title: Science communication as political communication.
abstract: Scientific debates in modern societies often blur the lines between the science that is being debated and the political, moral, and legal implications that come with its societal applications. This manuscript traces the origins of this phenomenon to professional norms within the scientific discipline and to the nature and complexities of modern science and offers an expanded model of science communication that takes into account the political contexts in which science communication takes place. In a second step, it explores what we know from empirical work in political communication, public opinion research, and communication research about the dynamics that determine how issues are debated and attitudes are formed in political environments. Finally, it discusses how and why it will be increasingly important for science communicators to draw from these different literatures to ensure that the voice of the scientific community is heard in the broader societal debates surrounding science.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences Communication, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 scheufele@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Dietram A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Scheufele
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods*; D008402:Mass Media / Q000639:trends*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011057:Politics; D011639:Public Opinion; D012586:Science; D012931:Social Environment
keywords: advocacy; deficit model; medialization; motivated reasoning; public attitudes