PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Mass media’s coverage of science, health, and technology helps to bridge the gap between science and the general public (Schäfer, 2012). Journalists – when selecting and depicting science stories (Guenther & Ruhrmann, 2013) – grant science cultural authority in the sense that journalism is the ultimate reference to provide factual answers on issues with scientific content (see Chapter 1). With reference to the Lighthouse model of scientific authority, journalism might be seen as a system receiving and forwarding the beacon of light to the general public. However, journalists do not just transmit the light, they also selectively draw attention to information that they think is relevant. In South Africa, especially the debates about the quantity and quality of science coverage are a particular expression of the authority of science in this country (see Chapter 5). These debates are reflected in surveys of South African scientists and science journalists, and in studies that analyse media representations of science (e.g., Claassen, 2010, 2011; Clayton & Joubert, 2012; Gastrow, 2010, 2014; United Nations Educationale, Scientific and Cultural Organisation [UNESCO], 2011; Van Rooyen, 2002).