Investigating science communication in the information age : implications for public engagement and popular media

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS . . ix
BIOGRAPHIES OF CONTRIBUTORS . . x
INTRODUCTION TO THE VOLUME . . xvi

SECTION 1 Engaging with public engagement . . 1
1.1 Moving forwards or in circles? Science communication and scientific governance in an age of innovation . . 3
1.2 The new politics of public engagement with science . . 18
1.3 (In)authentic sciences and (im)partial publics: (re)constructing the science outreach and public engagement agenda . . 35

SECTION 2 Researching public engagement . . 53
2.1 Investigating science communication to inform science outreach and public engagement . . 55
2.2 Learning to engage; engaging to learn: the purposes of informal science-public dialogue . . 72
2.3 Engaging with interactive science exhibits: a study of children's activity and the value of experience for communicating science . . 86

SECTION 3 Studying science in popular media . . 103
3.1 Science, communication and media . . 105
3.2 Models of science communication . . 128

SECTION 4 Mediating science news . . 147
4.1 Making science newsworthy: exploring the conventions of science journalism . . 149
4.2 Science reporting in the electronic embrace of the internet . . 166

SECTION 5 Communicating science in popular media . . 181
5.1 From flow to user flows: understanding 'good science' programming in the UK digital television landscape . . 183
5.2 Image-music-text of popular science . . 205

SECTION 6 Examining audiences for popular science . . 221
6.1 Reinterpreting the audiences for media messages about science . . 223
6.2 Investigating gendered representations of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians on UK children's television . . 237
6.3 Interpreting contested science: media influence and scientific citizenship . . 254

FINAL REFLECTIONS . . 274
INDEX . . 279