For this assignment, you will choose a real-world example that shows how ethics or culture influences the way a science or environmental issue i
Assignment: Ethics or Culture in Science/Environmental Communication
For this assignment, you will choose a real-world example that shows how ethics or culture influences the way a science or environmental issue is communicated to the public. This could be a news article, campaign, video, podcast, or public statement—anything that illustrates the impact of ethical or cultural considerations on communication strategy or message framing.
You should focus on either ethical or cultural aspects (not both), and relate your analysis to concepts discussed in class.
Instructions:
- Choose and link to an example of science or environmental communication that is shaped by either ethics or culture.
- Write a short post (approx. 200 words) that includes:
- (a) Context or background needed to understand the example
- (b) An explanation of how ethical or cultural issues influenced the communication
- (c) A clear connection to specific ethical or cultural concepts discussed in lecture
Examples:
- A campaign about vaccine access that raises questions of equity (ethics)
- A climate change PSA adapted for Indigenous communities (culture)
- A debate around geoengineering and consent (ethics)
- Messaging about wildfire preparedness tailored for multilingual communities (culture)
Requirements:
- Approximately 200 words
- Proofread for grammar, spelling, and clarity
Ethics and Culture Sci Com vs Sci Ed
COM 3601
Prof. Coello
Some examples of Media Framing
Why face masks became political in the US – tone of the speaker
Poll on urgency of climate change – focusing on only one part of responses
John Kerry private jet to pick up climate award– calling attention to jet over award
Airbus and emissions- focus on environmental efforts not history of polluting
NWA music criminalized – choice of interviewees
“Fiery but mostly peaceful protest” headline – not showing full scope of cars on fire and calling it peaceful
"Biden policies already hurting oil and gas industry” – wording choices (killing, drastic)
Keystone pipeline – choice of interviewees
Note: remember to always reflect on the target audience in you DB posts.
Sci Comm vs. Science Education
Science Education vs Science Communication: General distinction
Science education = for the development of the scientist (and related professionals that need to know science)
Science communication = to the public and policymakers about science and the process of discovery.
Science Education
Science education is the teaching and learning of science to non-scientists, such as school children, college students, or adults within the general public.
E.g. Scientific method; often groups topics as physics/chemistry/biology
Science is a team sport, with a season that stretches across the centuries. Future Nobel prize laureates may be learning about science in Omaha or Oahu, New Orleans or New Jersey.
Ann Reid, Executive Director, NCSE
Important concept: Science Literacy
Scientific literacy is the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making, participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity.
Growing interest in Informal Science Education
Informal science education (ISE) is lifelong learning in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) that takes place across a multitude of designed settings and experiences outside of the formal classroom.
This can include film and broadcast media, science centers and museums, zoos and aquariums, botanical gardens and nature centers; cyberlearning and gaming; public science events; youth, community, and out-of-school time programs; and a growing variety of learning environments. Informal STEM education is informed and supported by a knowledge base of evidence from evaluation studies, learning research, and wisdom from practice.
https://www.informalscience.org/what-informal-science
Informal Science Education (ISE) and Science Communication (SciComm)
ISE and SciComm are two overlapping but distinct fields that support engagement in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in a variety of settings.
Though fluid boundaries and fuzzy definitions make a clear distinction between ISE and SciComm difficult, the two fields nevertheless exhibit strong differences in core values and goals, based in part on different histories, commitments, and trajectories.
consensus report Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda (NASEM, 2017)
Key takeaways include:
The most effective approach for communicating science will depend on the communicator's goal
Empirical evidence can improve science communication practice
The field needs to move beyond the “deficit model” of communication
Consensus report Science Literacy:Concepts, Contexts and Consequences (NASEM, 2016)
Key takeaways include:
Current research does not support the claim that increasing science literacy will lead to appreciably greater support for science
Beyond individual competence, communities can also develop and use science literacy, leveraging the varying knowledge and skills possessed by different individuals to achieve their collective goals.
ETHICS in Science Comm
Ethics – some definitions
A rational process applying established principles to make decisions about “goodness” and “justice”
Concerned with what is good for individuals and society
The discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation
Ethics is tied to moral values
Common principles to think about ethics
Kant's Categorical Imperative. Kant's Categorical Imperative dictates what we must never do, and those actions that have become universal law.
Deontological (Duty) ethics. "Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it would become a universal law", Similar to Golden Rule
Main question: Would it be OK if everyone acted in this way? If not, don’t do it!
