Innovation in the Media: Far More than Public Understanding of Science

1. Innovation, Science and Technology in the Media:
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
∞ What are we talking about?
What are we talking about?
Science Journalism, Tech Journalism, Innovation Journalism, Science Pop…
∞ Which Role Does (and Should) the Media Play in Terms of Innovation?
Which Role Does (and Should) the Media Play in Terms of Innovation?
Fostering Readiness for Technological Change and Knowledge transfer…
∞ Are we ready for the Fundamental Changes taking place in Science Communication?
Are we ready for the Fundamental Changes taking place in Science Communication?
Hiring Practices, Convergence, Blogging, Open Access…
Alexander Gerber‐Crawford (agc@innovisions‐magazin.de) International Conference
Editor‐in‐Chief, InnoVisions Technology, Innovation and the Media
Berlin / Germany Innovation Days, Lisbon, 20th June 2009
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 2009 Alexander Gerber‐Crawford

2. Innovation, Science and Technology in the Media:
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
∞ What are we talking about?
What are we talking about?
Today: more than 100 so‐called science programmes in German Television
Average number of
science programms being
scheduled in any week
CHECK OUT:
Multinational EU research project
„
„Audio Visual Science Audiences“,
,
co‐ordinated by Dr. Markus Lehmkuhl,
TU Berlin / Germany
www.polsoz.fu‐berlin.de/en/kommwiss/v/avsa/index.html
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 2009 Alexander Gerber‐Crawford

3. Innovation, Science and Technology in the Media:
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Study of European TV prime‐time news programs in five countries:
 S i
Science only a marginal topic: Among the 2676 news stories analyzed within two weeks, there were
l i lt i A th 2676 t i l d ithi t k th
45 Sci‐Tech topics (less than 2% of stories / airtime) compared to e.g. 260 crime topics (9,7%)
 Number and airtime of science‐related stories have increased: approximately times 4 since 1989.
Airtime of news
by topic [seconds]
CHECK OUT:
León, Benvenido: Science‐related information in European television:
León Ben enido Science related information in E ropean tele ision
a study of prime‐time news. In: Public Understanding of Science, Vol. 17, 2008: 443 ‐ 460.
pus.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/17/4/443
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 2009 Alexander Gerber‐Crawford

4. Innovation, Science and Technology in the Media:
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
We should differentiate between different disciplines and formats:
 Science journalism  Science formats
 Tech journalism  Knowledge formats
 Science pop  Entertainment formats
 Innovation journalism  Business formats
Innovation journalism Business formats
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 2009 Alexander Gerber‐Crawford

5. Innovation, Science and Technology in the Media:
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
 Science formats: Covering recent developments in a specific area or scientific institution.
Topics (the whole range) are selected due to their actual and scientific relevance.
Topics (the whole range) are selected due to their actual and scientific relevance
Information about Science – IS
 Knowledge formats: Science is merely used to explain everyday‐life.
Topics (mostly Health and Media) are selected due to their practical relevance to everyone’s life.
Public Understanding of Science (and Humanities) – PUSH
 Entertainment formats: Science is being staged
Entertainment formats: Science is being staged.
Topics are selected due to their “dramatic” potential, and the audience / readers often experience the
solution of a supposed “mystery”. The plot dominates matter / message.
Public Entertainment by Science and Technology – PEST
 Business formats: Science as a first step in new value chains / as a source of knowledge for future
products and improvements. Topics are selected due to their potential economic impact.
Fostering Innovation though Science and Technology –
Fostering Innovation though Science and Technology FIST
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 2009 Alexander Gerber‐Crawford

6. Innovation, Science and Technology in the Media:
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
 Science formats: Covering recent developments in a specific area or scientific institution.
Topics (the whole range) are selected due to their actual and scientific relevance.
Topics (the whole range) are selected due to their actual and scientific relevance
Information about Science – IS
 Knowledge formats: Science is merely used to explain everyday‐life.
Topics (mostly Health and Media) are selected due to their practical relevance to everyone’s life.
Public Understanding of Science (and Humanities) – PUSH
 Entertainment formats: Science is being staged
Entertainment formats: Science is staged.
Topics are selected due to their “dramatic” potential, and the audience / readers often experience the
solution of a supposed “mystery”. The plot dominates matter / message.
Public Entertainment by Science and Technology – PEST
 Business formats: Science as a first step in new value chains / as a source of knowledge for future
products and improvements. Topics are selected due to their potential economic impact.
Fostering Innovation though Science and Technology FIST
Innovation though Science and Technology –
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 2009 Alexander Gerber‐Crawford

