Science, News and the Public

Science, News and the Public is a comprehensive, historically driven and future-oriented account into the roles, functions, practices and impacts of science journalism in society.

Recent exponential increases in scientific discoveries - with all the hopes and fears they create for humanity - have brought public engagement with science to a central position in public and private life. Yet, science and society continue to be distanced, for old and new reasons: science elitism, science secrecy, ineffective science communication, science used as political football, and science mis/disinformation.

This book sets out to demonstrate that the news media, despite its traditional flaws and recent decline, remain one of the very few, if not the only, major platform that can bring together science and publics for far-reaching impacts.

In exploring the past and present of science communication, the book breaks from usual criticisms to show science journalism has done a far better and more important job than it is stereotyped. Concurrently, it presents a scathing critique of the various professional issues, challenges and practices that have ironically led journalism to being a potential contributor to the science-society distance it is purported to reduce.

To regain its role as a principal force in this area, journalism needs not only to alter its traditional science deference and to abandon many of its much-discredited techniques. It also needs to be proactive, bold and innovative in adapting to new thinking, new audience behaviors and new socio-technological possibilities. These new possibilities, especially digital technological affordances, will be explored in detail.