Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

January 4, 2021

Communicating Scientific Uncertainty in an Age of COVID-19: An Investigation into the Use of Preprints by Digital Media Outlets

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An analysis of framing devices used by digital media outlets to emphasize the scientific uncertainty of COVID-19-related pre-prints (e.g., mentioning that the study was a pre-print, unreviewed, preliminary) in the early stages of the pandemic found that news outlets frequently did not identify the research they cited as pre-print research, and instead identified it as simply “research.” Over 40% of stories analyzed did not frame the pre-print as uncertain; of those that did, most included a single framing device—typically stating that the research had not been peer reviewed. Over 90% of stories analyzed included a hyperlink to at least one pre-print. 

Fleerackers et al. (Jan 3, 2021). Communicating Scientific Uncertainty in an Age of COVID-19: An Investigation into the Use of Preprints by Digital Media Outlets. Health Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1864892