Science journalism

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article or paragraph presents the situation in Germany . Help us to describe the situation in other countries.

Science journalism is the journalistic reporting of scientific findings , developments and discourses . Science journalists mediate between the sciences and the mass media or the public. They explain scientific findings, classify them and clarify the meaning and relevance of these findings.

job profile

Science journalism focuses on topics from the natural sciences , technology, and empirical history and social science . Humanities issues are more likely to be dealt with in cultural journalism . Compared to other classic departments , science journalism was still considered an almost exotic affair in Germany until the 1980s and played a mostly subordinate special role in many editorial offices. In the major newspapers and magazines as well as in radio stations, the science department is mostly responsible for classic reporting on natural sciences, technology and medicine. Today, science journalists are increasingly working outside of the traditional department in the mostly broader area of ​​“knowledge”. Science journalists usually report on their own special-interest pages or programs. They also deliver reports to other departments and broadcasts, especially for current events.

Access to science journalism usually requires a university degree and journalistic training . In the United States and the United Kingdom, however, there are numerous examples of successful science journalists who first pursued a career as a scientist but then abandoned it in favor of journalism, such as Carl Zimmer or Ed Yong . You have neither completed a university degree in journalism nor a journalism school. Science journalists work freelance or as permanent employees, for the press , radio , television and online journalism . Occasionally they also write popular science books. In addition, they are increasingly active in the press and public relations work of scientifically and technically oriented companies and in scientific institutions (universities, research institutes, foundations, associations).

The Science Press Conference (WPK) is a German professional association of science journalists.

history

As early as the Weimar Republic, the newspaper press reported regularly on developments in research (prime example: modern physics ). A specialized science journalism, which was initially strongly technology-oriented, emerged in 1929 with the establishment of TELI , the world's first association of science and technology journalists . The public and journalists themselves once had the idea that science journalism was a kind of mouthpiece for researchers - science journalists merely “translate” the specialist language into everyday language. Science journalists have long viewed their work in a much more nuanced way. They also question, evaluate and comment on developments in research and application, in research policy and in society's dealings with findings and technologies. The classic television scientists like Heinz Haber and Hoimar von Ditfurth played a pioneering role in medial communication . Well-known science journalists include Dieter E. Zimmer and Ranga Yogeshwar .

Since the 1990s, science journalistic reports can also be found increasingly within the cultural journals and the feature sections . The pioneer here was the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , which gave scientific reports a broader space in its feature section. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung in turn had a very extensive science section early on. The thesis of a third culture of the literary agent John Brockman had an influence . According to this, the natural sciences and technology are increasingly gaining cultural importance and are thus assuming a role that was previously reserved for philosophy and literary essayists. Even if not all media explicitly take this stance, scientific topics - often edited by science journalists - are now a regular part of cultural reporting. Otherwise, the way science journalists work depends on the medium in question.

watch TV

In the 1960s, had the popular science television programs about astronomy with Heinz Haber high viewing figures , 1970 Jean Pütz with energy, the driving force , as well as from 1971 to 1983, the ZDF-series cross-section of hoimar von ditfurth . In the television of the GDR , there were 1977 to 1990, the science program AHA , which by then-director of the Berlin Archenhold Observatory Dieter B. Herrmann was moderated. Popular children's programs such as Löwenzahn prepare specialist knowledge accordingly. Newer German-language broadcast formats in the spectrum are Quarks & Co (WDR), Adventure Knowledge with Karsten Schwanke and Joachim Bublath (ZDF), Nano (3sat) and alpha-Centauri with Harald Lesch (BR-alpha).

Since 2001, the knowledge format has come to the fore. Knowledge magazines on television, for example, are not primarily based on research results, but on the everyday life of viewers. They package the topics in an entertaining or emotional way and work out the practical usefulness for the audience. The pioneer in this genre was the ARD broadcast Kopfball . Example: clever! - The show that creates knowledge (SAT1).

radio

One of the oldest, still existing scientific radio broadcasts is the “Aula” in the radio program SWR2 : these are journalistically edited, easily understandable lectures by scientists. Nowadays, most public service broadcasters have at least some of their programs separate science programs: u. a. WDR5 “Leonardo”, “Current Research” on Deutschlandfunk , SWR2 “Campus”, SWR2 “Impulse”, SWR2 “Knowledge”, “Logo” in NDR Info , “IQ - Science and Research” (follow-up to “Radius” and “Kugelblitz ") And" radioWissen "(follow-up broadcast by school radio) on Bayern 2 .

