Reassessing the concept of a medialization of science: a story from the 'book of life'

摘要

The changing relationship between science and the mass media has been characterized in theory as a medialization of science. This paper argues that the concept of medialization should be further focused by differentiating two dimensions, an increasing media attention for scientific issues on the one hand and an increasing orientation of science towards the media on the other hand. This allows for observing changes with regard to science and the media separately. The concept is then supported empirically for the field of human genome research. British and German print media coverage of the final phase of the human genome sequencing has been studied using a quantitative content analysis. Triggered by its far-reaching implications, its "Big Science" nature and the competition of publicly and privately funded scientists to finish the first drafts of the human genome, human genome research is indicative of the medialization of science. It is therefore likely that the rationalities of the media system gain an influence on the research field or even beyond it.