This online event explored how we can grow a more supportive relationship between journalism, research and policy. At its best, the media can act as a valued intermediary, sifting the best and most relevant empirical thinking or new ideas to inform public policy and services (Weiss, 1988). Through clear and readable writing, film, sound, or infographics and data visualisations, journalists can help make research reach policy audiences.
However, the relationship has been complicated by new forms of internet communication. The growth of social media has weakened the gatekeeping role of traditional journalism amidst a ’collapse of the old news order and the chaos of contemporary public communication’ (Waisbord, 2018 p.1868). During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were – and are - misperceptions that cascaded across parts of the internet about the cause, prevalence, and treatment of the disease (Swire-Thompson & Lazer, 2020). Whilst the mainstream media was mostly immune to much of the complex contagion of misinformation, there might be an agenda-setting power of fake news, as seen the 2016 pre-election coverage of Donald Trump. I wrote about the importance of critical literacy education in the fight against ‘the ‘infodemic’ and truth decay’ here: https://www.churchillfellowship.org/news-views/blogs/teaching-students-to-read-between-the-lines
Academics are also bypassing journalists and taking to their own personal blogging sites and Twitter. The 2021 Research Excellence Framework encourages active individual communication, and the UK Parliament welcomes academics that ‘increase your visibility’ through blogging and social media.
Yet despite the challenge to the traditional status of journalism, there have been many new or developed UK initiatives and organisations building stronger links between journalists and research, including the Science Media Centre, Full Fact, Britain in a Changing Europe, Education Media Centre, and The Conversation. This event invited representatives from journalism, research and policy to investigate what role intermediary organisations might play.
The meeting was part of a series organised by Transforming Evidence, an interdisciplinary collaboration aiming to share learning, connect communities and generate meaningful research about how we make and use evidence. This workshop brought together academics, researchers, journalists and funders to discuss the current and potential role of the media in influencing the relationship between university research and policy.
AGENDA
13:00 | Welcome and introduction to Transforming Evidence | Professor Annette Boaz | Co-lead Transforming Evidence
13:05 | Introductions | Jonathan Breckon | Chair
13:10 | What more can social scientists do to provide relevant and high-quality news content? | David Walker | Contributing editor Guardian Public, and ex-ESRC Board Member
13:20 | The role of academic expertise in media debates on Europe in post-Brexit Britain | Professor Catherine Barnard FBA | Deputy Director, UK in Changing Europe
13:30 | Educational research for the media; how best to inform policymaking for schools? | Fran Abrams | Chief Executive, Education Media Centre
13:40 | Academic rigour and journalistic flair: what role can intermediary organisations play between journalist, academics and policy makers? | David Levy | Trustee, The Conversation UK and Senior Research Associate, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford
13:50 | Chair leads discussion with speakers & audience Q&A
14:15 | Finish
Back to: Dr Arlene Holmes-Henderson's Knowledge Exchange Fellowship page.
