The Covid-19 pandemic was characterized by an unprecedented level of involvement of scientific experts in media coverage and public exposure to expert advice. Since Rae Goodell's seminal work on visible scientists (1977), the role of scientific experts in public communication has become increasingly central due to changes in the media landscape as well as in the dynamics between science and society (Maasen and Weingart, 2005; Cheng et al., 2008; Bucchi and Trench, 2014). In recent decades, social media hasprovided a meansfor experts to engage in public debate more actively and directly(Peters, 2014; Schiele et al, 2012). Discussions and controversies among scientists previously confined to specialized communication contexts have become, at least potentially, accessible to the general public (Gregory and Miller, 1998; Horst, 2013; Bauer et al., 2019). Since the beginning of the pandemic emergency, communication has played a key role in providing citizens with information and instructions on how to minimize the risk of infection. Information has been available through a variety of sources and media and, unlike in other countries (Metcalfe et al, 2020), in Italy a plurality of experts with different perspectives and expertise have emerged so much to open and shape a new crisis within the emergency on the public and institutional communication front3. Since the symbolic launch of Vaccine Day4, the role of scientific communication experts has become increasingly central in the agenda setting to effectively promote through the mass media interventions both in support of vaccination decisions (Casiday R., 2007) and in response to cases of misinformation ready to cause social alarm (Diekema S.D., 2012). Therefore, the project intends to analyze the peculiarities of the Italian casein terms of presence and ways of communicating experts during the first six months of the anti-Covid vaccination campaign, setting as a macro hypothesis at the basis of the work the existence of discordant communication strategies. The research questions from which the project moves are: -Which scientific experts became visible? How much and how did these experts communicate and what kind of strategy did they employ? How has health literacy been conveyed to citizens? To answer these questions, we intendto study the TV and print media representation of experts and self-presentation on the web. Specifically, we intend to analyze the content produced from 1/01/2021 to 30/06/2021 by monitoring with topics of interest and keywords related to "expert" and "vaccines" from:-TG and in-depth broadcasts of the main Italian generalist networks (Rai1, Rai2, Rai3, Rete4, Canale5, Italia1 and La7);-articles from the most popular daily newspapers (Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, Il Sole24ore, La Stampa); -contents of the web and social pages of those who will emerge as the most visible expert. The data automatically extracted and collected in natively digital matrices (Rogers 2013; Caliandro 2018) thanks to the Volocom service5 will undergo text data mining operations with automatic text analysis and content analysis (Losito 2002; Bolasco 2014; Tipaldo 1014). Based on empirical evidence it will be possible to return results and interpretations useful to define the depth of expert communication and, to frame and overcome the problems that public communication has been facing. 3 Concern about misinformation linked to a deadly virus was expressed in the words of WHO Director Tedros Adhanom with "We're n ot just fighting an epidemic; we're fighting an infodemic". 4 Sym bolically held on December 27, 2020 in Italy and Europe.5 Platform of innovative tools that allows, thanks to the continuous acquisition of the flow of information, to monitor and select news from different channels.

Public communication of Italian scientific experts in the Anti-Covid 19 vaccination campaign / Cataldo, Rosanna; Punziano, Gabriella; Saracino, Barbara; Iazzetta, Ferdinando; Luciano, Gabriele; Barricelli, Carmine. - (2021), pp. 42-42. (Intervento presentato al convegno Third International Conference Research Methods in the Digital Society: Areas and Practices tenutosi a Salerno nel 24-25 Novembre 2021).

Public communication of Italian scientific experts in the Anti-Covid 19 vaccination campaign

Cataldo Rosanna;Punziano Gabriella;Saracino Barbara;Iazzetta Ferdinando;
2021

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic was characterized by an unprecedented level of involvement of scientific experts in media coverage and public exposure to expert advice. Since Rae Goodell's seminal work on visible scientists (1977), the role of scientific experts in public communication has become increasingly central due to changes in the media landscape as well as in the dynamics between science and society (Maasen and Weingart, 2005; Cheng et al., 2008; Bucchi and Trench, 2014). In recent decades, social media hasprovided a meansfor experts to engage in public debate more actively and directly(Peters, 2014; Schiele et al, 2012). Discussions and controversies among scientists previously confined to specialized communication contexts have become, at least potentially, accessible to the general public (Gregory and Miller, 1998; Horst, 2013; Bauer et al., 2019). Since the beginning of the pandemic emergency, communication has played a key role in providing citizens with information and instructions on how to minimize the risk of infection. Information has been available through a variety of sources and media and, unlike in other countries (Metcalfe et al, 2020), in Italy a plurality of experts with different perspectives and expertise have emerged so much to open and shape a new crisis within the emergency on the public and institutional communication front3. Since the symbolic launch of Vaccine Day4, the role of scientific communication experts has become increasingly central in the agenda setting to effectively promote through the mass media interventions both in support of vaccination decisions (Casiday R., 2007) and in response to cases of misinformation ready to cause social alarm (Diekema S.D., 2012). Therefore, the project intends to analyze the peculiarities of the Italian casein terms of presence and ways of communicating experts during the first six months of the anti-Covid vaccination campaign, setting as a macro hypothesis at the basis of the work the existence of discordant communication strategies. The research questions from which the project moves are: -Which scientific experts became visible? How much and how did these experts communicate and what kind of strategy did they employ? How has health literacy been conveyed to citizens? To answer these questions, we intendto study the TV and print media representation of experts and self-presentation on the web. Specifically, we intend to analyze the content produced from 1/01/2021 to 30/06/2021 by monitoring with topics of interest and keywords related to "expert" and "vaccines" from:-TG and in-depth broadcasts of the main Italian generalist networks (Rai1, Rai2, Rai3, Rete4, Canale5, Italia1 and La7);-articles from the most popular daily newspapers (Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, Il Sole24ore, La Stampa); -contents of the web and social pages of those who will emerge as the most visible expert. The data automatically extracted and collected in natively digital matrices (Rogers 2013; Caliandro 2018) thanks to the Volocom service5 will undergo text data mining operations with automatic text analysis and content analysis (Losito 2002; Bolasco 2014; Tipaldo 1014). Based on empirical evidence it will be possible to return results and interpretations useful to define the depth of expert communication and, to frame and overcome the problems that public communication has been facing. 3 Concern about misinformation linked to a deadly virus was expressed in the words of WHO Director Tedros Adhanom with "We're n ot just fighting an epidemic; we're fighting an infodemic". 4 Sym bolically held on December 27, 2020 in Italy and Europe.5 Platform of innovative tools that allows, thanks to the continuous acquisition of the flow of information, to monitor and select news from different channels.
2021
9791220099295
Public communication of Italian scientific experts in the Anti-Covid 19 vaccination campaign / Cataldo, Rosanna; Punziano, Gabriella; Saracino, Barbara; Iazzetta, Ferdinando; Luciano, Gabriele; Barricelli, Carmine. - (2021), pp. 42-42. (Intervento presentato al convegno Third International Conference Research Methods in the Digital Society: Areas and Practices tenutosi a Salerno nel 24-25 Novembre 2021).
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11588/863122
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