Science-media relationships in times of crisis and transformation
Short summary
Anouk de Jong is a PhD student in the Department of Communication Science. (Co)Promotors are prof.dr. M.D.T. de Jong, dr. A.M. Dijkstra and dr. M.A.J. MacLeod from the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences.
Contemporary grand challenges, including climate change, pandemics, and technological disruptions, require coordinated responses from science and society. Science journalism plays a critical role in meeting the societal need for scientific information, yet relationships between researchers and journalists are undergoing profound changes. Therefore, this dissertation examines what challenges arise from contemporary changes in science-media relationships and what the implications are for the roles and responsibilities of researchers and journalists.
Changing media landscapes result in declining funding and increasing competition and time pressure for science journalists. Simultaneously, due to medialisation of science, researchers and research institutes are increasingly communicating directly and strategically with non-expert audiences through press releases and (social) media. Together, these trends make journalists more dependent on the information that research organisations provide, raising concerns about the independence and critical nature of science journalism.
These issues became especially visible during the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was an urgent need for accurate information, and scientists and journalists had to work closely together under pressure. Scientists struggled to balance their responsibilities to inform and advise, while journalists had to stay critical and avoid becoming too close to their sources. At the same time, both parties relied heavily on model-based visualisations, such as flatten-the-curve graphs, to predict and illustrate the course of the pandemic. These visualisations require special attention, because they are difficult to explain and interpret correctly.
Similar dynamics emerge in coverage of generative artificial intelligence (AI), which acts both as a subject of reporting and as a disruptive force that transforms journalistic practices. AI can help journalists with routine tasks but also raises concerns about rigour, accuracy and transparency in science journalism.
Overall, the findings show that closer cooperation between scientists and journalists can increase mutual understanding, while it can also reduce independent and critical journalistic reporting. Amid rising misinformation and growing use of pre-prints and AI, assessing the quality of scientific information becomes increasingly complex. Thus, this dissertation reconsiders the roles and responsibilities of both researchers and journalists to provide insight into how they can contribute to trustworthy science journalism in times of crisis and transformation.
