1
|
Cross-checking journalistic fact-checkers: The role of sampling and scaling in interpreting false and misleading statements. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289004. [PMID: 37490489 PMCID: PMC10368232 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Professional fact-checkers and fact-checking organizations provide a critical public service. Skeptics of modern media, however, often question the accuracy and objectivity of fact-checkers. The current study assessed agreement among two independent fact-checkers, The Washington Post and PolitiFact, regarding the false and misleading statements of then President Donald J. Trump. Differences in statement selection and deceptiveness scaling were investigated. The Washington Post checked PolitiFact fact-checks 77.4% of the time (22.6% selection disagreement). Moderate agreement was observed for deceptiveness scaling. Nearly complete agreement was observed for bottom-line attributed veracity. Additional cross-checking with other sources (Snopes, FactCheck.org), original sources, and with fact-checking for the first 100 days of President Joe Biden's administration were inconsistent with potential ideology effects. Our evidence suggests fact-checking is a difficult enterprise, there is considerable variability between fact-checkers in the raw number of statements that are checked, and finally, selection and scaling account for apparent discrepancies among fact-checkers.
Collapse
|
2
|
A Conversation with … Jay Nordlinger, the Writer Who Sees Both Sides. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2022; 480:217-219. [PMID: 34813525 PMCID: PMC8747481 DOI: 10.1097/corr.0000000000002048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
|
3
|
Misinformation and herd behavior in media markets: A cross-national investigation of how tabloids' attention to misinformation drives broadsheets' attention to misinformation in political and business journalism. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0241389. [PMID: 33175883 PMCID: PMC7657564 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
This study develops and tests a theoretical framework, which draws on herd behavior literature and explains how and under what conditions tabloids’ attention to misinformation drives broadsheets’ attention to misinformation. More specifically, the study analyzes all cases of political and business misinformation in Switzerland and the U.K. between 2002 and 2018, which are selected based on corresponding Swiss and U.K. press councils’ rulings (N = 114). The findings show that during amplifying events (i.e., election campaigns and economic downturns) tabloids allocate more attention to political and business misinformation, which, in turn, drives broadsheets to allocate more attention to the misinformation as well–and especially if the misinformation serves broadsheets’ ideological goals. Moreover, the findings show differences between Swiss and U.K. media markets only in the case of business misinformation and suggest that the attention allocation process depends in particular on the strength of the amplifying event in a media market. Thereby, this study contributes to the understanding of how and under what conditions misinformation spreads in media markets.
Collapse
|
4
|
The Best of SIAM Data Mining 2020. BIG DATA 2020; 8:333-334. [PMID: 33090025 DOI: 10.1089/big.2020.29040.edi] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
|
5
|
Science as a Social Good: Iramis Alonso-Porro Director, Juventud Técnica. MEDICC Rev 2020; 22:12-15. [PMID: 32812893 DOI: 10.37757/mr2020.v22.n3.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Science journalism was little known in Cuba when Iramis Alonso wrote her the-sis on the specialized fi eld in 1990. That year, journalism degree from the Uni-versity of Havana in hand, she set off to Cuba's eastern countryside to complete two years of social service reporting for local, regional and national print media. Living in the mountains of Holguín, a typical day for the cub reporter took her to caves, forests and fi elds for stories on the intersection of science, culture and the environment. Alonso credits this formative experience with igniting her passion for investigative and sci-ence journalism, setting her on a unique career path as a journalist and editor specializing in the sciences writ large: climate change, astronomy, mathemat-ics and other hard sciences, engineer-ing, information technologies and social sciences, among others.
