Bridging Institutions: Organizations in Science Communication

Tanja Rechnitzer (Universität Hannover)

Much of science communication is mediated in one way or another by organizations that shape the actions, interactions, and communication of scientists, journalists, and other media and communication professionals, as well as their respective target audiences. Organizational structures and requirements also influence the way scientific information is presented.

This talk examines the role of organizations that connect the institutions of science and journalism. It draws on communication research and sociology, including an organizational sociological analysis by Rödder, who distinguishes between independent organizations, such as the Science Media Center, as well as sub-organizations such as the science desk as part of a newspaper or the university press office as part of a scientific organization. By treating science and journalism as distinct institutions with their own norms and values, we can better understand how intermediary organizations facilitate communication and face challenges arising from conflicting norms.

These organizations take on multiple functions. For example, they translate, contextualize, and critically evaluate scientific findings for different audiences; shape how journalists and experts connect and interact; and seek to manage how research is disseminated to the public. More broadly, they mediate the shift from science-specific to media-specific perspectives by framing and presenting scientific information in ways that reflect the priorities of other social domains.

However, their roles raise important philosophical questions about the strengths and limitations of institutionalized trust and value management in science communication. On the one hand, organizations like Science Media Centers and university press offices can stabilize relationships between scientists and journalists, improve access to expertise, and help align scientific information with societal needs. On the other hand, they may centralize authority, introduce new gatekeeping mechanisms, and narrow the diversity of perspectives that reach the public.

In this talk, I will explore how focusing on organizations illuminates value tensions inherent in science communication, and discuss implications for philosophy of science’s understanding of institutional roles in managing science-society relations.