Science in the news: critical genre analysis of science popularization news
Désirée Motta-Roth, P. Marcuzzo
2010
Citations
9
Citations
Journal
Journal name not available for this finding
Full text
Semantic Scholar
Key Takeaway Key Takeaway: Science popularization news primarily informs about new findings, explains scientific principles, and clarifies research relevance, with scientists and colleagues dominating expression and public participation being timid.
Abstract
This paper presents a Critical Genre Analysis (advocated in MEURER, 2002; BHATIA, 2004; MOTTA-ROTH, 2005, based on the theoretical principles of BAKHTIN, 1986; SWALES, 2004; CHOULIARAKI; FAIRCLOUGH, 1999; HALLIDAY, 2004) of science popularization (PC) news, focusing on the reported speech that popularizes science. Thirty exemplars of PC news from the BBC News and Scientific American sites were analyzed. Through the mobilization of different enunciative standpoints (researcher, colleague / institutions, government, public and the journalist him / herself), the media performs three discursive functions: inform about new findings, explain scientific principles / concepts, and clarify the relevance of the research for the collectivity. The expression of scientists and colleagues is hegemonic, the public participation, timid.