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The effects of media reporting upon US public opinion about stem cell research & human cloning are studied. An overview of the circumstances that prompted national debate on stem cell research & human cloning in mid-2001 is provided. Data collected by various sources that measured public awareness of stem cell research & human cloning, the importance of these scientific procedures to people's daily lives, citizens' understanding of stem cell & cloning research, people's moral perspectives toward using embryos in stem cell research, & Americans' attitudes toward reproductive & therapeutic cloning is analyzed. The findings indicated that public interest & knowledge of stem cell research & human cloning rose throughout 2001 but eventually subsided as media coverage was scaled back & refocused on certain political events. Noting low public understandings of stem cell & cloning research, it is concluded that the media could play a significant role in determining future public responses to these scientific procedures. 1 Appendix, 16 References. J. W. Parker

Examines the role of the mass media in the controversy, including patterns of media attention and sourcing across stages of scientific, political, and policy development; data from a content analysis of articles appearing between 1975 and 2001 in the New York Times and the Washington Post.

This chapter defines and explains ecomodernist journalism, a way of reporting on the environment underpinned by the philosophy of ecomodernism, which argues that government-driven technological innovation, entrepreneurship, and ingenuity are the principle means by which societies can hope to achieve sustainable development. The chapter is based on an analysis of the work of high-profile journalists writing on the environment and climate change who draw on and apply principles of ecomodernism to offer a distinct framing of sustainable development. It demonstrates how the philosophy informs the work of these writers and thinkers, and the particular approaches they take in assessing expert knowledge, evaluating policy proposals and technological options, and in brokering cross-cutting dialogue. The analysis of these prominent writers and thinkers demonstrates that ecomodernist journalism has successfully gained global audiences, been assimilated into mainstream reporting, and has the potential to be the animating worldview that distinguishes the coverage of individual journalists and news organisations as they report on sustainability. The chapter argues that journalism informed by ecomodernist ideas fulfils a vital need in public and political debates over sustainable development.

Largely overlooked by researchers studying the science of science communication are the specific journalistic practices and media structures that might enable more constructive public debate in politicized science controversies. In this commentary, we discuss the role that journalists can play as influential knowledge professionals, drawing on insights from the studies in this section of the special issue. In doing so, we outline three complementary approaches to what Thomas Patterson calls "knowledge-based journalism." By way of these approaches, journalists and their news organizations can contextualize and critically evaluate expert knowledge; facilitate discussion that bridges entrenched ideological divisions; and promote consideration of a broader menu of policy options and technologies. We conclude by discussing the implications for journalism education.

This study uses the contemporary debate over agricultural biotechnology to conceptualize a theoretical model that can be used to explain how citizens reach judgments across a range of science & technology controversies. We report findings from a mail survey of New York State residents that depicts a 'low information' public relying heavily on heuristics such as value predispositions, trust, & schema to form an opinion about agricultural biotechnology. Science knowledge does play a modest role, with the news media serving as an important source of informal learning. Contrary to expectations & past research, we do not find any direct effects for news attention on support for agricultural biotechnology. Deference to scientific authority is a central value predisposition shaping support for agricultural biotechnology. Positively correlated with education, deference to scientific authority is the strongest influence on support for agricultural biotechnology in our model. Part of the variable's influence is direct, but part of it is also indirect, as deference to scientific authority is a key predictor of both trust in the sponsors of biotechnology & generalized reservations about the impacts of science. Tables, Figures, Appendixes, References. Adapted from the source document.