Collapse
|
6
|
|
7
|
Interactive guidelines: Public communication of data-based research in cities. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228008. [PMID: 32004324 PMCID: PMC6993978 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Scientific research results are traditionally published as articles in peer-reviewed conference proceedings or journals. These articles often use technical jargon, which precludes the general public from consuming the results achieved. New ways to communicate scientific results are thus necessary to transfer scientific insights to non-experts, and this work proposes the concept of interactive guidelines to fill this gap. A web tool, called Interactive Guidelines Tool, was developed as a proof-of-concept for the idea. It was used in the context of the GEO-C project to communicate research outputs in smart cities scenarios to the public. A comparative analysis between the Interactive Guidelines Tool and related tools helps to highlight the progress it enables beyond the current state of the art. Interactive Guidelines Tool is available as an open-source tool and can be customised/extended by any interested researcher, in the process of making scientific knowledge and insights more accessible and understandable to a broader public.
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
Two photographs of caregivers walking through a Honduran jungle to visit patients in their homes literally and figuratively represent barriers to health care access.
Collapse
|
9
|
Disaster journalism: fostering citizen and community disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience across the disaster cycle. DISASTERS 2019; 43:591-611. [PMID: 30990926 DOI: 10.1111/disa.12352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Natural and human-caused disasters pose a significant risk to the health and well-being of people. Journalists and news organisations can fulfil multiple roles related to disasters, ranging from providing warnings, assessing disaster mitigation and preparedness, and reporting on what occurs, to aiding long-term recovery and fostering disaster resilience. This paper considers these possible functions of disaster journalism and draws on semi-structured interviews with 24 journalists in the United States to understand better their approach to the discipline. A thematic analysis was employed, which resulted in the identification of five main themes and accompanying subthemes: (i) examining disaster mitigation and preparedness; (ii) facilitating recovery; (iii) self-care and care of journalists; (iv) continued spread of social media; and (v) disaster journalism ethics. The paper concludes that disaster journalism done poorly can result in harm, but done well, it can be an essential instrument with respect to public disaster planning, management, response, and recovery.
Collapse
|
10
|
Announcing the Fifth Annual Editors' Choice Award. TEACHING AND LEARNING IN MEDICINE 2019; 31:235-237. [PMID: 32420758 DOI: 10.1080/10401334.2019.1611046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
|
11
|
Progress, Hope, and Gratitude: From One Social Worker to Another (A Farewell Message). SOCIAL WORK 2019; 64:101-102. [PMID: 30809668 DOI: 10.1093/sw/swz006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
|
12
|
|
13
|
The Cultural Competence of Health Journalists: Obesity Coverage in Four Urban News Organizations. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2019; 34:191-200. [PMID: 29135320 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2017.1399507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This study sought to identify indicators of cultural competence in 670 news stories covering obesity by four urban news organizations: two mainstream newspapers and two ethnic newspapers serving the African-American and Hispanic communities. Through semantic network analysis, the research found that the news organizations converged on five themes: unhealthy lifestyle, food access and education, healthy lifestyle, public policy, and research. Public policy solutions were favored by the mainstream newspapers, while self-efficacy was emphasized in the ethnic papers. In all four newspapers, indicators of cultural competence were mixed. Ethnic newspapers showed particular competence in certain areas, such as community-based sourcing, direct mention of groups at risk for obesity, and lack of medical jargon. Chi-square tests showed, however, that the African-American newspaper discussed obesity less than expected, while the metropolitan daily directly mentioned ethnic groups at risk for obesity less than expected.
Collapse
|
14
|
Our Doctors, Ourselves: Barbara Seaman and Popular Health Feminism in the 1970s. BULLETIN OF THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE 2019; 93:550-576. [PMID: 31885016 DOI: 10.1353/bhm.2019.0072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This essay examines the career of feminist journalist Barbara Seaman and her contribution to the circulation of health feminist ideas in the 1970s. Seaman, author of the influential exposé The Doctors' Case Against the Pill (1969), became a noted critic of women's health care and of gynecologists in particular. In her next book, Free and Female (1972), and in newspaper articles, interviews, and television appearances, she implored women to "liberate" themselves from their gynecologists and empower themselves in the arena of health care. Seaman's media engagement contributed to the development of a "popular health feminism" that took the ideas of the women's health movement public for mainstream audiences to consume and engage with.
