Scientific uncertainty in news coverage of cancer research: Effects of hedging on scientists' and journalists' credibility
Scientific uncertainty in news coverage of cancer research: Effects of hedging on scientists' and journalists' credibility
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1468-2958.2008.00324.x
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发表时间：
2008-07-01
影响因子：
5
通讯作者：
Jensen, Jakob D.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Jensen, Jakob D.
科学研究的新闻报道很少被回避；换句话说，报告不包含警告、限制或其他科学不确定性指标。一些人认为，对冲可能会影响新闻消费者对科学家和记者可信度的看法（这些看法可能与支持科学研究和/或采纳科学建议有关）。但对冲是否会影响观众的看法尚不清楚。一项多消息实验（N = 601）发现，在五个消息中，科学家和记者都被认为更值得信赖（a）当癌症研究的新闻报道被对冲时（例如，报告了研究局限性）和（b）当对冲归因于负责研究的科学家时（而不是与研究无关的科学家）。
News reports of scientific research are rarely hedged; in other words, the reports do not contain caveats, limitations, or other indicators Of scientific uncertainty. Some have suggested that hedging may influence news consumers' perceptions of scientists' and journalists' credibility (perceptions that may be related to support for scientific research and/or adoption of scientific recommendations). But whether hedging does affect audience perceptions is unknown. A multiple-message experiment (N = 601) found that across five messages, both scientists and journalists were viewed as more trustworthy (a) when news coverage of cancer research was hedged (e.g., study limitations were reported) and (b) when the hedging was attributed to the scientists responsible for the research (as opposed to scientists unaffiliated with the research).