A Review of Thesis
A Review of Thesis
“VERIFICATION AND BALANCE IN SCIENCE NEWS:
How THE NEW ZEALAND MASS MEDIA
REPORT SCIENTIFIC CLAIMS”
It is a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
By
Laura A. Sessions
University of Canterbury
2003
Reviewer of Thesis
Dilip Gosai has Submitted as part of course work
For Ph D Program
@
Faculty of Management Studies Charotar University of Science & Technology
Preface
Accuracy and balance are fundamental principles of journalism worldwide. The main way that journalists ensure accuracy is by verifying the information in their stories against an independent account. Most journalists who report science must rely on scientific experts to verify the validity of claims they report. However, previous studies have found that science stories commonly contain only one source. Journalists typically maintain balance by fairly presenting opposing views. Previous studies show that when journalists present conflicting claims, they tend to balance the different opinions equally, regardless of the empirical evidence on which those claims are based.
In this thesis, Laura –the researcher, has investigated verification and balance in New Zealand mass media science news, using a national survey and in-depth interviews with New Zealand journalists, and a content analysis of newspaper, radio and television coverage. The content analysis showed that verification was uncommon in New Zealand science news, and only 32% of science claim stories cited more than one source. Furthermore, 23% of stories were five sentences or shorter, and the majority of stories (65%) were drawn from overseas news organisations and wire services. When opposing views were presented, journalists tended to use a balancing strategy without any interpretation of which view was supported by the weight of evidence. The interviews indicated that these practices are partly
“VERIFICATION AND BALANCE IN SCIENCE NEWS:
How THE NEW ZEALAND MASS MEDIA
REPORT SCIENTIFIC CLAIMS”
It is a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
By
Laura A. Sessions
University of Canterbury
2003
Reviewer of Thesis
Dilip Gosai has Submitted as part of course work
For Ph D Program
@
Faculty of Management Studies Charotar University of Science & Technology
Preface
Accuracy and balance are fundamental principles of journalism worldwide. The main way that journalists ensure accuracy is by verifying the information in their stories against an independent account. Most journalists who report science must rely on scientific experts to verify the validity of claims they report. However, previous studies have found that science stories commonly contain only one source. Journalists typically maintain balance by fairly presenting opposing views. Previous studies show that when journalists present conflicting claims, they tend to balance the different opinions equally, regardless of the empirical evidence on which those claims are based.
In this thesis, Laura –the researcher, has investigated verification and balance in New Zealand mass media science news, using a national survey and in-depth interviews with New Zealand journalists, and a content analysis of newspaper, radio and television coverage. The content analysis showed that verification was uncommon in New Zealand science news, and only 32% of science claim stories cited more than one source. Furthermore, 23% of stories were five sentences or shorter, and the majority of stories (65%) were drawn from overseas news organisations and wire services. When opposing views were presented, journalists tended to use a balancing strategy without any interpretation of which view was supported by the weight of evidence. The interviews indicated that these practices are partly