Collapse
|
15
|
Doctors and scientists must defend a free press. Lancet 2018; 392:1488. [PMID: 30496044 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(18)32547-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
16
|
Editorial. Med Ref Serv Q 2018; 37:329-330. [PMID: 30722776 DOI: 10.1080/02763869.2018.1514894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
|
17
|
What Is the Story with Narratives? How Using Narratives in Journalism Changes Health Behavior. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2018; 33:1151-1157. [PMID: 28657356 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2017.1333562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Health journalists frequently use narratives to bring news stories to life, with little understanding about how this influences the health behavior of readers. This study was designed to examine the effect of a New York Times health news article about a person who developed a life-threatening illness after using ibuprofen on readers' future use of ibuprofen. We recruited an Internet sample (N = 405) to participate in a longitudinal study examining ibuprofen use before, immediately following, and two weeks after reading the story. Ibuprofen use two-weeks after reading the heath news article was significantly lower than baseline use. Furthermore, intentions to use ibuprofen were also significantly reduced suggesting that the observed behavior change may persist beyond the two-week period studied. Health journalists should be cautious in their use of stories about health outcomes, particularly when those stories deviate from data about objective risks.
Collapse
|
18
|
What Science Journalists Wish Astrobiologists Knew About Journalism. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:983-984. [PMID: 30035641 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
|
19
|
Manuscript Reviewers 2017. Hastings Cent Rep 2018; 48:47. [PMID: 29457240 DOI: 10.1002/hast.813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
|
20
|
The U.S. Online News Coverage of Mammography Based on a Google News Search. Acad Radiol 2017; 24:1612-1615. [PMID: 28693758 DOI: 10.1016/j.acra.2017.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Revised: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES To characterize online news coverage relating to mammography, including articles' stance toward screening mammography. MATERIALS AND METHODS Google News was used to search U.S. news sites over a 9-year period (2006-2015) based on the search terms "mammography" and "mammogram." The top 100 search results were recorded. Identified articles were manually reviewed. RESULTS The top 100 news articles were from the following sources: local news outlet (50%), national news outlet (24%), nonimaging medical source (13%), entertainment or culture news outlet (6%), business news outlet (4%), peer-reviewed journal (1%), and radiology news outlet (1%). Most common major themes were the screening mammography controversy (29%), description of a new breast imaging technology (23%), dense breasts (11%), and promotion of a public screening initiative (11%). For the most recent year, article stance toward screening mammography was 59%, favorable; 16%, unfavorable; and 25%, neutral. After 2010, there was an abrupt shift in articles' stances from neutral to both favorable and unfavorable. CONCLUSIONS A wide range of online news sources addressed a range of issues related to mammography. National, rather than local, news sites were more likely to focus on the screening controversy and more likely to take an unfavorable view. The controversial United States Preventive Services Task Force guidelines may have influenced articles to take a stance on screening mammography. As such online news may impact public perception of the topic and thus potentially impact guideline adherence, radiologists are encouraged to maintain awareness of this online coverage and to support the online dissemination of reliable and accurate information.
Collapse
|
21
|
Editorial for 32:4. Int J Health Plann Manage 2017; 32:387. [PMID: 29115729 DOI: 10.1002/hpm.2474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
|
22
|
Microblogging as an extension of science reporting. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2017; 26:953-968. [PMID: 27381506 DOI: 10.1177/0963662516657794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Mass media have long provided general publics with science news. New media such as Twitter have entered this system and provide an additional platform for the dissemination of science information. Based on automated collection and analysis of >900 news articles and 70,000 tweets, this study explores the online communication of current science news. Topic modeling (latent Dirichlet allocation) was used to extract five broad themes of science reporting: space missions, the US government shutdown, cancer research, Nobel Prizes, and climate change. Using content and network analysis, Twitter was found to extend public science communication by providing additional voices and contextualizations of science issues. It serves a recommender role by linking to web resources, connecting users, and directing users' attention. This article suggests that microblogging adds a new and relevant layer to the public communication of science.