Promotion and Awards

Outstanding scientific journalistic achievements are recognized with various prizes and recognitions. This includes:

  • The Georg von Holtzbrinck Prize for Science Journalism, which the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group has been offering since 1995 in the areas of press and electronic media; it is endowed with 5,000 euros each.
  • The Universitas Prize for Science Journalism . In 2017, the Hanns Martin Schleyer Foundation honors Dagny Lüdemann's longstanding work as a bridge builder between science and society. The prize is awarded every two years.
  • Every three years, on the occasion of the Achema trade fair, DECHEMA awards the ACHEMA media prize for science journalism endowed with 10,000 euros. Until 1999 the award was purely a television award. In 2012, the prize was opened to all types of media for the first time.
  • Formerly every year, Sanofi-Aventis awarded the HEUREKA Journalist Prize for young science journalists in the areas of print, radio, television and online. The prize money was 5,000 euros each. Journalists up to the age of 35 were eligible to take part. The HEUREKA Journalists' Prize was awarded for the last time in November 2010 as part of the Knowledge Center in Bremen.
  • Every two years, the Austrian presented the Federal Ministry of Science and Research of the Austrian State Prize for Scientific Journalism .
  • Every two years, VDI -Gesellschaft Energietechnik awards the Robert Mayer Prize . It is endowed with 5,000 euros each and is awarded for exemplary journalistic presentations of the contribution made by energy technology to solving energy problems.
  • The media prize of the German Society for Geography . It is awarded every two years as part of the German Geographers' Day.
  • The Wilhelm and Ingeborg Roloff Prize, announced by the German Lung Foundation . The first prize is endowed with 3,000 euros, the second with 2,000 euros; it is awarded every two years for exemplary contributions to pulmonary medicine / pulmonology.
  • The “ acatech Punkt” award for technology journalism and technology photography.
  • The "Science Books of the Year", awarded annually by the magazine bild der Wissenschaft for outstanding popular science books in the six categories "Background", "Ignition", "Entertainment", Aesthetics "," Perspective "and" Surprise ".
  • The Matheon Media Prize annually honors outstanding journalistic texts by young journalists on the subject of mathematics in technological applications.
  • The Aerospace Media Prize is awarded once a year and recognizes contributions by non-specialist journalists who make the subject of aerospace accessible to a broad audience.
  • Since 2006, the Styrian Science Department has awarded the Inge Morath Prize for science journalism every year in the three categories of Austrian print media, Austrian electronic media and international media.
  • Since 2008, the Foundation for Experimental Biomedicine has awarded the Peter Hans Hofschneider Research Prize for science and medical journalism endowed with CHF 20,000 annually for journalistic work in the fields of science and research with a convincing presentation of political, scientific or social backgrounds.
  • Since 2009, the German Network Evidence-Based Medicine ( DNEbM ) eV has been awarding the journalists' prize "Evidence-based Medicine in the Media". The prize, endowed with € 1,500, recognizes journalistic work in which the principles of evidence-based medicine play a central role.
  • The Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker awards the GDCh Prize for journalists and writers, endowed with € 7,500, at irregular intervals .