7. Innovation, Science and Technology in the Media:
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
∞ Which Role Does the Media Play in Terms of Innovation?
1 out of 4 Europeans believes, that only
genetically modified tomates contain
genes, whereas non GM tomatoes do not.
genes, whereas non‐GM tomatoes do not.
Almost every second European believes
that human genes function differently
from those in animals.
from those in animals.
CHECK OUT:
Gaskell, G. et al.: Europeans and Biotechnology Patterns and Trends.
Gaskell, G. et al.: Europeans and Biotechnology – Patterns and Trends.
In: Final Report on Eurobarometer, Vol. 64.3, 2006.
ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_244b_en.pdf
CHECK OUT:
Gerber‐Crawford, Alexander: Antennen müssen auf Empfang stehen.
In: Wissenschaftsmanagement, Vol. 4, 2008: 20‐29.
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 2009 Alexander Gerber‐Crawford

8. Innovation, Science and Technology in the Media:
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
79 % of Germans are „proud“ of the scientific
achievements of their country, whereas only
11% realise that technological progress is
important for the standing in world economy.
i t t f th t di i ld
89 % of the Germans support R&D in renewable
energies, whereas 46 % object to biotech
g j
research for vegetables that keep fresh longer.
“Readiness for change” is distinctly lower among
teachers, politicians and journalists.
teachers politicians and journalists
CHECK OUT:
Niedermann, Dr. Anne: Wie innovationsfreudig ist die Bevölkerung?
Institut für Demoskopie Allensbach, 6.5.2009.
www.medien‐netzwerk‐deutschland.de/fileadmin/user_upload/muenchen/Praesentationen_060509/Niedermann.pdf
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 2009 Alexander Gerber‐Crawford

9. Innovation, Science and Technology in the Media:
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
∞ Which Role Does the Media Play in Terms of Innovation?
Is the media aware of how much they shape technology adoption and public readiness for change?
Is it still impartial to overemphasise risks of new technologies at the expense of their opportunities?
Is it still “impartial” to overemphasise risks of new technologies at the expense of their opportunities?
Does partial coverage constrain innovation and, therefore, harm the economy?
And if so: How can we change this?
It is actually changing already!
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 2009 Alexander Gerber‐Crawford

10. Innovation, Science and Technology in the Media:
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
 Jobs are being lost in editorial offices and increased in press offices.
are being lost in editorial offices and increased in press offices.
 Workload of those journalists that remain are on the rise.
 Science blogs /sites are growing apace in both number and readership.
 P
Portals gather up to 100 science blogs and thus grow in importance.
l h 100 i bl d h i i
NATURE survey among
493 science journalists
(2009)
CHECK OUT:
Brumfiel, Geoff: Supplanting the old media?
In: NATURE, Vol. 458, 2009: 274 277
In: NATURE, Vol. 458, 2009: 274‐277
tinyurl.com/c38kp6 ‐‐ www.nature.com/news/2009/090318/pdf/458274a.pdf
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 2009 Alexander Gerber‐Crawford

11. Innovation, Science and Technology in the Media:
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
∞ Are we ready for the Fundamental Changes taking place in Science Communication?
 Jobs are being lost in editorial offices and increased in press offices.
 Workload of those journalists that remain are on the rise.
 Science blogs /sites are growing apace in both number and readership
Science blogs /sites are growing apace in both number and readership.
 Portals gather up to 100 science blogs and thus grow in importance.
 Corporate publishing sees much more innovation coverage by institutions and industry.
 Science Campaigns l k h “
like the “Year of Physics” are growing both in number and budget.
f h ” b h b db d
 Open Access is rapidly growing in importance (already almost 20% of all the journals).
 Open Innovation and Crowdsourcing fundamentally transform the concept of technology transfer.
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 2009 Alexander Gerber‐Crawford

12. Innovation, Science and Technology in the Media:
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
…and the Consequences:
Jobs, PR, Workload and Corporate publishing:
 Direct influence of science on the media increases
 Impartial reporting further decreases
Impartial reporting further decreases
Blogs, Portals and Science Campaigns:
 Make more first‐hand information available
 Transform Information into interaction / dialogue
 Show innovation processes and not just research results
 Substitute reporting by opinion
Substitute reporting by opinion
Open Access and Open Innovation:
 Challenge existing business models of publishers
 Require new and interactive media formats
 Mass media and scientific journals increasingly interact
p
in the construction of public controversies.
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 2009 Alexander Gerber‐Crawford

13. Innovation, Science and Technology in the Media:
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
Far More than Public Understanding of Science
 What are we talking about?
What are we talking about?
Science Journalism, Tech Journalism, Innovation Journalism, Science Pop…
 Which Role Does (and Should) the Media Play in Terms of Innovation?
( ) y
Fostering Readiness for Technological Change and knowledge transfer…
 Are we ready for the Fundamental Changes taking place in Science Communication?
Hiring Practices, Convergence, Blogging, Open Access…
Alexander Gerber‐Crawford (agc@innovisions‐magazin.de)
Editor‐in‐Chief, InnoVisions
d h f
Berlin / Germany
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 2009 Alexander Gerber‐Crawford