Collapse
|
23
|
Stylistic analysis of headlines in science journalism: A case study of New Scientist. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2017; 26:894-907. [PMID: 27029765 DOI: 10.1177/0963662516637321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
This article explores science journalism in the context of the media competition for readers' attention. It offers a qualitative stylistic perspective on how popular journalism colonizes science communication. It examines a sample of 400 headlines collected over the period of 15 months from the ranking of five 'most-read' articles on the website of the international magazine New Scientist. Dominant lexical properties of the sample are first identified through frequency and keyness survey and then analysed qualitatively from the perspective of the stylistic projection of newsworthiness. The analysis illustrates various degrees of stylistic 'hybridity' in online popularization of scientific research. Stylistic patterns that celebrate, domesticate or personalize science coverage (characteristic of popular journalism) are intertwined with devices that foreground tentativeness, precision and informativeness (characteristic of science communication). The article reflects on the implications of including various proportions of academic and popular styles in science journalism.
Collapse
|
24
|
A changing climate of skepticism: The factors shaping climate change coverage in the US press. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2017; 26:498-513. [PMID: 26553047 DOI: 10.1177/0963662515612276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Skepticism toward climate change has a long tradition in the United States. We focus on mass media as the conveyors of the image of climate change and ask: Is climate change skepticism still a characteristic of US print media coverage? If so, to what degree and in what form? And which factors might pave the way for skeptics entering mass media debates? We conducted a quantitative content analysis of US print media during one year (1 June 2012 to 31 May 2013). Our results show that the debate has changed: fundamental forms of climate change skepticism (such as denial of anthropogenic causes) have been abandoned in the coverage, being replaced by more subtle forms (such as the goal to avoid binding regulations). We find no evidence for the norm of journalistic balance, nor do our data support the idea that it is the conservative press that boosts skepticism.
Collapse
|
25
|
Maintaining a politicised climate of opinion? Examining how political framing and journalistic logic combine to shape speaking opportunities in UK elite newspaper reporting of climate change. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2017; 26:467-480. [PMID: 26346337 DOI: 10.1177/0963662515599909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
This article explores the importance of issue politicisation and mediation for the reporting of climate change in UK elite newspapers. Specifically, this investigates how journalistic logic mediates political framing to produce commentaries on and discussion about climate change in the news. In analysing elite newspaper coverage over time in this case, the article shows that (1) various frames introduce the issue as a legitimate problem within coverage and that (2) the news stories these inform are opened to specific commentaries according to 'elite journalistic logic'. This configuration of coverage orders the speaking opportunities of established voices of science, politics and industry as well as those less established voices that enter to explain and qualify these elite accounts. The article concludes that the ingrained combination of issue politicisation and journalistic logic observed here will likely shape future elite reporting and those voices that it will include.
Collapse
|
26
|
Gendered use of experts in the media: Analysis of the gender gap in Finnish news journalism. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2017; 26:355-368. [PMID: 26740547 DOI: 10.1177/0963662515621470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Several studies conducted in Western democracies have indicated that men continue to be overrepresented and women underrepresented as experts in the media. This article explores the situation in Finland, a progressive and 'female-friendly' Nordic country with highly educated women who are widely present in the job market. The analysis is based on three sets of research data featuring a wide set of media data, a survey and interviews. This study reveals that public expertise continues to be male dominated in Finland: less than 30% of the experts interviewed in the news media are women. While the distribution of work and power in the labour market may explain some of the observed gender gap, journalistic practices and a masculine tradition of public expertise are likely to play a role as well.
Collapse
|
27
|
One door partially closes, but another opens wide. MODERN HEALTHCARE 2017; 47:42. [PMID: 30452811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Wise, dedicated, passionate and competitive--all words that accurately describe Merrill Goozner who in 2012 raised the bar for healthcare journalism when he took over the helm at Modern Healthcare.
