Informal Learning Through Science Media Usage

This article reviews current research on informal science learning through news media. Based on a descriptive model of media-based science communication we distinguish between (a) the professional routines by which journalists select and depict scientific information in traditional media and (b) the psychological processes that account for how media recipients select, process and integrate such information. We argue that science literacy and media literacy in laypersons can be promoted by combining insights from the research on mass media production, laypersons’ reception processes and the interplay of both. Moreover, we point out potential obstacles and biases in the process of science communication and suggest strategies to prevent such problems using media-based elements of science communication. Focusing on “traditional” news media in the main parts of the article, we conclude with reflections on how online sources might change the interplay between information demand and supply.