Science Journalism in The Infodemic related to COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, its Challenges and Evolution
Science Journalism in The Infodemic related to COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, its Challenges and Evolution
This dissertation aims to explore opportunities and challenges which science journalism face in the infodemic related to COVID-19 infodemic mainly in 2020. Conducting interview research on science journalists who are involved in the infodemic, this dissertation identifies what challenge the infodemic poses to science journalism and evaluates how the infodemic evolves science journalism. The research is conducted by a series of qualitative interviews to professional science journalists who works mainly for BBC (United Kingdom), WIRED (United States), Nature, The New York Times, MIT Technology review, Scientific American, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, ZEIT Online, independent publication named Delayed Gratification, other journalistic media, and as authors.
Research collaborators:
Richard Fisher (BBC)
Roxanne Khamsi (WIRED US)
Marcus Webb (Delayed Gratification)
Martin W. Angler (author)
Minako Takizawa (author)
Takeshi Shimizu (BBC)
Special thanks to:
Dr Sara Marino (UAL)
Dr Rebecca Bramall (UAL)
Abstract
This dissertation aims to explore opportunities and challenges which science journalism face in the infodemic related to COVID-19 infodemic mainly in 2020. Conducting interview research on science journalists who are involved in the infodemic, this dissertation identifies what challenge the infodemic poses to science journalism and evaluates how the infodemic evolves science journalism. The research is conducted by a series of qualitative interviews to professional science journalists who works mainly for BBC (United Kingdom), WIRED (United States), Nature, The New York Times, MIT Technology review, Scientific American, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, ZEIT Online, independent publication named Delayed Gratification, other journalistic media, and as authors.
Moreover, this dissertation sets its purpose to make radical and broad suggestions to journalism as a whole, not limiting its scope to merely research on science journalism. Key findings in this dissertation are applicable to other fields of journalism because science journalism is the genre of journalism that has faced the most challenges in the informic and has evolved itself. To achieve this, this dissertation uses mediatisation theory for the key concept to explain current mediascape which contributes to create the infodemic and identifies the emerging role of science journalism.
From the result and analysis of the interview research, two types of approaches to combat propagation of misinformation are found and cost and risk for anti-misinformation actions are identified as key challenges. Then, emerging knowledge to improve science journalism is determined and the updated role of science journalist is evidently described. Furthermore, this dissertation successfully suggests that the future of journalism as a whole is stating ‘double geared’ journalism consists of coexistence of fast and slow journalistic approaches.
Finally, this dissertation suggests that the problematic technological asymmetry between the journalistic media industries and technology companies such as social media platformers needs to be discussed radically for recommendation.
introduction:
This dissertation explores an emerging role of science journalism by researching specific practices by science journalists in the COVID-19 Infodemic. The research is conducted by a series of qualitative interviews to professional science journalists who works mainly for BBC (United Kingdom), WIRED (United States), Nature, The New York Times, MIT Technology Review, Scientific American, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, ZEIT Online, independent publication named Delayed Gratification, other journalistic media, and as authors. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide practical suggestions for contemporary journalism rather than merely a survey of the limited field of science journalism.
1.1 Research Objectives
This dissertation aims to answer the research question “What opportunities and challenges do the COVID-19 infodemic pose to science journalism?” This question was defined by the author, a science journalist who works mainly for WIRED Japanese edition and his book. He has been involved in coverage of interaction between humanity and state- of-the-art science and technology such as artificial intelligence, life science, biotechnology, gene editing, robotics, and related art and startups. Reflecting his background as a science journalist and a media researcher, the author considers that the infodemic related to COVID-19 pandemic is a pivotal moment for science journalism because science journalism faces numerous challenges and opportunities to evolve itself. To address this question as a science journalist and a media researcher contributes to his future career and to future journalism practice as a whole.
In order to achieve the aim, this dissertation uses mediatisation as a key concept. Scholars in media communication studies argue that current societies are under the process of mediatisation on a global scale. As Stig Hjarvard, a key theorist, states that mediatisation is “a condition or phase in the overall development of society and culture, in which the media exert a particularly dominant influence on other social institutions (Hjarvard, 2013, p.13)”. It is obvious that people in the information age are living in a media intensive society where so-called technology mediated media, including social media, exert a dominant influence on their lives. On this basis, online journalism can be considered as a significant industry which is affected largely and intensively by mediatisation. For instance, social media such as Facebook and Twitter have transformed the mediascape in which journalistic media is involved and scholars have argued that the problem that current online journalism is overly dependent on social media for information distribution. Moreover, it has also been pointed out that the platforms such as social media owned by a small number of technology companies are under the influence of emergent capitalism such as Platform capitalism (Srnicek, 2016), and Surveillance capitalism (Zuboff, 2019).
Following the argument of a key mediatisation theorist, Krotz; a main feature of the mediatisation research crucially requires "process-oriented empirical and theoretical work on both actual and historical questions (Krotz, 2017, p.107)”, this dissertation challenges on actual and traditional questions of science journalism conducting empirical and theoretical approach on mediatisation. The uniqueness of this dissertation lies in the attempt to relate mediatisation to science journalism under infodemic. Although there are prior researches which relate mediatisation to journalism in politics, science and other fields, there is no prior attempt which, applying mediatisation theory, examines how science journalism evolved itself in the infodemic, a downside of mediatisation. By conducting expert interviews with science journalists and identifying new roles of science journalists under mediatisation, as a consequence, this dissertation will contribute to future journalism and media studies.
In the literature review section, firstly this dissertation reviews existing key mediatisation theorists including Hjarvard (2008) and Krotz (2017). Secondly, latest researches which assess the impact of infodemic to the media are reviewed. Thirdly, important capitalism which empowers and forms the current mediascape including Platform capitalism (Srnicek, 2016) and Surveillance capitalism (Zuboff, 2019). In the fourth part, the expected role of science journalism is outlined. Finally, current discussion in online information disorder is expressed.
In the following research method section, research design for qualitative interview is outlined including bias elimination criteria for selection of interviewee.
In the result and analysis section, this dissertation suggests two types of approaches to combat propagation of misinformation. Additionally, key findings in cost and risk for anti- misinformation actions are explained. Then, emerging knowledge to improve science journalism and the updated role of science journalist is outlined. Furthermore, ‘double geared’ journalism is suggested as a future of journalism.
In conclusion, this dissertation extracts recommendations concerning the mediatisation of science journalism for further studies particularly pointing out that problematic technological asymmetrical structure lies between the media industries and technology companies needs further research and actions to improve globally and that science journalists’ cost and risk for anti-misinformation actions should be prevented by society in crisis.