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Largest German Scientist Opinion Survey on Media Contacts
Differences between the Disciplines
The survey allows for a direct comparison of attitudes and experiences of scientists from different disciplines. It is intended to provide answers to questions, such as: In how far do the various scientific disciplines differ as regards their relationship with the media? Is media presence supportive of a scientific career or does it impede it? To which degree is research itself influenced by the media? A preliminary evaluation in part reveals rather marked differences between the various disciplines. More than half of the scholars in the humanities and social sciences have had more than five contacts with the media over the course of the past three years. Conversely, not even every fifth scientist in the fields of mathematics and the natural sciences was able to reach that number. "On the one hand, this is due to the difference in requests on part of journalists, yet on the other simply a question of the different scale of the respective disciplines. In the case of the larger disciplines, media interest spreads across a larger number of scientists", says Peters.
Individual Experiences Mostly Positive
Coverage of the scientists' respective own field is assessed partly positive, partly critical. "However, the general coverage often is assessed less positively than the individual direct experiences", Hans Peter Peters states. Over 60 per cent rate their own contacts with the media as good, only three per cent as bad. In nearly all disciplines, the scientists furthermore unanimously are interested in participating with their knowledge in public debates. Almost 80 per cent agreed with the statement that scientists ought to use their know how to criticise political, economic and other social decisions and to provide practical propositions for action.
Media Influences Science
The striving for media attention also results in retroactive effects on science itself: "Our data reveals that there is something akin to medialisation of science in the various disciplines", says Hans Peter Peters. Nearly half of respondents state that expected positive or negative publicity has been an influence in their decisions regarding the research process or publications.
Dialogue at Eye Level?
Another result from the survey shows: The scientists' relationship with the media and the public is not free of inconsistency. Over 60 per cent want to communicate with the public in a "dialogue between equal partners". Yet only 16 per cent of researchers think that members of the public have sufficient judgement to be able to participate in research politics.
