Guest Thinkers

FRAMING SCIENCE GOES INTERACTIVE: Streaming Video of AIBS Lecture from May; Upcoming Oct. 11 Presentation at AAAS on the Communication Battles Over Science Policy

For readers who are interested in learning more about the communication battles over science policy, I gave the following talk to the American Institute of Biological Sciences back in May, […]

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WHEN NEGOTIATING THE NEWS BACKFIRES: Clinton Gets Angry When Fox News Sunday Violates the Agreed Upon Ground Rules; Gotcha Moment Disrupts Attempt to Engage Moderate GOP on Global Warming

News outlets and the blogosphere are abuzz over Bill Clinton’s appearance on Fox News Sunday. The whole episode is a classic example of how the negotiation of news between journalists […]

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CHRIS WALLACE RESPONDS: “I tried repeatedly to adhere to the ground rules….”

Chris Wallace has this to say about the ground rules agreed to by Fox News and Clinton….

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CLINTON HELPS GOP WITH FOX NEWS SCREW UP: Normally Media Adept Ex-President Helps GOP Make Terrorism the Salient Issue

If it isn’t already obvious, the GOP game plan for the November election is to make September 11 and the war on terror the dominant consideration for voters, rather than […]

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DOES THE PUBLIC BELIEVE INHOFE’S HYPE? Public Is Split on Whether Media Exaggerate Global Warming Threat; Though Compared to 1997, More Americans Now Believe that the Media Downplays Global Warming

Yesterday, Senator James Inhofe, Chair of the Committee on Public Works & the Environment, issued a challenge to journalists to stop what he called the “media hype” over global warming. […]

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SO MUCH FOR FAMILY VALUES: Inhofe Attacks Andrew Revkin’s New Book for Kids; NY Times Journalist Responds By Way of His Blog and Book Site

Just to show you how out of touch Inhofe and his staff are in their attack on the media, they even label as alarmist Andrew Revkin of the NY Times. […]

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WHO IS SCARING WHO? Case Made By Ohio State Political Scientist That Terrorism Threat is Overblown

As Inhofe attacks the media for exaggerating the threat of global warming, the GOP continues to pursue its election strategy of making terrorism and the memory of 9/11 the defining […]

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‘I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO A CHRISTIAN FLAG’: Release of ‘Jesus Camp’ Demonstrates Power of a Documentary to Shape News Agenda and Framing; Film Sparks News Focus on Evangelical Movement and the Indoctrination of Kids

Email list servs and blogs aren’t the only things buzzing about the new documentary ‘Jesus Camp,’ (trailer) which opens in major cities this weekend, including here in D.C. The news […]

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STATE OF DENIAL: Woodward Amplifies Framing of a Dogmatic President Out-of-Touch with Reality; Interpretation Traces Back to Katrina as the Catalyst

Everyone here in D.C. is talking about Bob Woodward’s State of Denial, as the book’s insider accounts continue to dominate the news cycle this week. Woodward’s impact offers a leading […]

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MORE CONTEXT ON THE INHOFE HYPE: CJR Daily References Framing Science as Source in Reaction to Senator’s Attack on the Messenger

Last week, the online news section of the Columbia Journalism Review ran this very useful reaction to Senator Inhofe’s attack on journalists covering global warming, referencing the analysis posted here.

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STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION IN THE FOLEY CASE: If You Were a Republican, and Wanted This Scandal Over, What Should You Do? Lanny Davis On Framing the Story Before Your Opponents Do

Lanny Davis, former White House counsel under Clinton, veteran of the Monica Lewinsky wars, and a recognized expert on crisis communication was on NPR this morning, offering some very valuable […]

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CAN INTELLIGENT DESIGN GO GLOBAL? Pope’s Continued Mixed Messages Allow Conservatives to Frame Appeals that Resonate with Catholic Audiences Internationally

Following Pope Benedict’s late August seminar on evolution, the consensus view from Science magazine and intelligent design watchdogs appeared to be that the Vatican was not yet ready to endorse […]

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PRESENTATION TOMORROW AT AAAS HQ: Research Shows That the Public Relies on Frames and Values to Make Sense of Policy Debates; Challenges Common Assumptions About What is Effective Science Communication

For those in the DC area, tomorrow I will be giving the following presentation at AAAS HQ as part of the Science Policy Alliance speaker series. Breakfast is at 730 […]

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FRAMING AS A PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT TOOL: Slides from AAAS Talk Posted Online, Close to 200 Fill Auditorium for Science Policy Speaker Series

Turn out at this morning’s presentation at AAAS approached 200, and it looked like the auditorium was completely full. It’s a sign that interest in framing as a public engagement […]

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YOU TUBE AS STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION: Video Site Emerges as New Vehicle for Targeting Audiences; Examples Include Magnifying the Inhofe Hype; Targeting Teens with Anti-Drug Commercials; and Promoting Documentaries

YouTube is quickly emerging as a new tool for strategic communication. Uses include promoting documentaries by posting trailers and news clips (see this post on Jesus Camp), reaching bigger audiences […]

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CHEVY SILVERADO AD PRIMES 9/11 AND PATRIOTISM: Truck Commercial with John ‘Cougar’ Mellencamp Makes Terrorist Attacks Salient For Viewers Just Before Election; Boosts GOP Strategy to Define the Criteria Voters Use

