01734nam a2200193 i 4500008004100000020002100041040000800062082001600070100002300086245009700109260003200206300003100238336002700269337002800296338002500324500002000349520114800369650002301517240120s1998    xx a          001 0 und d  a9-780415-51051-6  aGCL  a501.41bBUC10aBucchi, Massimiano10aScience and the Media :bAlternative routes in scientific communication /cMassimiano Bucchi  bRoutledge,aCanada :c1998.  a195 pages  :bpbk.c22 cm.  atextbrdacontent2text  aunmediatedbn2rdamedia  avolumebnc2rdarrier  aincludes index.  aIn the days of global warming and BSE, science is increasingly a public issue. This book provides a theoretical framework which allows us to understand why and how scientists address the general public. The author develops the argument that turning to the public is not simply a response to inaccurate reporting by journalists or to public curiosity, nor a wish to gain recognition and additional funding. Rather, it is a tactic to which the scientific community are pushed by certain "internal" crisis situations. Bucchi examines three cases of scientists turning to the public: the cold fusion case, the COBE/Big Bang issue and Louis Pasteur's public demonstration of the anthrax vaccine, a historical case of "public science." Finally, Bucchi presents his unique model of communications between science and the public, carried out through the media. This is a thoughtful and wide-ranging treatment of complex contemporary issues, touching upon the history and sociology of science, communication and media studies. Bucchi's theories on scientific communication in the media are a valuable contribution to the current debate on this subject.  aMass Communication