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Diversity of Journalisms. Proceedings of ECREA/CICOM Conference, Pamplona, 4-5 July 2011
look at international sources shows very high asymmetries. Europe and the USA are
privileged while the rest of the world is silenced.
Health related articles tend to highlight sources related to the field. However, not all
health sources are treated equally. Official sources, meaning those who hold political
positions or head public organizations, are always very important. Another group that
earns the attention of journalists is specialized sources. Notwithstanding, there is a
difference to be considered: a source linked to an institution is more valuable than
one who is not. Within specialized and institutional sources there are dissimilarities.
Reporters seem to prefer doctors to other health care professionals. This is a result of
a highly elaborate communication strategy, devised by public relations specialists
who prepare sources to face the public but are absent from the news articles. They
are information sources but journalists rarely quote them in their reports.
Science journalism in the bloggosphere:
Narrowing or diversifying voices?
Hornmoen, Harald
Oslo University College, Oslo, Norway
Science journalism faces major challenges in new media. Commentators have
pointed out how digital technologies limit the possibilities of practicing critical science
journalism. In a period of economic recession, traditional media are shedding full-time
science journalists. At the same time, researcher-run blogs are growing. Researchers
and research institutions are presumed to gain increasing influence over what the
public read about science.
Other scholars point out how digital media invite lay voices to comment upon issues
in a different manner than in traditional media, thus making diversified discussions of
research possible.
But do science journalist’s blogs reflect an independent and critical journalism about
science? One mark of such independence is the ability to select voices. The presence
of multiple voices in news stories about emergent science indicates a journalistic
control how the science is to be understood in public.
My paper asks: What characterizes journalism in blogs about scientific research? My
case is the Norwegian web site forskning.no. Their editorial staff publishes in
accordance with the Norwegian declaration of rights and duties of the editor, and is
thus obligated to promote an impartial and free exchange of information and opinion.
At the same time, forskning.no is owned by 65 research institutions. Both researchers
and journalists publish on the site.
I analyze a selection of blogs produced by the web site’s journalists by applying
categories from Critical Discourse Analysis. I examine to what extent and how
different voices and participants are represented in the blogs and the power
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