SCIENTISTS IN THE PRESS: what journalists say about the choices of their scientific sources and sources in science say about their participation in the media

Scientists in the press: what journalists say about their scientific sources and sources in science about their participation in the media

Abstract

Assuming that journalism is extremely important for science communication, this manuscript focuses on the distribution and diversity of scientific specialists in the press. The press can reinforce or challenge stereotypes, including science and scientists (Chimba and Kitzinger, 2010) and therefore contributes to the public understanding of science and population confidence in scientists (Mitchell and McKinnon, 2018). In order to understand part of this process related to the choice of scientific sources in the media, we have conducted interviews with journalists who have joined Agência Bori (166 valid responses) and also with scientists available at the list of contacts at Agência Bori (76 valid responses). The analysis shows that journalists prioritize criterias such as reputation, in addition to previous positive experiences, when choosing scientific sources for their reports. Diversity (by color, gender or region) is a secondary factor in choosing specialists. This may contribute to the repetition of sources in the press, a point that was also addressed in the analysis of the diversity of scientists sought by the press in the period of one year: a small minority, 12%, was called repeatedly -- above all, white men from the state of São Paulo. The outcomes contribute to the debate about scientists in the press, the role of diversity in this scenario and its impacts on the public understanding of science and technology.