Mass-media and the identity of science

A dilemma for the science-media relationship: while presence in the mass media in this age is essential for science, it seems to be destined to a losing position by its classical values and representation in the face of contemporary media content, as well as in the face of pseudo-scientific content, the latter having graver consequences.
What kind of strategy could, then, improve the position of science in the mass media, while not only preserving, but even reinforcing its identity?
We suggest two answers: on the one hand, relying on the experiences of a practical media project, and, on the other hand, drawing some conclusions based on a theoretical research program

1. The practical project that the Hungarian Academy of Sciences has launched in collaboration with a private company, Hungarian T-Com (the leading Hungarian telecommunication firm) under the title Mindentudás Egyeteme (ENCOMPASS) , has developed a media strategy that was a solution for this dilemma, based on science-philosophical findings. The lecture series and its media presentation (on television, on the Internet, etc.) are modern and professional media products but the content is based on conservative and meritocratic principles. We look on the audience ‘multi-dimensionally’ and go against the standard one-dimensional nature of the media: its strategy of gaining ratings through the masses. In this media program, the value of the person (the performing scientist) is not just an inconvenience to be tolerated: it is one of the most important attributes of the ’product’, which requires a different production process from the very beginning. The genre is shaped by a conservative reliance on values and the dynamics provided by media presentation, and these also reflect our conception of the characteristics of scientific knowledge. In accordance with this, the interpretation of the relationship between information and knowledge, information acquisition and knowledge organisation is permeated by the central role of authority in knowledge acquisition. The requirement of authenticity and the role of cognitive schemas can be extended to the acts of generating and communicating scientific knowledge.

2. Science communication is thus a necessity and an opportunity at the same time: the radical transformation of the relationship between science and lay people does not only affect science externally, but it also enables the reshaping of the unity of scientific disciplines by the tools of medialisation and info-communication. The exploitation of the characteristics of the digital space in creating innovative connections between bits of knowledge opens up new paths for inter- and multidisciplinary interests and interpretations. User friendly implementation not only supports the orientation of the lay audience, but it also shapes and inspires the scientist’s approach. Meanwhile, the homogenising power of media demands directs specialised scientists towards each other . Finally, the diverse scientific attitudes are presented under a unified brand, which inevitably stimulates a coordination of the system. The keyword for all this in science organisation is the network .