Alexander Görke

Public communication between facts and fictions: on the construction of genetic risk

The article aims to analyze the media’s role in the construction of genetic risk. With the help of systems theory journalism and entertainment are described as an integral part of public communication. It is argued, that both serve a synchronization function and influence the public perception of genetic risk. These comparative perspective gets adapted to current theoretical and methodological problems in the analysis of public representations of genetic engineering. It is argued, that content analysis is a promising method to compare entertaining and journalistic communication on genetic engineering, while in the long run it serves only as a starting point of a broader research program.

Konflikte, Kriege, Katastrophen

BSE, Bosnien und Bhopal stehen fur Konflikte, Kriege und Katastrophen im Ausland, die eine grose inlandische Offentlichkeit verunsichern und polarisieren. Aufgeworfen werden namlich Anschlusfragen, die hiesige Normalitats- und Kontinuitatserwartungen konterkarieren, in Frage stellen, ja im Grunde ad absurdum fuhren. Wer etwa garantiert, das der Rinderwahnsinn sich nicht noch starker verbreitet oder Bhopal nur moglich war, weil in Indien ‘deutsche Sicherheitsstandards’ fehl(t)en? Welche Bedeutung haben schlieslich Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa, wenn in seiner Mitte (dem ehemaligen Jugoslawien) jahrelang Krieg herrschte? Verdiente nicht eher das Versagen der europaischen Innenpolitik, als Krise bezeichnet zu werden? Doch wer konnte das tun? Vielleicht die Medien? Erschopft sich ihr Beitrag in objektiver Berichterstattung oder ist von ihnen mehr, vielleicht sogar Verstandigung, Konsens- und Friedensstiftung zu erwarten? Meinen Journalisten und Politiker uberhaupt dasselbe, wenn sie von Krisen sprechen? Schlieslich: Wo beginnt das Ausland, das uns interessieren mus? Welches konnen wir ignorieren, und von wem werden wir ignoriert?

Genetic engineering in the international media: An analysis of opinion-leading magazines

The aim of this study was to analyse systematically the public opinion-leading press coverage of the application of genetic engineering in a comparative perspective. This article presents the results of an international analysis of the public debate about genetic engineering from 1991 to 1996 in Germany, France, the UK and the USA. The results show that in reporting genetic engineering across national borders, routine and time-tested mechanisams for the management of conflicts in this area have been established. Contradicting a widespread assumption, scientific input into the public discourse is far away from being ignored. In fact it dominates the public area in a way that no other actor does. The study shows that especially the coverage of the topic by the German media does not deserve its bad reputation. Its typical feature is rather normality in the sense of a critical benefit-orientation. Especially the German opinion-leading media (Spiegal, Zeit) reflect transnational developments from multiple perspectives and enigmatically.

Entertainment as public communication: A systems-theoretic approach

Abstract The article aims to analyze entertaining communication via systems theory. Both journalism and entertainment are described as an integral part of public communication. It is argued, that both serve a synchronisation function and share the same code. Journalism, however, is directed by the codes preference value, entertainment by the reference value. Seen it this way, the attraction of public communication lies in the synopsis: it lies in the fact that journalism selects events as actual, whereas entertainment demonstrates the horizon of contingency of such a selection, thereby providing the public with alternatives for action. A comparison of entertaining and journalistic offers, dependent on topics is seen as one main challenge for todays communication–scientific research.