You know you have reached a new ethical low in advertising when 9/11 is now fair game for selling commercial products, much less pickup trucks.But for those who haven’t caught […]

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WHAT DOES THE PUBLIC THINK OF BUSH ON GLOBAL WARMING? For Republicans, the Issue Polls Way Behind Flag Burning and the Inheritance Tax in Importance; But Overall, the Public Rates the President’s Job Performance on Global Warming as Miserable

As usual, global warming is no where close to being a major topic of debate in the upcoming election, despite the fact that 2006 will be a historic high in […]

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CLONING, YOU-TUBE, AND ROBERT NOVAK: Columnist Opens by Referencing ‘Missourians Against Human Cloning’ Video on YouTube; Political Ad Frames Missouri Constitutional Amendment as Really About Public Accountability

Last week, I detailed the growing use of YouTube as a strategic communication tool. Now, in today’s Chicago Sun Times, Washington Post, and in other papers across the country, there […]

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DEMS’ COMMON GOOD VS. THE REPUBLICANS’ RADICAL INDIVIDUALISM: Democratic Strategists Converge on Frame Device that Immediately Communicates Party Ideals

How do you communicate the underlying meaning and values of a political party with a single word or phrase? Republicans have boiled it down to “national security, tax relief, and […]

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AAAS NEWS SUMMARY ON “FRAMING SCIENCE” TALK

I have been meaning to type up a brief summary of last week’s talk at AAAS HQ here in DC. The presentation packed the auditorium with a crowd of about […]

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IS THE GOP STANDING IN THE WAY OF PROGRESS? Why the Fox Stem Cell Ad is Such an Effective Frame Device

It’s been a long and very busy week on campus, with several major articles in the works, and midterm grading in full swing. Yet I had to weigh in briefly […]

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SLIGHT MAJORITY OF PUBLIC DISAPPROVES OF BUSH STEM CELL VETO: 58% Disapproval Parallels Level of Support for ESC Research In Independent Polls; Reaction to Veto in 2006 Contrasts with Majority Support for 2001 Bush Compromise Announcement

Gallup has released poll findings indicating that 58% of the public disagrees with the Bush veto decision. This finding is not surprising, since it closely parallels the level of public […]

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CLIMATE SCIENTISTS CREATE NEWS PEG ABOUT THE RELEVANCE OF COASTAL DEVELOPMENT: Example of How Scientists Can Make Input on Policy Newsworthy; NY Times Covers Statement; But Other Media So Far Are Silent

Ten climate scientists who disagree about the linkages between global warming and more intense hurricanes have released a joint statement warning that regardless of the resolution of the scientific debate, […]

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RESURRECTING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST: Mel Gibson’s Recent Remarks About Jews Renew Attention to The Passion’s Possible Audience Effects

With Mel Gibson’s DWI arrest and associated comments about Jews, re-newed attention has been focused on the content and possible effects of Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. The film […]

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THE NEXT BIG STORM: Article Examines News Coverage of the Hurricane-Global Warming Debate; Suggests Ways Scientists and Journalists Can Work Together to Improve Coverage

With Chris Mooney, over at Skeptical Inquirer Online, we have a lengthy article evaluating coverage of the hurricane-global warming debate. We interviewed the major science writers, columnists, and political reporters […]

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WARM WORDS AND CLIMATE PORN: Labour-Leaning British Think Tank Conducts Discourse Analysis of UK Climate Change News Coverage; Criticizes Media for Over-Dramatizing to Capture Audience Attention While Offering Few Meaningful Policy Options

A study released this week by the Institute for Public Policy Research, a left-leaning British think tank, criticizes the UK media for engaging in a dominant “alarmist” interpretation of global […]

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GORE FAVORABLE RATINGS REMAIN UNCHANGED SINCE 2002: Evidence Argues Against Speculation That ‘Truth’ Has Reinvented the VP in the Public’s Mind; Supports Hypothesis that ‘Truth’ Draws A Strongly Like-Minded Audience

Gallup has released a poll report detailing trends in Gore’s favorability ratings, indicating that despite the speculation that Inconvenient Truth has morphed the image of the VP in the public’s […]

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POLL REVIEW ON HURRICANE-GLOBAL WARMING LINK: Roughly 65% of Public Believes Global Warming is Either a Minor or Major Cause of Severe Hurricanes

Since last fall, poll questions across surveys have tapped public belief in the link between hurricanes and global warming. In this post, I provide a round up of poll findings […]

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SURVEY OF ENVIRO REPORTING ACROSS FOUR REGIONS: Pacific NW Most Likely to Feature Enviro Beat; Few Cover Area Full-Time; Compared to Public & All Journalists, Enviro Reporters More Likely to Be Political Independents; Local Agencies, Groups Top Sources

In the latest issue of the journal Science Communication, David Sachsman, James Simon, and JoAnn Valenti report on their findings from a census survey of environmental reporters across the Pacific […]

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BEYOND THE BUZZ: Understanding Science Blogs and Their Impact; Panel Discussion Sponsored by DC Science Writers

For readers in the Beltway, I will be presenting at this upcoming panel on blogging sponsored by the DC Science Writers Association. It’s free if you don’t plan to partake […]