Collapse
|
28
|
[Not Available]. RECENTI PROGRESSI IN MEDICINA 2017; 108:103-104. [PMID: 28287206 DOI: 10.1701/2636.27103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
|
29
|
AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award winners named. Science 2017; 355:362. [PMID: 28126786 DOI: 10.1126/science.355.6323.362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
|
30
|
Scientific evidence and mass media: Investigating the journalistic intention to represent scientific uncertainty. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2016; 25:927-943. [PMID: 26802103 DOI: 10.1177/0963662515625479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Science journalists are responsible for the mass media's representation of life sciences (e.g. biotechnology, genetics, and nanotechnology) and for the depiction of research findings in these areas as more scientifically (un)certain. Although researchers have determined that the representational styles of scientific evidence vary among science journalists, the reasons for these differences have not yet been fully investigated. Against this background, for the first time, the present study applies a reasoned action approach and investigates the predictors of the journalistic intention to represent scientific uncertainty, using computer-assisted telephone interviews with a representative sample of German science journalists (n = 202). The results indicate that beliefs about the coverage of other media, perceptions regarding scientific uncertainty of the main field of coverage, perceived expectations of the audience, past behavior, and gender were the predictors that most strongly affected the journalists' intention to represent life sciences as more scientifically uncertain.
Collapse
|
31
|
Rhetorical functions of a 'language of uncertainty' in the mass media. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2016; 25:961-975. [PMID: 26438569 DOI: 10.1177/0963662515606681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
As linguists, we are interested in the way uncertainty, understood as a range of epistemic qualities related to not knowing, is dealt with linguistically in communicative contexts involving scientists, the mass media and the public. One of our central theses is that uncertainty in journalistic texts is not only reflected at different linguistic levels but that it also has various rhetorical functions. Through close analysis of a German newspaper article about geo-engineering, we show which specific linguistic forms, categories and structures are used when dealing with uncertainty, and which rhetorical functions of uncertainty are identifiable in the text. We conclude from our analysis that a 'language of (un-)certainty' is always highly context sensitive, meaning that the linguistic resources used to express uncertainty are both multifaceted and multifunctional.
Collapse
|
32
|
Constructing (un-)certainty: An exploration of journalistic decision-making in the reporting of neuroscience. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2016; 25:909-926. [PMID: 27129954 DOI: 10.1177/0963662516646047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Based on 21 individual case studies, this article inventories the ways journalism deals with scientific uncertainty. The study identifies the decisions that impact a journalist's perception of a truth claim as unambiguous or ambiguous and the strategies to deal with uncertainty that arise from this perception. Key for understanding journalistic action is the outcome of three evaluations: What is the story about? How shall the story be told? What type of story is it? We reconstructed the strategies to overcome journalistic decision-making uncertainty in those cases in which they perceived scientific contingency as a problem. Journalism deals with uncertainty by way of omission, by contrasting the conflicting messages or by acknowledging the problem via the structure or language. One finding deserves particular mention: The lack of focus on scientific uncertainty is not only a problem of how journalists perceive and communicate but also a problem of how science communicates.
Collapse
|
33
|
Mapping the minds of the mediators: The cognitive frames of climate journalists from five countries. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2016; 25:825-841. [PMID: 25968446 DOI: 10.1177/0963662515583621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
This article is based on the premise that journalists play an important role as mediators of scientific information and their interpretations of climate change influence media debates and public opinion. The study maps the minds of climate journalists from five different countries (Germany, India, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and different types of leading media outlets. It identifies five cognitive frames that vary between attributing the responsibility for climate change to lobbying and national interests, blaming consumerist culture and the capitalist system, and expressing technological optimism. The study provides evidence for the emergence of a sustainability frame, indicates a "blame game" between industrialized countries and emerging economies, and shows the demand for a global ecological discourse. Finally, it explores how individual factors such as specialization, professional aims, and political alignment correlate with the cognitive frames of journalists.
