TY - JOUR
T1 - Getting cancer research into the news
T2 - A communication case study centered on one U.S. comprehensive cancer center
AU - Smith, Katherine Clegg
AU - Singer, Rachel Friedman
AU - Kromm, Elizabeth Edsall
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2010/6
Y1 - 2010/6
N2 - Public dissemination of research findings via the news media has become an important part of the scientific process. The dissemination of complex topics such as cancer has proven somewhat problematic in that news coverage is often judged as compounding, rather than alleviating, communication difficulties. This case study centers around one comprehensive cancer center (CCC) and examines communication stakeholders' objectives in producing news coverage of cancer issues. The authors' analysis adopts a constructionist perspective of news making, emphasizing actors' power to shape news coverage rather than conceptualizing news as a public record of objectively newsworthy events. The authors' data suggest widespread support for media communication of scientific findings but little articulation of definitive communication goals. It is concluded that without clear articulation of shared goals, communication efforts cannot effectively enhance public empowerment or effectively promote cancer prevention.
AB - Public dissemination of research findings via the news media has become an important part of the scientific process. The dissemination of complex topics such as cancer has proven somewhat problematic in that news coverage is often judged as compounding, rather than alleviating, communication difficulties. This case study centers around one comprehensive cancer center (CCC) and examines communication stakeholders' objectives in producing news coverage of cancer issues. The authors' analysis adopts a constructionist perspective of news making, emphasizing actors' power to shape news coverage rather than conceptualizing news as a public record of objectively newsworthy events. The authors' data suggest widespread support for media communication of scientific findings but little articulation of definitive communication goals. It is concluded that without clear articulation of shared goals, communication efforts cannot effectively enhance public empowerment or effectively promote cancer prevention.
KW - Cancer
KW - Dissemination
KW - News media
KW - Public empowerment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77954599479&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77954599479&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1075547009344976
DO - 10.1177/1075547009344976
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77954599479
SN - 1075-5470
VL - 32
SP - 202
EP - 231
JO - Science Communication
JF - Science Communication
IS - 2
ER -