Vice Directora de CienciaPR Dra. Mónica Feliú Mójer presentará en conferencia
65th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association

Scientific Communication: Challenges for Local Media in the Digital Age
Sun, May 24, 9:00 to 10:15, Caribe Hilton, Tropical C
Mass media and the Internet are the public’s main source of information about science, health and technology. Specifically, the Internet has created multiple platforms and avenues for contact and communication, but the public tends not to recognize the difference between quantity and quality of information, and between scientific information, and pseudoscientific and conspiratorial content. Although it is very difficult to control what people read on the Internet, the Puerto Rican media can and should continue their historic role of educating the public. However, even in local media you can find reports and opinion columns without any scientific basis. Unfortunately, very few local media have staff with the expertise to assure that the content to be published is scientifically accurate. Just as unfortunate is the lack of access to scientists with the proper expertise. This pushes scientists to be more visible and accessible to media, so that they can help reporters and editors to develop science and health content that is both informative and reliable. In order to facilitate the interaction between scientists and the media, and to promote quality science communication, Ciencia Puerto Rico (CienciaPR, www.cienciapr.org) has established local and international media collaborations. In this paper, we will describe the creation of science articles, podcasts, blogs, and scientist profiles whose goal is to provide a counterbalance to “news” that can are overhyped and that have little scientific rigor. Using a phenomenological approach within a qualitative framework, we described the interactions between CienciaPR and the media outlets we collaborate with, as well as interactions between media, their science reporting (both scientific and pseudoscientific), and the public.