Collapse
|
34
|
What's science? Where's science? Science journalism in German print media. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2016; 25:775-790. [PMID: 25944795 DOI: 10.1177/0963662515583419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
This article examines the current state of science coverage in German print media. It deals with the following questions: (1) how the main characteristics of science journalism can be described, (2) whether there is a difference between various scientific fields, and (3) how different definitions of science journalism lead to differing findings. Two forms of science coverage were analyzed in a standardized, two-part content analysis of German newspapers (N = 1730 and N = 1640). The results show a significant difference between a narrow and a broad definition of science journalism. In the classic understanding, science journalism is prompted by scientific events and is rather noncritical. Science coverage in a broad sense is defined by a wider range of journalistic styles, driven by non-scientific events, and with a focus on the statements of scientific experts. Furthermore, the study describes the specific role of the humanities and social sciences in German science coverage.
Collapse
|
35
|
Student-run medical journals: Supporting the future of medical academia. MEDICAL TEACHER 2016; 38:1072. [PMID: 27573163 DOI: 10.1080/0142159x.2016.1219025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
|
36
|
The News on Health Behavior: Coverage of Diet, Activity, and Tobacco in Local Newspapers. HEALTH EDUCATION & BEHAVIOR 2016; 30:709-22. [PMID: 14655865 DOI: 10.1177/1090198103255456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
News media are an important and influential part of the social environment, calling attention to certain issues by the amount and nature of their coverage. To better understand howhealth behaviors are covered, we examined more than 80, 000 stories in 1, 354 newspaper issues from four midsize Missouri communities. Health behavior stories were rare. Of 1, 373 stories (1. 7%) that addressed diet, physical activity, or tobacco, few were prominently located in the paper, and only half had a primary prevention focus. A large majority had no local angle, local quotes, or call to action for individuals or the community, and only 10% were generated by local reporters. Because the local newspaper can be especially influential in smaller communities, strategies are needed to help reporters and editors in these settings provide more and better coverage of health behavior-related stories.
Collapse
|
37
|
Simon Singh: Challenging pseudoscience. BMJ 2016; 353:i2776. [PMID: 27225271 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.i2776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
|
38
|
Benefits and stressors - Perceived effects of ICT use on employee health and work stress: An exploratory study from Austria and Hong Kong. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being 2015; 10:28838. [PMID: 26462972 PMCID: PMC4604212 DOI: 10.3402/qhw.v10.28838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress has become a mass phenomenon in the modern workplace. The use of information and communication technologies is beginning to receive greater attention in the context of occupational stress. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted to examine both stressors and benefits resulting from technologies among practitioners in the advertising, public relations, and journalism industry in Hong Kong and Austria. Results suggest that technologies allow instant availability, which facilitates communication processes as well as information exchange. Notably, modern technologies enable employees to organize their work with greater temporal and spatial flexibility, thus creating an opportunity for better balancing work and private life. However, evolving technologies have come with a cost; the pressure to be constantly available via technologies constitutes a major source of stress, increasing the risk of experiencing prolonged work stress and its adverse consequences on employee health and well-being, such as a burnout. Furthermore, findings suggest that availability pressure may be attributed to an inner obligation rather than to an organizational expectation. Hence, making employees aware of their connectivity behaviour may help to diminish the experience of technology-induced work stress and improve and maintain employees' health and well-being in the long term. Practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are provided.
Collapse
|
39
|
Attitudes to genetically modified food over time: How trust in organizations and the media cycle predict support. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2015; 24:601-618. [PMID: 25063421 DOI: 10.1177/0963662514542372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
This research examined public opinion toward genetically modified plants and animals for food, and how trust in organizations and media coverage explained attitudes toward these organisms. Nationally representative samples (N=8821) over 10 years showed Australians were less positive toward genetically modified animals compared to genetically modified plants for food, especially in years where media coverage was high. Structural equation modeling found that positive attitudes toward different genetically modified organisms for food were significantly associated with higher trust in scientists and regulators (e.g. governments), and with lower trust in watchdogs (e.g. environmental movement). Public trust in scientists and watchdogs was a stronger predictor of attitudes toward the use of genetically modified plants for food than animals, but only when media coverage was low. Results are discussed regarding the moral acceptability of genetically modified organisms for food, the media's role in shaping public opinion, and the role public trust in organizations has on attitudes toward genetically modified organisms.
