Jensen, Eric, 1981-. (2010) Between credulity and scepticism : envisaging the fourth estate in 21st-century science journalism. Media, Culture & Society, Vol.32 (No.4). pp. 615-630. ISSN 0163-4437

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Abstract

For years Anglo-American news media participated in hyping claims of imminent cures from therapeutic cloning. This hype was scrutinized following the scientific fraud of South Korean therapeutic cloning researcher Hwang Woo-Suk. The scandal left questions about contemporary science journalists' commitment to the ideals of the press as fourth estate or watchdog. The present study adduces data from qualitative interviews with Anglo-American journalists (n = 18) who covered the issue of therapeutic cloning for major newspapers and periodicals. The journalists expressed commitment to the fourth estate ideal, although previous research has shown that their actual coverage fell short of this ideal. Synthesizing previous theory and research with the present study, four meso-level theoretical explanations are postulated for this disjuncture between ideals and practice in journalistic coverage of therapeutic cloning.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	P Language and Literature H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Journalism, Scientific, Science in mass media, Stem cells -- Therapeutic use -- Press coverage
Journal or Publication Title:	Media, Culture & Society
Publisher:	Sage Publications Ltd.
ISSN:	0163-4437
Date:	July 2010
Volume:	Vol.32
Number:	No.4
Number of Pages:	18
Page Range:	pp. 615-630
Identification Number:	10.1177/0163443710367695
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/5544

Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge

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