Do Organizational Interests Interfere with Public Communication of Science? An Explorative Study of Public Relations of Scientific Organizations in Taiwan

Abstract

The relevance of public relations (PR) efforts of scientific organizations for public communication of science is increasingly recognized. PR departments are not mere mediators between scientists and journalists but represent the stakeholder interests of their organizations in the public sphere and are communicative actors themselves. Previous Taiwanese studies focused on university PR in the educational context, whereas the potential function in the communication of research and scientific knowledge received less attention. This study explores how PR departments of academic organizations in Taiwan view their role in the public communication of science. Insights from eleven semistructured interviews with PR officers suggest that public relations departments of academic organizations in Taiwan only half-heartedly contribute to the communication of science. Another interesting finding is that even in the era of social media science, PR still relies heavily on journalism, which in Taiwan lacks professionalism in the communication of science. We suggest a more active role of academic organizations in the public communication of science, pursuing not only marketing or self-presentation goals, but also assuming genuine responsibility for public information about research and scientific knowledge.

Abstract

摘要:科研組織中的公關事務與科學傳播間的關聯性日益受到重視, 因為組織中的公關部門不僅作為科學家與記者的媒介, 亦代表組織主事者對於公共領域的興趣, 同時也是實質的傳播者。 過去, 臺灣對大學公關的研究集中在教育的情境脈絡, 較少關注公關部門在推廣研究成果及科學知識溝通的潛在功能。 據此, 本研究探討臺灣科研組織的公關部門如何看待他們自己在科學公共傳播中所扮演的角色。 透過與十一位公關工作者的半結構化訪談, 可以看出台灣科研組織的公關部門對於為科學傳播作出貢獻興趣缺缺。 另一個有趣的發現是, 即使在社群媒體時代, 台灣的科研公關事務在很大程度上仍依賴缺乏科學傳播專業的傳統新聞媒體。 本研究建議科研組織扮演更積極的角色對公眾傳播科學, 在追求自我推銷及展示的目標之餘, 體認科研組織對於傳播學術研究與科學知識訊息的職責。

• scientists
• scientific organizations
• universities
• public relations
• science communication

• 關鍵詞:科學家
• 科研組織
• 大學
• 公共關係
• 科學傳播

Acknowledgments

We thank all anonymous reviewers for their insightful suggestions on earlier versions of this article. We also thank the PR officers who provided their experience and views on public relations of their organizations for agreeing to our interview requests and for offering their time to participate in this study.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yin-Yueh Lo

Yin-Yueh Lo is an assistant professor in the Department of Communications Management, Shih Hsin University, Taiwan. Her research interests are scientists’ involvement in public communication, and, in particular, their use of new media for public communication. She has worked on international projects and in two countries—Germany and Taiwan—and has been very interested in how scientists’ communication attitudes and practices vary across cultures. Currently, she is involved in research about the public relations activities of universities and research institutes in Taiwan.

Chun-Ju Huang

Chun-Ju Huang is a full professor at the General Education Center of National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan. His research interests are anchored in three themes: public understanding of science, science communication, and general education in the science domain. He has written multiple articles on the Taiwanese media coverage of science, on the development of science communication in Taiwan, and on science in popular culture.

Hans Peter Peters

Hans Peter Peters is communication researcher at the Research Center Jülich and adjunct professor for science journalism at the Free University of Berlin. His scientific interests are in the domain of public communication of science and technology (PCST) and public understanding of science (PUS), with an emphasis on empirical research and international comparisons. His recent research deals with the medialization of science and scientists’ involvement in public communication.