Collapse
|
40
|
A comparative analysis of media reporting of perceived risks and benefits of genetically modified crops and foods in Kenyan and international newspapers. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2015; 24:563-581. [PMID: 25605748 DOI: 10.1177/0963662514568061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We empirically examine the reporting on biotechnology in Kenyan and international newspapers between 2010 and early 2014. We identify news articles that reported on biotechnology and analyze their use of words to determine whether there is a balance in the reporting of perceived risks and benefits. We also consider how the sources used in news articles and how the publication of the Séralini study of rats fed genetically modified maize affect the balance of reporting of perceived risks and benefits. We find that in Kenyan news reporting, more articles mention perceived benefits than risks, but when risks are mentioned, new articles contain more references to risks than to benefits. We also find that sources affect the reporting of perceived risks and benefits and that the Séralini study increased the likelihood that perceived risks are reported in Kenyan news reporting, but not in international newspapers.
Collapse
|
41
|
If it bleeds, it leads: the construction of workplace injury in Canadian newspapers, 2009-2014. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 2015; 21:258-65. [PMID: 26070326 DOI: 10.1179/2049396715y.0000000003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Public perceptions of workplace injuries are shaped by media reports, but the accuracy of such reports is unknown. OBJECTIVES This study identifies differences between workers' compensation claims data and newspaper reports of workplace injuries in Canadian newspapers and media sources. METHODS This study applies quantitative content analysis to 245 Canadian English-language newspaper articles from 2009 to 2014. Workers' compensation claims data is drawn from the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada. RESULTS Newspapers dramatically overreport fatalities, injuries to men, injuries in the construction and mining/quarrying/oil industries, injuries stemming from contact with objects/equipment and fires/explosions, and acute physical injuries such as burns, fractures, intracranial injuries, and traumatic injuries. Newspaper reporters tend to rely upon government, police/firefighter, and employer accounts, rarely recounting the perspectives of workers. CONCLUSION Newspapers overreported fatalities, injuries to men, and injuries in the construction and mining/quarrying/oil industries. This results in a misleading picture of occupational injuries in Canada.
Collapse
|
42
|
[The post-traumatic stress of journalists and war reporters]. Soins Psychiatr 2015:41-43. [PMID: 25975170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Just like soldiers, war photojournalists, reporters and technicians are subject to the risks of being exposed to a traumatic event. While a policy of prevention has been implemented within the army, this is not yet really the case with regard to press organisations. However, some professionals seek consultations at military hospitals. While their symptomatology does not present any notable specificities, considerable addictive or depressive comorbidities are observed. Managing their care is difficult, particularly as many are reluctant to undertake treatment programmes.
Collapse
|
43
|
Safeguarding human subjects--the role of scientific journals. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2014; 72:2095-7. [PMID: 25438261 DOI: 10.1016/j.joms.2014.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
44
|
Overview: The Design, Adoption, and Analysis of a Visual Document Mining Tool for Investigative Journalists. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON VISUALIZATION AND COMPUTER GRAPHICS 2014; 20:2271-2280. [PMID: 26356941 DOI: 10.1109/tvcg.2014.2346431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
For an investigative journalist, a large collection of documents obtained from a Freedom of Information Act request or a leak is both a blessing and a curse: such material may contain multiple newsworthy stories, but it can be difficult and time consuming to find relevant documents. Standard text search is useful, but even if the search target is known it may not be possible to formulate an effective query. In addition, summarization is an important non-search task. We present Overview, an application for the systematic analysis of large document collections based on document clustering, visualization, and tagging. This work contributes to the small set of design studies which evaluate a visualization system "in the wild", and we report on six case studies where Overview was voluntarily used by self-initiated journalists to produce published stories. We find that the frequently-used language of "exploring" a document collection is both too vague and too narrow to capture how journalists actually used our application. Our iterative process, including multiple rounds of deployment and observations of real world usage, led to a much more specific characterization of tasks. We analyze and justify the visual encoding and interaction techniques used in Overview's design with respect to our final task abstractions, and propose generalizable lessons for visualization design methodology.
