Guest Thinkers

MITT ROMNEY’S WAR ON SCIENCE? In Appeasing the Right, Lame Duck Gov. Appoints ‘Ideological Compatriot’ Rather Than Expert to Head Mass. Stem Cell Funding

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18415962.jpg]The Associated Press reports that outgoing MA Gov. Mitt Romney has appointed Aaron D’Elia, a state budget director with no formal scientific background, to be executive director of the […]

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WHEN SCIENCE MOVES TO THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL: Mercury News Op-Ed Describes Distortions in Stem Cell Debate; BiopoliticalTimes is New Blog Featuring Left Perspective on Genetics and Stem Cell Research

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18412976.jpg]Parita Shah from the Center for Genetics and Society has an interesting op-ed in the Mercury News reflecting on the campaign tactics used by both sides this last election […]

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THE SCIENCE AND PASSION OF FLY FISHING AND HUNTING: New Blog Explores The Dynamics of the Great Lakes Region

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18415006.jpg]A few readers know that I originally hail from outside of Buffalo, New York, home to some of the best hunting and fly fishing in the country. Recently my […]

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MELTING METAPHORS: New Study on Abrupt Arctic Ice Melt Provides Visual Impact Similar to That of the ‘Ozone Hole’

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18413780.jpg]The recent retreat of Arctic sea ice is likely to accelerate so rapidly that the Arctic Ocean could become nearly devoid of ice during summertime as early as 2040, […]

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WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A BEER WITH OBAMA OR HILLARY? Senator Creates Buzz with His Monday Night Football Promo

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18415233.jpg]There’s nothing new about politicians using entertainment outlets to promote their presidential aspirations. In 1960, both John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon appeared on Jack Parr’s Tonight Show. Nixon […]

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CONFUSION OVER “UKRAINE BABIES FOR STEM CELLS” PRESENTS NIGHTMARE SCENARIO FOR PUBLIC OPINION

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18414442.jpg]BBC NEWS CAPTION: “There is heated debate about the ethics of using stem cells”What’s wrong with this picture and caption? As the BBC reports the horrifying discovery that healthy […]

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ROMNEY’S WAR ON SCIENCE, PART 2? Boston Globe Chronicles How Stem Cell Debate Became Catalyst for Romney to Redefine Himself as Social Conservative

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18412834.jpg]For those closely watching Gov. Mitt Romney’s presidential prospects, and what a Romney presidency might look like in terms of science-related policy questions such as stem cell research, abstinence […]

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AU STUDENTS PROVIDE CONTEXT TO TIME MAGAZINE’S CYBER-HYPERBOLE

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18415853.jpg]This week, Time magazine names all of us as “Person of the Year.” According to Time’s editors, in this Web 2.0 era of digital media, average netizens are transforming […]

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NEW U2 VIDEO “WINDOW IN THE SKIES” IS INSTANT CLASSIC

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/v/VskbxuehP3I]ScienceBlogs readers are hipsters. So I just wanted to add to the buzz about the new video for the U2 single “Window in the Skies.” Definitely an instant classic. […]

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WHERE DOES “AMERICA’S MAYOR” STAND ON SCIENCE? Facing Pressure from Conservatives, Among Social Issues, It Would Be Easiest for Giuliani to Move to the Right on Stem Cell Research

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18414707.jpg]The Washington Postprofiles Rudy Giuliani’s prospects for the GOP nomination. If “America’s Mayor” has to bolster his support from conservatives, on which social issues is it easiest for Giuliani […]

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THE TERMINATOR FRAMES HIS ENVIRONMENTALISM IN PUBLIC HEALTH TERMS: Says He Is No “Tree Hugger;” Compares Calif.’s Lead on Global Warming to the State’s Role in Popularizing Bodybuilding

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18414854.jpg]The Washington Post chronicles Arnold Schwarzenegger’s efforts to frame his environmentalism in “public health” terms. The Governerator explains his position in ways only he can. For example, he compares […]

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FRANK RICH AND JON STEWART RIP ON TIME MAGAZINE’S PERSON OF THE YEAR GAFFE

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/v/v7p7FS88Z18]After being named Time magazine’s Person of the Year, I’ve updated my CV. Frank Rich in the Sunday Times glows with similar faux enthusiasm for the mag’s cyber-cheerleading, as […]

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SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS DECLARES THAT CLIMATE CHANGE HAS HIT CRISIS LEVEL

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18414614.gif]In one of the strongest declarations I’ve seen from a major newspaper editorial board, the San Jose Mercury News calls on Congress in 2007 to enact major legislation to […]

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FRAMING GERALD FORD: Bi-Partisan Healer, Presidential Clutz, or War Criminal? Ford May Be the First Presidential Candidate to Fall Victim to Infotainment Narratives; Mainstream Media Ignores Ford-Kissinger-Suharto Connection

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18415564.jpg]The game is afoot to define the presidency of Gerald Ford. The dominant narrative from the mainstream media is that Ford was the “Great Healer,” an extinct species of […]

