Matthew Nisbet
Professor of Communication at Northeastern University.
nisbetmc
Posts by this author
September 12, 2006
For readers in the Beltway, I will be presenting at this upcoming panel on blogging sponsored by the DC Science Writers Association. It's free if you don't plan to partake in the food and beverages before hand. Here's the scoop on what I will be discussing, followed by details on the full event…
September 2, 2006
In the latest issue of the journal Science Communication, David Sachsman, James Simon, and JoAnn Valenti report on their findings from a census survey of environmental reporters across the Pacific Northwest, New England, the South, and Rocky Mountain regions.
Here are some key findings from the…
August 23, 2006
Since last fall, poll questions across surveys have tapped public belief in the link between hurricanes and global warming. In this post, I provide a round up of poll findings in chronological order starting last year just after Katrina hit.
The impacts of Katrina and Rita received saturation…
August 4, 2006
Gallup has released a poll report detailing trends in Gore's favorability ratings, indicating that despite the speculation that Inconvenient Truth has morphed the image of the VP in the public's mind, there has been little change in public evaluations. (Go here and watch an ad, to access the…
August 4, 2006
A study released this week by the Institute for Public Policy Research, a left-leaning British think tank, criticizes the UK media for engaging in a dominant "alarmist" interpretation of global warming. This alarmist interpretation is characterized by an inflated sense of urgency and "cinematic…
August 3, 2006
With Chris Mooney, over at Skeptical Inquirer Online, we have a lengthy article evaluating coverage of the hurricane-global warming debate. We interviewed the major science writers, columnists, and political reporters who have written about the topic, we also interviewed several of the major…
August 2, 2006
With Mel Gibson's DWI arrest and associated comments about Jews, re-newed attention has been focused on the content and possible effects of Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. The film depicts the high priest Caiaphas as leading an angry, bloodthirsty Jewish mob demanding the death of Jesus, and…
July 27, 2006
Ten climate scientists who disagree about the linkages between global warming and more intense hurricanes have released a joint statement warning that regardless of the resolution of the scientific debate, hurricanes remain a serious threat, and that policymakers need to rethink coastal…
July 26, 2006
Gallup has released poll findings indicating that 58% of the public disagrees with the Bush veto decision. This finding is not surprising, since it closely parallels the level of public support measured in independent polls for ESC research using left over embryos.
It is interesting to compare…
July 24, 2006
I run against the tastes of my generation in that I have never been much of a fan of Comedy Central's The Daily Show. As a recent study finds, I have always believed that the show serves a damaging displacement function, with many viewers relying on Stewart as their only source of political news…
July 23, 2006
The Bush administration isn't the only government opposing the expansion of publicly-funded ESC research. This week, Germany joined with Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Malta and Slovenia in opposing a EU proposal to allow public funding for ESC research on embryos left over from in vitro…
July 22, 2006
Below I provide an overview of the Editorials printed at the national and major regional newspapers. Without exception, the newspapers denounce Bush's decision. Most go with the "moral inconsistency" angle: why prevent research that could save lives when the left over embryos at IVF clinics…
July 20, 2006
I'm sorting through all the news coverage this week, and will be having posts forthcoming summarizing the major frames and narratives that appeared in Editorials, Op-Eds, soundbites, and news coverage, but to start, the most stunning outcome from yesterday's veto was to witness the clear dominance…
July 17, 2006
Previously I posted that journalists and news organizations have a "limited carrying capacity," meaning that they can't pay attention to all issues all the time, so that when one issue or set of issues rise in attention, other issues are bumped from coverage.
The relationship is relevant as…
July 15, 2006
The political debate over stem cell research in Australia is following a pattern similar to the controversy in the U.S. This week, after Australian PM John Howard announced that he would support a continued Federal ban on medical cloning, a decision at odds with the recommendations of a recent…
July 13, 2006
Last week was the ten year anniversary of the birth of the cloned sheep Dolly. Looking around for good examples of visual framing for a course I teach in Political Communication, I came across this classic comparison between the cover stories that ran at Scientific American and the German weekly…
July 13, 2006
The media, policy, and public agenda can be said to have a "limited carrying capacity." Since neither news organizations,members of Congress, nor the public can devote equal amounts of resources and attention to all issues, the rise in attention to one issue on the news agenda, is likely to bump…
July 12, 2006
Just released this afternoon....
FRIST ANNOUNCES STEM CELL VOTE SCHEDULE
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D., (R-Tenn.) today announced the following schedule for voting on stem cell legislation (S. 3504, S. 2754, and H.R. 810): "The Senate will take up the three stem…
July 12, 2006
Over at Nanopublic, my colleague Dietram Scheufele, currently on holiday in Germany, follows-up on the German pharmaceutical campaign I highlighted on my old blog back in January. The ad campaign makes effective use of the SOCIAL PROGRESS frame to promote public belief in the value of research.…
July 10, 2006
From the Denver Post, and highlighted on Drudge:
President Bush will likely cast the first veto of his presidency if the Senate, as expected, passes legislation to expand federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, White House aide Karl Rove said today. "The president is emphatic about this…
July 10, 2006
Global warming is tapping the cultural zeit geist, with 2006 on track to smash an all-time record for news attention (more on this soon), and various film and TV events trying to raise public attention to the issue. The latest, reports the Washington Post today, is a Discovery Channel documentary…
July 10, 2006
In yesterday's Washington Post, David Broder focused on the Wisc. Governor race, and the ability of Democratic incumbent Jim Doyle to re-define stem cell research around economic development in the state. The framing strategy is putting pressure on GOP candidate and U.S. Rep. Mark Green, who…
July 10, 2006
In an editorial in the latest issue of BIOSCIENCE magazine, editor Timothy M. Beardsley discusses the importance of framing when it comes to communication strategy, and highlights some of the points I raised in a recent presentation at the annual meetings of the American Institute of Biological…
July 10, 2006
According to BoxOfficeMojo, the weekend take for Inconvenient Truth dropped to $1.16 million this week, down from $1.597 million last week, $2.016 million two weeks back, and $1.9 million three weeks ago. In total, the film has grossed $15,039,000, placing it fourth all time among documentaries…
July 8, 2006
The journal Nature runs a story on the 50 most visited science-related blogs as ranked by Technorati. Only evolution stands out as a dominant special focus, though several very popular blogs are specific to climate change. More on this forthcoming, particularly the media-impact of these blogs.
July 5, 2006
Today marks the ten year anniversary of the birth of the cloned sheep Dolly, and the anniversary comes as Congress debates various bills impacting funding for embryonic stem cell research (NPR files two reports today, here and here.)
Despite ten years of debate over therapeutic and reproductive…
July 3, 2006
It appears that while audiences continue to go see Inconvenient Truth, some of the excitement has worn off. According to BoxOffice Mojo, the film opened in 73 more theaters this weekend, bringing its total to 587, still a tiny number compared to the 3000 screens that blockbusters run on. Across…
July 1, 2006
There are two dominant ways we view the role of the news media in the U.S., with both views reflected in the traditions of classical sociology. The first perspective emphasizes the "power and persuasion" nature of the news. When we think of the media as a campaign tool, as a vehicle for elites to…
June 29, 2006
There are two generalizable findings on influencing behavior change. First, citizens are more likely to get involved politically if they see members of their peer group or social group getting involved. In other words, the choice to participate may be as simple as doing something that everyone…
June 28, 2006
One of the critiques of Inconvenient Truth that has emerged is that Gore spends a lot of time warning viewers about global warming, but strays from actually providing concrete suggestions for policy action. Some have argued that this reflects his eye on the Presidential race in 2008, and that…