Collapse
|
45
|
Leveraging scientific credibility about Arctic sea ice trends in a polarized political environment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111 Suppl 4:13598-605. [PMID: 25225380 PMCID: PMC4183171 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1320868111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
This work argues that, in a polarized environment, scientists can minimize the likelihood that the audience's biased processing will lead to rejection of their message if they not only eschew advocacy but also, convey that they are sharers of knowledge faithful to science's way of knowing and respectful of the audience's intelligence; the sources on which they rely are well-regarded by both conservatives and liberals; and the message explains how the scientist arrived at the offered conclusion, is conveyed in a visual form that involves the audience in drawing its own conclusions, and capsulizes key inferences in an illustrative analogy. A pilot experiment raises the possibility that such a leveraging-involving-visualizing-analogizing message structure can increase acceptance of the scientific claims about the downward cross-decade trend in Arctic sea ice extent and elicit inferences consistent with the scientific consensus on climate change among conservatives exposed to misleadingly selective data in a partisan news source.
Collapse
|
46
|
Why do we report suicides and how can we facilitate suicide prevention efforts? Perspectives of Hong Kong media professionals. CRISIS 2014; 35:74-81. [PMID: 24322824 PMCID: PMC4150930 DOI: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Hong Kong news media report suicide-related events more frequently and sensationally than Western countries. Little is known about Hong Kong media professionals' experiences and thoughts about such reporting. AIMS To understand Hong Kong media professionals' experiences and perceptions of suicide reporting and whether the news media can be better engaged into suicide prevention. METHOD We conducted three focus groups of journalists from both the Cantonese and English language news media. Data were analyzed using grounded theory methods. RESULTS We discerned three rationales from participants regarding their intense coverage of suicide-related events: (1) satisfying commercial competitiveness, (2) addressing social problems, and (3) responding to readers' interests. The first rationale was a dominant and vigorous motivating factor, and often influenced suicide reporting among local Cantonese media. Media professionals recommended engagement strategies targeted at frontline journalists, media managers, and general media consumers. CONCLUSION We see potential to involve news media professionals in Hong Kong as working partners in suicide prevention. To succeed, this effort requires engagement in a proactive, consistent, and sustained fashion.
Collapse
|
47
|
A marriage bar of convenience? The BBC and married women's work 1923-39. 20 CENTURY BRITISH HISTORY 2014; 25:533-561. [PMID: 25608371 DOI: 10.1093/tcbh/hwu002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
In October 1932 the British Broadcasting Corporation introduced a marriage bar, stemming what had been an enlightened attitude towards married women employees. The policy was in line with the convention of the day; marriage bars were widespread in the inter-war years operating in occupations such as teaching and the civil service and in large companies such as Sainsbury's and ICI. However, once implemented, the BBC displayed an ambivalent attitude towards its marriage bar which had been constructed to allow those married women considered useful to the Corporation to remain on the staff. This article considers why, for its first ten years, the BBC bucked convention and openly employed married women and why, in 1932, it took the decision to introduce a marriage bar, albeit not a full bar, which was not abolished until 1944. It contends that the BBC marriage bar represented a quest for conformity rather than active hostility towards the employment of married women and demonstrates how easily arguments against the acceptability of married women's work could be transgressed, if seen as beneficial to the employer. Overall, the article contemplates how far the BBC's marriage bar reflected inter-war ideology towards the employment of married women.
Collapse
|
48
|
Entering a new era for Chemopshere. CHEMOSPHERE 2014; 95:1-2. [PMID: 24238257 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
|
49
|
Off to a flying start. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2014; 16:9. [PMID: 24326465 DOI: 10.1039/c3em90041j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
|
50
|
|