucially on the strategic communication goals and concepts of the organizations to which they belong. We surmise that the inherent logic of this form of science communication represents a potential threat to the autonomy of scientific research.

  Volume 13 • Issue 03 • 2014

• Date of publication Sep 22, 2014 Category: Conference Review

  Communicating Science for social inclusion and political engagement: reflections on the PCST Conference, Brazil 2014

  by Astrid Treffry-Goatley

  The 13th International Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference (PCST) conference offered a valuable opportunity for over 500 science communicators to congregate and network with the international community. While the sheer size of the event made fostering debate somewhat of a challenge, the pertinent theme of ‘science communication for social inclusion and political engagement’, inspired some thought-provoking talks. Certainly, it was an appropriate time for this topic to be explored in Brazil, a developing country with a national government actively working towards greater social inclusion and local scientific development.

  Volume 13 • Issue 03 • 2014