Matthew Nisbet
Professor of Communication at Northeastern University.
nisbetmc
Posts by this author
October 19, 2009
In today's Washington Post, former editor Leonard Downie and communication scholar Michael Schudson preview the release of a major new study on the future of news. Below are some of the key recommendations of the report which reflect similar themes I have described in recent articles and at this…
October 15, 2009
This week Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story ($9.9 million) edged past Ben Stein's Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed ($7.7 million) on the list of top grossing political documentaries. For more on the impact and box office success of Expelled, see this past article I contributed to Skeptical…
October 13, 2009
Tonight, the AU School of Communication's American Forum series focuses on "Change + 1: Are young voters talking back to Obama?" A diverse panel of experts will look not only at how the Millennial generation views Obama personally but also how this age-group views the important issues facing the…
October 2, 2009
Now that Richard Dawkins has a new book out intended to introduce evolutionary science to a wider audience, is he re-framing his message on science and religion to allow for accommodation? It's too early to say based only on comments made during an interview at Newsweek. Josh Rosenau has the…
September 30, 2009
This week, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting released a report on best practices in digital journalism that I co-authored with several colleagues here at American University and the Center for Social Media. Titled Scan and Analysis of Best Practices in Digital Journalism In and Outside U.S.…
September 28, 2009
Earlier this month, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation officially announced its 2009 Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research. Ten projects involving sixteen scholars from the country's top research universities were recipients of grants up to $335,000. For more on the program and awards, see…
September 22, 2009
Michael Moore is in a class by himself when it comes to generating news attention, advance publicity, and box office for his documentary films. For example, when I was in Canada this past week, I picked up the National Post to read a lead front page story defending capitalism against Michael Moore…
September 18, 2009
At Knight Science Tracker, Charlie Petit has the details on one of the first examples of non-profit, localized coverage of science, a trend I have argued is necessary and worthy of investment on the part of universities, foundations, and government agencies.
September 17, 2009
I am in Banff this week participating in a fascinating workshop on the scientific, clinical, ethical, and communication issues related to personalized medicine and genomics. A special issue of the journal Public Health Genomics (formerly Community Genetics) will focus on the themes covered at the…
September 9, 2009
In a provocative article published last year, Nature columnist David Goldston tackled the topic of science and religion, focusing on the implications for public engagement and emerging policy debates. In the column, Goldston used as a backdrop the "Communicating Science in a Religious America"…
August 31, 2009
Over at the Columbia Journalism Review, Curtis Brainard previews some of the major themes and proposed initiatives from a new co-authored paper I have appearing at the American Journal of Botany. The article is scheduled for the October issue as part of a special symposium on science education and…
August 28, 2009
Ted Kennedy endorses Barack Obama for president in a January rally at American University.
As the nation celebrates Senator Ted Kennedy's career and accomplishments, here at American University, Kennedy's influence is tangible and widely felt. In January 2008, when Kennedy endorsed Barack Obama…
August 24, 2009
This semester, I am serving on the search committee for an exciting new tenure track position in science, environmental, and/or health journalism. Our School of Communication at American University is a leading laboratory for professional education, research, and innovation in the fields of…
August 24, 2009
For DC-area readers who have been following the discussion of climate change communication at this blog, you will want to turn out to Ed Maibach's talk tomorrow at the NSF. Details below. For background reading, see Ed's report with colleagues on Global Warming's Six Americas and the resources at…
August 20, 2009
Over the summer, a few stories have appeared speculating about a new "twitter effect" on movie box office success. The technology is thought to speed-up and amplify the traditional word-of-mouth influence. For example, the less than anticipated opening weekend for Bruno is believed to be partially…
August 18, 2009
Last year I gave a strong recommendation to the CBC series by David Caylay "How to Think about Science" which provides listeners with a fascinating introduction to the field of science studies. Now it turns out that the series will be available in book form this October, with the interviews…
August 18, 2009
I have long argued that Francis Collins would make a strong candidate to head the NIH, considering his scientific credentials, his past administrative experience, and his ability to communicate effectively. Unlike some critics, I see his work on the relationship between science and religion as a…
August 12, 2009
As I wrote last week, deliberative forums and town hall-type meetings are one of the major innovations in science communication and engagement. Whether forums are focused on climate change or nanotechnology, research shows a range of positive outcomes both for lay participants and organizers of…
August 11, 2009
Last week I pointed to two edited books released in 2008 that do an outstanding job of synthesizing the relevant issues and research on science communication and public engagement. Here are two more: From Oxford University Press there is a companion set of edited volumes that cover themes related…
August 11, 2009
If you don't already subscribe to the daily round up and real time "peer review" of science coverage assembled by Charlie Petit at the MIT Knight Science Journalism Tracker, you are missing out on one of the Web's great science communication resources.
Things are also likely to get even richer at…
August 10, 2009
The New York Times led their Sunday edition with an article by John Broder focusing on recent Defense department conclusions on the national security risks of climate change. Here's the key takeaway from the article on what it could mean for re-framing the debate over cap and trade legislation for…
August 7, 2009
Last week I participated in a two-day workshop at NSF on climate change education. The meeting brought together researchers in science education, communication, and informal learning; representatives from government agencies such as NOAA, the EPA, and NASA; and organizations such as the American…
August 4, 2009
I recently received copies of two relatively new edited volumes on science communication and public engagement. The volumes include research and perspectives from an interdisciplinary collection of mostly European scholars. I am preparing a review essay on these books for the journal Political…
August 4, 2009
1
Wired Science - Wired Blog
2
Watts Up With That?
3
Climate Progress
4
Environmental Capital
5
Dispatches from the Culture Wars
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TierneyLab - New York Times blog
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Gristmill
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Respectful Insolence
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Effect Measure
10
The Frontal Cortex
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Next Generation Science
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RealClimate
13…
August 4, 2009
As I noted when the Pew science survey was released last month, there was a disturbing tendency among some bloggers and commentators to seize upon the findings as yet more evidence of a "dangerous divide," a "widening disconnect," and a "gulf" between scientists and the public. I summarized some of…
August 4, 2009
One of the overlooked findings of the Pew survey of U.S.-based scientists is that roughly 51% say that they either believe in God (33%) or a higher power (18%) and roughly 30% self-identify as Protestant (20%) or Catholic (10%). The findings cut against a commonly voiced claim by many outspoken…
August 2, 2009
At the WPost today, Dan Morgan contributes an excellent analysis of what he calls the "agracrats," Democratic members of Congress from traditional farm states such as Iowa or Minnesota. As Morgan notes, these representatives have been an influential force in first opposing and then fundamentally…
July 30, 2009
About 400 people packed the classic AFI Theater last night for the NIH-sponsored screening and discussion of Inherit the Wind. Here are a few follow-up notes, especially for attendees logging on looking for more information about topics discussed.
1. As I mentioned last night, perhaps the best…
July 28, 2009
Tomorrow night, watch Spencer Tracy argue in defense of evolution.
For readers in the DC area, tomorrow night at 7pm, the NIH Office of Science Education and the American Film Institute are teaming up to sponsor a screening of Inherit the Wind as part of their summer film series "Science in the…
July 21, 2009
As I noted last week, the Pew survey of scientists finds that more than 50% self-identify as liberals compared to just 20% of the public.
Which then leads to the question: what role does ideology play in shaping scientists' policy preferences relative to science, especially in those areas outside…