TY - JOUR
T1 - Science news in a closed and an open media market
T2 - A comparative content analysis of print and online science news in Denmark and the United Kingdom
AU - Vestergård, Gunver Lystbæk
AU - Nielsen, Kristian Hvidtfelt
PY - 2016/12/1
Y1 - 2016/12/1
N2 - Most content analyses of science news are conducted in large Anglo-American media markets. However, we speculate that the intimacy between sources and journalists in small media markets can influence science coverage. Here, we present a comparative analysis of Danish and British newspaper science news in 2012. We find that in both countries science news amounts to about 4% of the total news flow. We also observe that Danish science news more often than British science news is triggered by political events, gives priority to national stories and includes more coverage of humanities and social sciences. Contrary, British science news is more traditional and favours stories on health and the natural sciences often triggered by a journal article. We attribute these differences to intimacy between the public, media, political and scientific spheres in Denmark partly rooted in a closed corporatist media market compared to an open liberal market in the United Kingdom.
AB - Most content analyses of science news are conducted in large Anglo-American media markets. However, we speculate that the intimacy between sources and journalists in small media markets can influence science coverage. Here, we present a comparative analysis of Danish and British newspaper science news in 2012. We find that in both countries science news amounts to about 4% of the total news flow. We also observe that Danish science news more often than British science news is triggered by political events, gives priority to national stories and includes more coverage of humanities and social sciences. Contrary, British science news is more traditional and favours stories on health and the natural sciences often triggered by a journal article. We attribute these differences to intimacy between the public, media, political and scientific spheres in Denmark partly rooted in a closed corporatist media market compared to an open liberal market in the United Kingdom.
KW - Public understanding of science
KW - science communication
KW - science journalism
KW - science news
KW - science news triggers
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85009159820&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0267323116674110
DO - 10.1177/0267323116674110
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0267-3231
VL - 31
SP - 661
EP - 677
JO - European Journal of Communication
JF - European Journal of Communication
IS - 6
ER -