Massimiano Bucchi

Big science, little news: science coverage in the Italian daily press, 1946-1997

This article reports on a content analysis of science coverage by the leading Italian newspaper, Il Corriere della Sera, over a period of fifty years. Results show an expansion of such coverage over time, although it was increasingly “institutionalized” in new sections devoted to science and medicine. The typical science story can be described as dealing with biomedical issues, referring to a geographical context outside Italy, relying on uncontested scientific expertise and presenting the consequences of science activity in a positive fashion. However, deeper analysis suggests the presence of a marked dualism between two distinct journalistic genres: (1) “science-popularization,” which is characteristic of special sections, overwhelmingly dominated by biomedical topics, depicting science as straightforward, consensual, and bringing improvement to peoples lives; and (2) “science as news,” dealing more frequently with other fields such as the physical sciences, paying closer attention to controversy and to the harmful consequences of scientific enterprise. A comparison with similar studies in other countries is also presented.

Which indicators for the new public engagement activities? An exploratory study of European research institutions

Public engagement (PE) activities have become a regular feature for several research institutions in Europe. However, while research and teaching functions can count on established indicators, PE functions are often performed as a sort of “goodwill exercise.” Few studies have focused on defining appropriate indicators and standards, particularly at the organizational level. An exploratory study was carried out on a sample of 40 European research institutions with a view to understanding whether the diffusion of PE activities has led to incorporating the PE perspective into “routine” activities of organizations. The results point to quite unequal performances among European research institutions. Also, while most research institutions examined have dedicated resources for PE activities, the study suggests that such activities are not yet considered essential. Performance indicators and standards might prove of great support for institutions and policy actors that wish to take seriously the challenge of public engagement and societal dialogue.

Can genetics help us rethink communication? Public communication of science as a ‘double helix’

Public communication of science is still largely conceptualized within a ‘transfer’ paradigm that describes it as a displacement of results and ideas from the specialists to the lay public, problematizing the public, the media, (sometimes) science, but very rarely the notion of communication itself. This paper is a preliminary attempt to see if the discourse about genes and the genome can help us to problematize the concept of communication in relation to science, rethink our models of public communication of science and, more generally, the metaphors we employ to describe communication. It is suggested that the relationship between science and the public could be understood better by viewing communication through metaphors drawn from contemporary biology, e.g. as ‘cross‐talk’ between the specialist and public discourse or as a ‘double helix’ coupling the two dimensions under certain conditions.

Style in science communication

There is little doubt that during the past few decades science communication efforts aimed at non-expert audiences have increased in quantity and intensity on a global scale. Public engagement and outreach activities have now become a routine – when not a prominent – feature for several research institutions in Europe. However, it would be difficult for both scholars and those involved in science communication to agree on the impact of these activities, on the long-term implications of the ‘science communication movement’ and on the indicators we should develop and employ in order to assess impact. The paper argues that quality is a relevant issue and challenge for contemporary science communication. Style is relevant to addressing that challenge, insofar as it relates to discussions about how to strengthen the quality of science communication, suggesting a different perspective other than the traditional normative/prescriptive framework. The notion of style also fruitfully connects the debate on science communication with a rich tradition of studies in the history and sociology of science.

Images of science in the classroom: wallcharts and science education 1850–1920

One of the educational by-products of German botanical scholarship was the publication of sets of large ‘wall diagrams’ ( Wandtafeln ) for use in the lecture-room. Most British University Departments of Botany dating from the period before the first world war probably had at least one of these sets. In my own department I have used these excellent diagrams occasionally, realizing that they combined clarity, size and accuracy to an unrivalled extent. This passage from a recent essay by S. M. Walters forms an appropriate introduction to the topic of this paper. From the start, it should be noticed that the use of such diagrams (referred to as ‘wallcharts’ in the rest of the paper) was by no means limited to botany nor to university studies. As will become clear, they were one of the most important media for the teaching and learning at different levels of education and within different fields.

Science communication, an emerging discipline

Several publications have sought to define the field of science communication and review current issues and recent research. But the status of science communication is uncertain in disciplinary terms. This commentary considers two dimensions of the status of discipline as they apply to science communication - the clarity with which the field is defined and the level of development of theories to guide formal studies. It argues that further theoretical development is needed to support science communications full emergence as a discipline.

Norms, competition and visibility in contemporary science: The legacy of Robert K. Merton

Can Robert K. Merton’s seminal work in the sociology of science still offer useful insights to understand key features, trends and challenges of science in contemporary societies? This article focuses on two main topics. It addresses the general theme of values and norms in science in the light of relevant organizational changes that have marked science in recent decades, as well as the resilience of the concept of ‘scientific community’ to those changes. Starting from Merton’s classical study of the ‘Matthew effect’, the article then analyses the theme of competition in science, with particular regard to the dynamics that characterize the reputation and visibility of scientists.

“Visual Science Literacy” Images and Public Understanding of Science in the Digital Age

Since its very beginning, modern science has put images at the center of its communicative processes: drawings, diagrams, and schemes, and later photographs, satellite images, and film. In the age of digital communication, specialists and publics live constantly immersed in a visually dense environment, particularly when it comes to science and technology content. Do we have the competence to decipher all these images, often complex and elaborate? If the so-called science literacy has become a standard dimension of public understanding of science at the international level, much less studied so far is visual science literacy. We tested empirical indicators of visual science literacy in the context of three surveys (2014, 2015, and 2016) of public perception in Italy on a representative sample of the population. The results show that respondents fare generally better in recognizing images related to science than in responding to textual questions. Images could offer relevant opportunities for greater public engagement with scientific results.

Visible Scientists, Media Coverage and National Identity: Nobel Laureates in the Italian Daily Press

This chapter analyzes media coverage of the Nobel Prizes, focusing especially on the coverage in the Italian daily press of the Nobel Prize for physics received by Guglielmo Marconi in 1909. It thus offers an opportunity to explore general features and trends in the coverage of science by the press, as well as its treatment of Nobel Prizes in the sciences. Media treatment of Marconi’s Nobel Prize highlights two key elements of science coverage in the Italian daily press: the media’s dependence on highly prominent individuals, and the connection between science and broader social, political and cultural frames. A ‘national identity and pride’ frame, in particular, often emerges in media stories about Nobel laureates in the early twentieth century.

Before and After Science: Science and Technology in Pop Music, 1970–1990

Media contexts other than news—including fiction—are frequently neglected by scholars in the field of science communication. This chapter uses the example of pop music to describe how the rich articulation of popular culture with regard to science and technology can interact in non-linear, unpredictable ways with specialist knowledge. Pop music can thus yield significant understanding of the public images and visions of science. Examples can be provided of how the uses and appropriation of science and the social meanings of science and technology in this context—from the ‘de-evolutionary’ theory underlying Devo’s pop songs to Kraftwerk’s ‘man–machine’ ideology—have often preceded more explicit concerns about the implications of science and technology that later became visible in other contexts, such as the news media.