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NOTHING NEW ABOUT RELIGION IN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS: Ford Runs Political Ad in 1976 Featuring Sermon Endorsement from Evangelical Leader

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/v/5NCLdjkFGUE]In the 1976 presidential campaign, Ford used political ads featuring endorsements from Evangelical leaders to counter Jimmy Carter’s image of piety and to turn the Baptist governor’s famous Playboy […]

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NY TIMES SPONSORS READER FORUM ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT: Word is that Series Will Continue in 2007, and that the Innovative Beat is the New Normal at the Times

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18415324.gif]In more than 20 articles over the past year, a team of New York Times reporters and editors have detailed many of the intersections between energy policy and the […]

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DEBATING THE INTERNET AND COMMUNITY, PART A: American University Students Examine ‘Virtual’ Society

This semester in the sophomore-level course I teach on “Communication and Society,” we spent several weeks examining the many ways that Americans are using the Internet to alter the nature […]

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DEBATING THE INTERNET AND COMMUNITY, PART B: American University Students Examine ‘Virtual’ Society

This semester in the sophomore-level course I teach on “Communication and Society,” we spent several weeks examining the many ways that Americans are using the Internet to alter the nature […]

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DRAMA AND FIREWORKS AT SOCIETY OF ENVIRO JOURNALISTS’ PANEL ON GLOBAL WARMING: Senate Staffer Repeats Inhofe’s Hype About the Media; But Andrew Revkin of the NY Times Gets Kudos from American Spectator For Putting It All in Context

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18414408.jpg]Over the weekend, I appeared on a stellar panel at the National Association of Science Writer’s meetings in Baltimore that featured Ralph Cicerone, President of the National Academy of […]

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NY TIMES ON YOU TUBE AS STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

In recent weeks, I’ve weighed in on You Tube as an emerging and important strategic communication tool. (Go here and here.) Now the NY Times adds this to the discussion […]

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GLOBAL WARMING LOSES AN ADVOCATE: Ted Haggard Was Leader of Creation Stewardship Movement, Moral Duty Frame Has Potential to Engage Republican Base

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18414329.jpg]Overlooked in the Ted Haggard scandal is that the former head of the National Association of Evangelicals was also one of the leaders of the “creation stewardship” movement, framing […]

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REMEMBER ME CANCER? Bristol Myers Squibb Uses Social Progress Frame to Promote Company

Last week I noted the use of the “social progress” frame as articulated by Michael J. Fox in campaign commercials running this election season (go here and here.) Dems are […]

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GOD DELUSION? Richard Dawkins Goes Inside Ted Haggard’s Mega-Church

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18413929.jpg]For his documentary Root of All Evil?, Richard Dawkins was granted inside access to Ted Haggard’s Colorado Springs mega-church, and he sits down for an interview with Haggard. “This […]

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THE PASSION OF APOCALYPTO: Metaphor of “End Times” Prophecy Raises Questions About a Blockbuster’s Impact on Audiences

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18415652.jpg]Buzz is building for Mel Gibson’s Dec. 8 release of Apocalypto[trailer]. The film’s actual plot is still a bit of a secret. Judging by the title and the focus […]

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YOU LIVE, YOU LEARN: New Documentary “The Great Warming” Pushes the Morality Frame on Climate Change; Backed by Coalition of Enviros, Evangelicals, and Alanis Morissette

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18415157.jpg]An unlikely coalition of environmental groups and Evangelical associations are promoting the new documentary “The Great Warming,” which defines the issue in terms of a moral duty to future […]

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REMEMBER ME CANCER? Genetech Turns to Patients to Promote the Social Progress Interpretation

Genetech is running ads in the NY Times, The New Yorker, and on their Web site that feature patients offering testimonials framed in social progress terms. The campaign is similar […]

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COMMUNICATING GLOBAL WARMING: AMS Seminar Reviews Research on Public Perceptions of Global Warming, Framing as a Tool for Engaging the Public

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18413350.jpg]Readers of FRAMING SCIENCE who work in downtown DC or on Capitol Hill may want to take an extended lunch break tomorrow to check out this American Meteorological Society […]

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UWISC-MADISON’S SCIENCE AND MEDIA RESEARCH GROUP: Faculty and Grad Students Examine Dynamics of Science Controversies

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18416137.jpg]Last weekend, I was at the annual meetings of the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research, where I met up with longtime collaborators Dietram Scheufele and Dominique Brossard. Along […]

Guest Thinkers

FRAMING SCIENCE PODCAST AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18415730.jpg]A few readers have written in to ask whether tomorrow’s AMS presentation will be recorded. My answer is “I don’t know,” but I will let everyone know if and […]

Guest Thinkers

MICHAEL J. FOX SAYS WISCONSIN HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN HIS HEART: Gov. Jim Doyle is the Latest to Assert that the GOP Stands in the Way of Progess, Is Stifling Economic Growth, and that The Party Needs to Be Held Accountable

[rebelmouse-image-imported /2010/08/18413306.jpg]It used to be that candidates posed with babies, and George W. Bush still does, especially when using photo-ops to frame instantly for the public that stem cell research […]