Depictions of Science in Media and Resulting Opinion Formation

Public confidence in science has weakened in the United States in recent years, with some Pew data showing that as little as four-in-ten Americans report having a “great deal” of confidence in the scientific community, along with sizeable percentages expressing skepticism about how well the scientific community understands the key scientific issues of the day (Funk, 2017). The changing information environment, characterized by high degrees of user control in the content being consumed and major cuts to traditional outlets for science content (e.g., the removal of science sections from many daily and weekly newspapers) can make reaching audiences with credible scientific information seem like an impossible task. Couple these changes with increased political polarization and news reporting that politicizes many scientific news topics and one can see why audiences may miss out on science content, work to avoid it altogether, or become resistant to the information they do encounter when it fails to conform with their prior opinions and beliefs. Science communication is at a crossroads. 

 

At the same time, there is great excitement around new opportunities for engaging audiences with science content. Chief among these is leveraging the power of social media platforms for reaching traditionally underserved audiences, as well as a focus on developing innovative new ways for effective science communication. This presentation will provide an overview of science communication through the lens of misinformation. I will explore some of the reasons why misinformation has risen as a concern for science communicators, as well as what can (and cannot) be done to overcome it. Special attention will be paid to mediated depictions of science and what we know about how audiences process such information when forming opinions, including how this knowledge can shape the strategies we use to engage audiences and combat misinformation.