literature

  • Martin W. Angler : Science Journalism: An Introduction. Routledge, London 2017, ISBN 978-1138945494 .
  • Dieter Faulseit, Dietrich Lade: How to communicate science in a popular way. Dietz, Berlin 1983.
  • Rainer Flöhl : Science and mass media. In: Wilfried von Bredow (Ed.): Media and Society (= Edition Universitas ). S. Hirzel / Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft, Stuttgart 1990, pp. 127-139, ISBN 3-8047-1128-6 .
  • Winfried Göpfert (Ed.): Science journalism. A Manual for Education and Practice. 5th edition. Econ, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-430-17682-4 .
  • Michael Haller : How scientific is science journalism? On the problem of science-related working methods in daily journalism. In: Journalism. 32nd year 1987, issue 3, pp. 305-319.
  • Holger Hettwer, Markus Lehmkuhl, Holger Wormer, Franco Zotta (eds.): WissensWelten. Science journalism in theory and practice . Bertelsmann Stiftung Verlag , Gütersloh 2008, ISBN 978-3-89204-914-2 .
  • Renate Hermann: Science Journalism. In: Markus Kaiser (Ed.): Departmental journalism - concepts, training, practice. (= Journalistic practice ). Springer VS, Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-430-20145-2 .
  • Walter Hömberg : The belated department. The situation of science journalism . UVK, Konstanz 1989, ISBN 3-87940-362-7 .
  • Bettina Fromm, Eva Baumann, Claudia Lampert: Health Communication and Media. A textbook . Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-17-020683-0 .
  • Grit Kienzlen, Jan Lublinski , Volker Stollorz (eds.): Fact, fiction, forgery - trends in science journalism. UVK publishing house, Konstanz 2007, ISBN 978-3-86764-012-1 .
  • Matthias Kohring: The function of science journalism. A system-theoretical draft (= studies in communication science ). Westdeutscher Verlag, Opladen 1997, ISBN 3-531-12938-4 ; Fundamentally revised edition with a new subtitle: Research overview and theory draft. UVK, Konstanz 2005, ISBN 3-89669-482-0 .
  • Walther von La Roche , Gabriele Hooffacker , Klaus Meier : Introduction to practical journalism. Springer VS, (= journalistic practice ). 19th edition. Wiesbaden 2013. ( Website for the book with further information on journalism )
  • Markus Lehmkuhl: Science formats of German television in international comparison. The influence of the segmentation of the market on the supply. In: Journalism. 58th year 2013, issue 4, pp. 409-426, ISSN  1862-2569
  • Jan Lublinski: Science journalism on the radio. Editorial organization and thematization processes (= Research Field Communication , Volume 18). UVK, Konstanz 2004, ISBN 3-89669-441-3 (dissertation, University of Dortmund [2004], 381 pages).
  • Marcellus Claudius Martin: To the emancipation of science journalism. A professional role between progress and reflexive modernity . VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, Saarbrücken 2008, ISBN 978-3-8364-4787-4 .
  • Christian Müller (Ed.): SciencePop. Science journalism between PR and research criticism . (= Concrete science). Nausner & Nausner, Graz / Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-901402-36-5 .
  • Eckart Klaus Roloff , Walter Hömberg: science journalists - interpreters between research and the public. In: Image of Science . 12th year 1975, No. 9, pp. 56-60.
  • Eckart Roloff: The journalistic discovery of the patient. A press analysis on medical journalism and the first heart transplants . Nomos, Baden-Baden 2013, ISBN 978-3-8487-0731-7 (slightly edited version (294 pages) dissertation University of Salzburg 1972, 316 pages in 2 parts, OCLC 774017705 , with a detailed foreword and afterword from 2013).
  • Eckart Roloff: Science journalism - a field that is always new and at the same time old.
  • Stephan Ruß-Mohl : Science journalism and public relations. Conference report on the 3rd Colloquium on Science Journalism from 4./5. November 1988 in Berlin (= materials and reports Robert Bosch Stiftung. No. 32). Bleicher Verlag, Gerlingen 1990, ISBN 3-922934-27-7 .
  • Mike S. Schäfer: Science in the media. The medialization of scientific topics . Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2007, ISBN 978-3-531-15592-0 .
  • Bernd Schmid-Ruhe: Facts and fictions: Investigations into scientific reporting in the German-language features of the 20th century daily press University Library Konstanz 2005, (Dissertation University Konstanz 2005, 252 pages, full text online , PDF, free of charge, 252 pages, 5.286 MB).
  • Andre Stuber: Science in the mass media. The presentation of scientific topics on television, in newspapers and in popular magazines . Shaker , Aachen 2005, ISBN 3-8322-4235-X (dissertation, University of Karlsruhe 2005, 2007).
  • Carol H. Weiss, Eleanor Singer, Phyllis Endreny: Reporting of Social Science in the National Media . Russell Sage Foundation, New York 1988, ISBN 0-87154-802-X .
  • Holger Wormer (ed.): The knowledge makers. Profiles and fields of work of science editors in Germany . VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2006, ISBN 3-531-14893-1 .

Web links

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b Kerstin von Aretin, Günther Wess: Science communicating successfully. Wiley-VCH, 2005, ISBN 3-527-31308-7 .
  2. ^ Martin W. Angler: Science Journalism: An Introduction. Routledge, 2017, ISBN 978-1138945494 .
  3. ↑ Alfred Kirpal, Andreas Ilsmann: The GDR as a science country? Topics and contents of science magazines on GDR television . Ed .: The Rector of the Technical University of Ilmenau (= contributions to the  discussion, Institute for Media and Communication Studies . No. 13 ). August 2004, ISSN  1617-9048 , p. 10 ( db-thueringen.de [PDF]).
  4. ↑ ( here website for the book with further information on science journalism )