Norms and Practices Relating to Fact-Checking in the Reporting of Science News: An Exploratory Study

这一专业发展研究金支持关于伦理的培训和研究活动，以及科学新闻报道中事实核查的当前做法。虽然在一些出版领域被接受，但事实核查或与新闻来源分享书面文本以供其审查不准确的做法是一种有争议的做法。批评人士指责这种做法损害了新闻的独立性，而支持者则认为，这种做法将提高准确性和质量，并在科学家和记者之间建立信任和尊重。这位研究员是一名化学家，有撰写科学新闻文章的经验，他的教职是技术传播。项目导师是新闻学和大众传播学教授，专业是风险传播社会学和伦理学。在她的导师的帮助下，这位研究员将开发和参加研讨会和教程，以1)为理解在科学家和记者之间关于事实核查的互动中的伦理问题以及权力和控制的动态奠定基础，2)追溯与事实核查实践有关的伦理准则和态度的历史渊源，3)实地调查记者，以便更好地了解当前对事实核查的做法和态度，以及4)探索诡辩或案例的使用，作为分析记者与事实核查相关的决策过程的框架。除了在导师感兴趣的领域协助研究并在文献中发表成果外，这位研究员还将增强她在科学传播领域开展进一步学术工作的能力。该团队还将为科学家和记者开发一个基于项目成果的研讨会。

This professional development fellowship supports training and research activities on ethics and current practices of fact checking in the reporting of science news. While accepted in some publication domains, fact-checking or the sharing of written text with news sources for their review for inaccuracies is a controversial practice. Critics charge it compromises journalistic independence, while proponents believe the practice would improve accuracy and quality and build trust and respect between scientists and journalists. The fellow is a chemist with experience writing science news articles, whose faculty appointment is in technical communication. The project mentors are professors of journalism and mass communications with specialties in the sociology of risk communication and ethics. With the assistance of her mentors over the course of this award, the fellow will develop and participate in seminars and tutorials to 1) lay the fundamental groundwork for understanding the ethical issues and the dynamics of power and control in the interactions between scientists and journalists over fact-checking, 2) trace the historical origins of ethical guidelines and attitudes relating to the practice of fact-checking, 3) survey reporters in the field in order to understand better the current practices and attitudes toward fact-checking, and 4) explore casuistry or the use of cases, as a framework for analyzing journalists' decision-making processes relating to fact-checking. In addition to assisting in research in areas of interest to the mentors and publishing results in the literature, the fellow will enhance her capabilities to carry out further scholarly work in the realm of science communications. The team will also develop a workshop based on project outcomes for scientists and journalists.