New Intermediaries in Science Communication
Tanja Rechnitzer
18 April 2024
While science journalists may have served as primary gatekeepers of scientific information to the public in the past, the rise of social media and alternative information channels has diversified the sources through which audiences obtain knowledge about science. It has been suggested that journalists should and do take on new roles as “gatewatchers” or curators, selecting, contextualizing, and bundling information that is already “through the gate” and available. However, this role as curators poses significant challenges. For one, the sheer mass of information in what has been termed an “epistemically polluted environment” - with agents deceptively mimicking scientific credentials – complicates the task. Additionally, practical constraints and pressures on science journalists, such as lack of funds and time, further hinder their ability to fulfill this role effectively.
In response to such challenges, new intermediaries have emerged with the goal to mediate between research and science on the one hand and the media, the public and politics on the other. One such example is the Science Media Center (SMC) Germany, which supports media professionals in reporting on science-related topics by identifying relevant science topics and providing summaries and expert statements for journalists.
In this talk, I explore what is needed for intermediaries such as the SMC to be credible and epistemically trustworthy sources of scientific information. I will draw on recent scholarship in philosophy of science on transparency about values in science communication in order to discuss the possible contribution such new intermediaries might make.
