The media and science

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The media and science

• Dr. Jack Zibluk
• Associate professor
• Journalism, Arkansas State

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What are the media?

• A. Part of the government?
• B. A single, powerful, organized group of
  like-minded liberals?
• C. A diverse, dynamic and disorganized set of
  businesses?
• D. People who MUST accurately deliver information
  from people like scientists and government
  officials to an audience?
• E. All of the above?

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And the answer is

• C. A diverse, dynamic and disorganized set of
  businesses.
• 1. Media deliver goods and services to their
  customers the audience.
• 2. Media outlets re-package information to fit
  audience needs.
• 3. Media outlets are primarily responsible to
  their audiences, NOT their sources of
  information, such as officials or experts.
• 4. As businesses, they follow the laws of supply
  and demand.

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Media defined

• 1. Media outlets mediate information. They take
  it from sources, repackage it and disseminate it.
• 2. They are removed from the audience.
  Individual/personal and group communication are
  NOT media.
• 3. Media use technology.
• 4. Media outlets are organizations, so
  information and messages go through several steps
  before they are disseminated. And many
  individuals have influence over the final form
  along the way.

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Media defined, continued

• 5. Media are diverse and varied. Each outlet is a
  separate, distinct organization with a specific
  niche, function, and audience.
• A. Print Books, magazines, newspapers, journals,
  etc.
• B. Broadcast TV, radio, cable
• C. On-line
• D. Converging many outlets have broadcast, print
  and on-line versions.

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Media business

• 1. Outlets provide goods and services -- news,
  stories, entertainment etc. -- to an audience.
• 2. Income is derived from advertising.
• 3. The bigger the audience, the more an outlet
  can charge for that advertising.
• 4. In order to maximize audience size, and
  therefore income, media outlets re-package
  information to meet audience demands, following
  the supply-and-demand model.

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News

• 1. News is timely, accurate, useful, interesting,
  relevant information presented in the media to
  meet audience needs. Media outlets control form
  and content of news to meet audience needs, but
  news may come from multiple sources. The VAST
  majority comes from official sources, such as
  political officials, corporations, etc. People
  who understand news can influence content if they
  do not control it.

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Advertising

• Advertising is paid for and CONTROLLED by the
  sponsor. It is clearly identified. If a source
  wishes to control media content, he or she can
  pay for it by buying an ad. Otherwise, media
  practitioners control the presentation.
• Forms
• A. display ads and commercials
• B. sponsorships
• C. product placement, logos
• D. advertorial, paid supplements, direct mail
• E. sponsored publications, infomercials, etc.

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Public relations

• Public relations is the art of getting a
  sponsors information in the media. PR
  practitioners influence media content by working
  with media to ensure the proper message gets to
  the audience. PR is usually not identified.
• Forms include
• A. press kits and background
• B. press conference, staged events
• C. Pre-packaged stories
• D. News supplements (print, video, web) to be
  used in stories. Ex. Testimonials on successful
  medicines from pharmaceutical companies, happy
  workers at factories.

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Issues for scientists

• 1. Lack of understanding of media. Media outlets
  are NOT your PR service. They are responsible to
  the audience, NOT news sources such as scientists
  or politicians.
• 2. Accuracy. Since media outlets must rearrange,
  edit, re-write and re-package information to meet
  audience needs, mistakes are often made. By
  understanding and working with media
  practitioners, mistakes can be minimized.

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More issues

• 3. Organization, format, jargon. Audiences have
  different needs than scientists. Just because
  media professionals reorganize and re-write and
  sometimes use different words, that doesnt
  necessarily make the final product inaccurate.
• 4. Ethics. Since media outlets have space and
  time to fill for their needs, competition, and
  deadlines to meet, they may not use your
  information in the time, space and manner you
  wish.
• By working WITH media, you have the best chance
  to get your message out and meet the needs of the
  audience.