This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (16) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Anderson, A. Articles by Wilkinson, C. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The Framing of Nanotechnologies in the British Newspaper Press

University of Plymouth

Stuart Allan

University of the West of England, Bristol

Alan Petersen

Clare Wilkinson

University of Plymouth

This article investigates how developments in nanotechnology were framed in the British national newspaper press during a formative period in their rising public salience. Specifically, an intervention by Prince Charles in April 2003 is shown to have acted as the principal catalyst for much of the ensuing newspaper reporting over the next fifteen months. This study, in taking as its focus the operation of specific news frames, identifies a range of factors that shaped the initial terms of the subsequent debate (between both advocates and critics of nanotechnology) from one newspaper to the next during this period. The analysis suggests that the involvement of a celebrity may play a crucial role in enhancing the newsworthiness of an issue and influencing its subsequent framing in the newspaper press.

Key Words: nanotechnology • science journalism • news frames • news sources • celebrity • science fiction

Science Communication, Vol. 27, No. 2, 200-220 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1075547005281472


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Petersen, A. Anderson, S. Allan, and C. Wilkinson Opening the black box: scientists' views on the role of the news media in the nanotechnology debate Public Understanding of Science, September 1, 2009; 18(5): 512 - 530. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. Valerie Burri Coping with uncertainty: Assessing nanotechnologies in a citizen panel in Switzerland Public Understanding of Science, September 1, 2009; 18(5): 498 - 511. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. S. Schafer From Public Understanding to Public Engagement: An Empirical Assessment of Changes in Science Coverage Science Communication, June 1, 2009; 30(4): 475 - 505. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. Landau, C. R. Groscurth, L. Wright, and C. M. Condit Visualizing nanotechnology: the impact of visual images on lay American audience associations with nanotechnology Public Understanding of Science, May 1, 2009; 18(3): 325 - 337. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C. E. Clarke A Question of Balance: The Autism-Vaccine Controversy in the British and American Elite Press Science Communication, September 1, 2008; 30(1): 77 - 107. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. F. E. Ebeling Mediating Uncertainty: Communicating the Financial Risks of Nanotechnologies Science Communication, March 1, 2008; 29(3): 335 - 361. [Abstract] [PDF]