Mill's Principle of Utility. John Stuart Mill's Principle of Utility dictates that we must seek the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.
Main question: Which course of action will benefit the most people? (Might differ in Collectivistic vs. Individualistic culture)
Respect for persons. This principle, also known as Persons as Ends principle, involves the idea of love to our fellow humans and the golden rule. Respect for the rights of all persons
John Rawl's Veil of Ignorance asks us to place ourselves in the role of the people our decisions may influence.
Maximize freedom and autonomy, minimize harm
Main question: Does this decision respect the human dignity of all persons affected by it?
Common principles to think about ethics
Egalitarian approach. criterion for evaluation is equality (resembles respect for persons)
Main question: Are there any double standards of ethical treatment? Are people getting what they deserve, not what they can get through privilege?
Golden Mean. Aristotle's Golden Mean defines moral virtue as a middle state determined practical wisdom that emphasizes moderance and temperance.
the compromise principle: moral virtue is the appropriate location between two extremes.
Main question: Is this a moderate option (happy medium) between 2 bad extremes?
Machiavellian “ethics” The ends justify the means
Main question: Am I using moral reasoning to justify unethical actions in order to achieve my desired outcomes?
For thought:
Where does ethics come in when talking about Science Communication?
Guiding ethical principles
In Science:
Mertonian norms commonly combined under the acronym CUDOS.
Communalism (scientific knowledge is owned in common by the whole scientific community);
Universalism (the validity of scientific claims should be based on universal criteria and not on sociopolitical traits);
Disinterestedness (scientific work should be pursued for the benefit of the common scientific enterprise, not for personal gain); and
Organized Skepticism (scientific claims should be not be accepted until they have been critically examined and tested).
In Communication: (various sources)
Accuracy, Truthfulness (especially in journalism)
Limit harm
Respect independence
Freedom of expression
Tolerance of dissent
Medvecky, F., & Leach, J. (2019). (Science) Communication as Ethics. In An Ethics of Science Communication (pp. 33-39). Palgrave Pivot, Cham.
We must recognize ethical issues in communicating science, as distinct from challenges of effective communication and from issues in the responsible conduct of research.
Questions to ask
What makes communicating science a good, moral thing to do?
Are there limits to the potential ‘goodness’ of science communication?
The public should be informed so it can make better decisions
More knowledge is better than less knowledge, right?
Is the ethics of science communication grounded in science ethics or communication/journalism ethics?
work done in science communication on ways to persuade and charm audiences into ‘accepting the science’? Are there ethical concerns?
Does SciComm allow for dissent? (Say no to vaccines)
).
Medvecky, F., & Leach, J. (2019). (Science) Communication as Ethics. In An Ethics of Science Communication (pp. 33-39). Palgrave Pivot, Cham.
Ethical Risk Communication under uncertainty
Five principles for scientific communication under such conditions are important:
honesty
precision
audience relevance
process transparency
specification of uncertainty about conclusions
Keohane, R. O., Lane, M., & Oppenheimer, M. (2014). The ethics of scientific communication under uncertainty. Politics, Philosophy & Economics, 13(4), 343-368.
Functions of Environmental Comm: a “moral” imperative?
To inform, persuade, educate, and alert others.
To organize, argue, reconcile, and negotiate with each other, among other things.
"Communication shapes how we see and value the world”
"How well we communicate with each other about nature and environmental affairs will affect how well we address the ecological crisis"
Whether we use environmental communication to advocate for a policy, raise awareness, change behavior, influence public opinion, collaborate to address conflicts, pass legislation or challenge assumptions, how we communicate will affect the outcomes.
https://theieca.org/resources/environmental-communication-what-it-and-why-it-matters
Other ethical questions
Who gets to participate in the discussions?
Why are certain voices privileged and others marginalized?
Think of voices of citizens, politicians, civil servants, scientists, corporations, religious institutions, labor unions, indigenous peoples, environmental organizations, and other civil society groups, journalists and other media workers.
What are the facets of the environmental issues that are being discussed? Why are some emphasized over others? What are the implications?
Possible facets that might be discussed are the science, costs, risks, problem definitions, possible responses, values, agency, responsibilities, future visions, and ideas about nature.
Why use certain words, metaphors, visuals, frames, music, art, narratives, and other rhetorical devices? Why not different words, etc.?
What are the consequence for those who hear and see these messages?
