Scholars on air: academics and the broadcast media in Britain

LSE GV314 Group (2014) Scholars on air: academics and the broadcast media in Britain. British Politics, 9. pp. 363-384. ISSN 1746-918X

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Abstract

How difficult is it for political scientists in Britain to engage with the mass media and what benefits can they expect from it? On the basis of a survey of academics from all disciplines who appear frequently on the broadcast media, a second survey of political scientists and interviews with academics, journalists and producers we examine how often UK academics appear on the media, how they manage to get invited to appear and what they talk about over the airwaves. The evidence points among other things to the predominantly passive role of scholars, especially social scientists, as media commentators and the limited opportunities that traditional broadcast media offer for research dissemination. If getting research out to a wider audience is a key goal of media engagement, then blog posts appear to be more effective than seeking radio or TV coverage. The article goes on to explore the implications of the results for the wider normative debate about the need for academics to engage with the public through the media.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://www.palgrave-journals.com/bp/index.html
Additional Information:	© 2014 Palgrave
Divisions:	Government
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1990 Broadcasting
Date Deposited:	06 Oct 2014 08:50
Last Modified:	01 Nov 2024 05:25
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/59607

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