Overview

From climate to vaccination, stem-cell research to evolution, scientific work is often the subject of public controversies in which scientists and science communicators find themselves enmeshed. Especially with such hot-button topics, science communication plays vital roles. Gathering together the work of a multidisciplinary, international collection of scholars, the editors of Ethics and Practice in Science Communication present an enlightening dialogue involving these communities, one that articulates the often differing objectives and ethical responsibilities communicators face in bringing a range of scientific knowledge to the wider world. In three sections—how ethics matters, professional practice, and case studies—contributors to this volume explore the many complex questions surrounding the communication of scientific results to nonscientists. Has the science been shared clearly and accurately? Have questions of risk, uncertainty, and appropriate representation been adequately addressed? And, most fundamentally, what is the purpose of communicating science to the public: Is it to inform and empower? Or to persuade—to influence behavior and policy? By inspiring scientists and science communicators alike to think more deeply about their work, this book reaffirms that the integrity of the communication of science is vital to a healthy relationship between science and society today.

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9780226497815

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Reviews

There is a glaring absence of scholarship on the ethics of science communication, and an urgent need for resources such as this volume that offer a critical context on ethics that is both rigorous in its depth and scope, but also accessible and useful to a diversity of readers, including scientists and communication practitioners. This book will instantly and immediately be the leading source on the ethics of science communication. --Matthew Nisbet, Northeastern University and editor-in-chief of Environmental Communication

"""There is a glaring absence of scholarship on the ethics of science communication, and an urgent need for resources such as this volume that offer a critical context on ethics that is both rigorous in its depth and scope, but also accessible and useful to a diversity of readers, including scientists and communication practitioners. This book will instantly and immediately be the leading source on the ethics of science communication.""--Matthew Nisbet, Northeastern University and editor-in-chief of ""Environmental Communication"" ""Ethical dimensions of science communication compose an arena vastly underserved by the extant literature. This book does a convincing job of demonstrating that ethical judgments--whether intentional or not--saturate the construction of science messages and then offers a thoughtful and readable portal into the topic. It's about time.""--Sharon Dunwoody, University of Wisconsin-Madison ""This book richly reminds us that every act of communication requires ethical consideration--and science communication is no exception. The authors draw out ethical principles addressing the obligations owed to readers, sources, and subjects of science communication. Detailed case studies show these principles at work in stories ranging from love drugs to genetic testing and biotechnology, to media coverage of the recovery of an Incan virgin sacrificed to the gods. The editors and authors are helping all science communicators become more reflexive about the complexities of their actions, which in turn increases the capacity for all of us to have deeper conversations about science, science communication, and society.""--Bruce V. Lewenstein, Cornell University"

Author Information

Susanna Priest has been a faculty member at a number of North American universities and currently serves as editor-in-chief of Science Communication: Linking Theory and Practice. Her most recent book is Communicating Climate Change: The Path Forward. Jean Goodwin is the SAS Institute Distinguished Professor of Communication at North Carolina State University. Michael F. Dahlstrom is associate professor in and associate director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University.

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