How does this relate to framing? Does framing become an ethical consideration?
https://theieca.org/resources/environmental-communication-what-it-and-why-it-matters
Culture and Science Comm
Culture
Michelle Lebaron describes cultural groups as entities that center
"around a wide variety of shared identities, including race, ethnicity, age, nationality, geographical setting, socioeconomic class, able-bodiedness or disability, sexual orientation, language, religion, profession or job role, and gender” (Lebaron,2003, p.10).
A person does not belong to a single culture, but identifies with different types of cultures.
Culture and Sci Comm
Science communication necessarily makes use of artifacts, both physical and conceptual,
These artifacts commonly reflect the cultural orientations and assumptions of their creators.
For example, words, photographs and illustrations
Key question in environmental communication: How does our audience see the place of humans in nature?
An example
Native Americans, for example, traditionally see themselves as part of nature and tend to focus on ecological relationships, while European-Americans tend to see humans as apart from nature.
“Books authored and illustrated by Native Americans are more likely to have illustrations of scenes that are close-up, and the text is more likely to mention the plants, trees and other geographic features and relationships that are present compared with popular children’s books not done by Native Americans.
“The European-American cultural assumption that humans are not part of ecosystems is readily apparent in illustrations,” he said.
Medin, D. L., & Bang, M. (2014). The cultural side of science communication. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(Supplement 4), 13621-13626.
Cultural theory applied to SciComm: Storytelling
It is valuable to see science communication as one aspect of (popular) culture, as storytelling or narrative, as ritual, and as collective meaning-making.
Possible ways that to apply a cultural approach :
mobilizing ideas about experience;
framing science communication through identity;
focusing on fiction;
paying attention to emotion.
Davies, S. R., Halpern, M., Horst, M., Kirby, D. S., & Lewenstein, B. (2019). Science stories as culture: experience, identity, narrative and emotion in public communication of science. JCOM, Vol 18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22323/2.18050201
Risk and culture
The cultural theory approach to risk is briefly summarized in the introductory statement of Douglas and Wildavsky:
“Understandings about risk, and therefore the ways in which risk is dealt with and experienced in everyday life, are inevitably developed via membership of cultures and subcultures as well as through personal experience. Risk knowledges, therefore, are historical and local.
What might be perceived to be ‘risky’ in one era at a certain local area may no longer be viewed so in a later era, or in a different place. As a result, risk knowledges are constantly contested and are subject to disputes and debates over their nature, their control and whom is to blame for their creation.” [Douglas and Wildavsky, (2003), p.1 in Zinn, (2004), p.10]
Risk culture and crisis communication. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275152463_Risk_culture_and_crisis_communication [accessed Oct 01 2020].
Risk and culture
Risk Culture in the social scientific discourse
In the late modern or reflexive modern societies, according to Beck (2000, p.219);
“Knowledge about the risks (…) is tied to the history and symbol of one’s culture (the understanding of. Nature, for example) and the social fabric of knowledge. This is one of the reason why the same risk is perceived and handled politically so differently throughout Europe and other parts of the world.”
The Social Amplification of Risk framework (SARF)
Concept of a risk signal as interpretation of risk, and how it can be amplified and attenuated dynamically by social entities.
Amplification could result in ”ripple effect” being generated outwards from the community of people affected (Kasperson, Kasperson, Pidgeon & Slovic, 2003).
Mass media, which re social entities, are amplifiers of risk.
mass media is more active in agenda setting than educating the consumer on the risk(Dunwoody, 1992).
Agenda setting can still be quite powerful in itself: it defines what people talk about with others. As such it can most definitely encourage amplification.
Vanhorenbeech, M. S. (2008). Culture, Ethnicity, And Their Impact On Risk Communication. https://www.academia.edu/14675097/Culture_ethnicity_and_their_impact_on_risk_communication
How does culture impact risk perception?
Let’s think about dimensions of culture
Cultural Orientations
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/hofstedes-cultural-dimensions-theory/
For thought:
How would culture play a role in how we communicate this to an audience?
WEEKLY DISCUSSION this week
Example of how ethics OR culture influence communication about a science or environmental issue.
–Your post should include:
(a)Any context or background information needed to understand it
(b)A discussion of how ethical or cultural issues (not both) play a role is communication to the public about this issue.
(c) Reference to the cultural or ethical concepts discussed in the lecture.
Requirements:
approx. 200 words
Grammar and spelling count!
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