Revisiting the Nexus of Science, Politics, Media, and Publics Amid Digital and Societal Transformations

Digitalization and societal transformations have reshaped the relations between science, politics, media, and publics. Their relations have become increasingly dynamic, driven by the emergence of technological innovations such as social media and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as by shifting policy and societal expectations, including growing demands for universities’ accountability and for the practical relevance of research (Fürst et al., 2022; Weingart, 2022). Although digitalization has changed and diversified the ways in which publics encounter information about science, news media continue to be important sources of information (Mede et al., 2025). In parallel, whereas science journalism has faced cuts in staff and resources, university communication and public relations have expanded, and the range of actors involved in science communication has widened (Volk et al., 2025). Scientific organizations and scientists increasingly use social media platforms to communicate about science and engage with various publics and stakeholders but often fall short of realizing their full potential for participation and dialogue (Guenther et al., 2023; Sörensen et al., 2023). Meanwhile, the use of AI affects not only the production and communication of scientific knowledge but also how citizens search for and use science-related information (Kessler et al., 2025).

Societal crises—such as climate change, pandemics, and geopolitical conflicts—further intensify those dynamics by challenging established boundaries between scientists, activists, and policymakers (Post & Bienzeisler, 2024), amplifying the public visibility of science and scientists (Joubert et al., 2022), and raising questions about the quality of science communication and public trust in science (Schröder & Guenther, 2025). Digitalization and societal challenges have also transformed how science is conducted, namely by fostering participatory and transformative research while simultaneously fueling the mediatization of science (Wagenknecht et al., 2021; Weingart, 2022).

Against that background, we invite empirical, theoretical, historical, and methodological contributions that analyze the nexus of science, politics, media, and publics—at individual, organizational, and/or societal levels—and that advance our understanding of how digitalization, societal transformations, and crises catalyze changes in those interrelations.

We welcome perspectives and research foci including but not limited to:

• Public perceptions of, engagement with, and trust in science;
• The politicization of science and the scientification/epistemization of politics;
• Media representations of scientific expertise, uncertainty, and contested knowledge, as well as changes brought about by AI;
• The effects of public discourses, visibility, and reputation-seeking on universities, scientists, and scientific knowledge production (e.g., the mediatization of science);
• Societal crises and their impact on science–politics–media–audience relations;
• The role of transdisciplinary and transformative research, including citizen science and participatory approaches.

References

Fürst, S., Volk, S. C., Schäfer, M. S., Vogler, D., & Sörensen, I. (2022). Assessing changes in the public communication of higher education institutions: A survey of leaders of Swiss universities and colleges. Studies in Communication Sciences, 22(3), 515–534. https://doi.org/10.24434/j.scoms.2022.03.3489

Guenther, L., Wilhelm, C., Oschatz, C., & Brück, J. (2023). Science communication on Twitter: Measuring indicators of engagement and their links to user interaction in communication scholars’ Tweet content. Public Understanding of Science, 32(7), 860–869. https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625231166552

Joubert, M., Guenther, L., & Rademan, L. (2022). Expert voices in South African mass media during the Covid-19 pandemic. South African Journal of Science, 118(5/6), Article 12480. https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2022/12480

Kessler, S. H., Mahl, D., Schäfer, M. S., & Volk, S. C. (2025). Science communication in the age of Artificial Intelligence: Editorial. Journal of Science Communication, 24(2), Article E. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.24020501

Mede, N. G., Cologna, V., Berger, S., Besley, J. C., Brick, C., Joubert, M., Maibach, E. W., Mihelj, S., Oreskes, N., Schäfer, M. S., van der Linden, S., Aziz, N. I. A., Abdulsalam, S., Shamsi, N. A., Aczel, B., Adinugroho, I., Alabrese, E., Aldoh, A., Alfano, M., . . . Zwaan, R. A. (2025). Public communication about science in 68 countries: Global evidence on how people encounter and engage with information about science. Science Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10755470251376615

Post, S., & Bienzeisler, N. (2024). The honest broker versus the epistocrat: Attenuating distrust in science by disentangling science from politics. Political Communication, 41(5), 763–785. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2024.2317274

Schröder, J. T., & Guenther, L. (2025). Mediating trust in content about science: Assessing trust cues in digital media environments. Public Understanding of Science, 34(8), 1046–1065. https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625251337709

Sörensen, I., Fürst, S., Vogler, D., & Schäfer, M. S. (2023). Higher education institutions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: Comparing Swiss universities’ social media communication. Media and Communication, 11(1), 264–277. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i1.6069

Volk, S. C., Vogler, D., Fürst, S., & Schäfer, M. S. (2025). The plurivocal university: Typologizing the diverse voices of a research university on social media. Public Understanding of Science, 34(3), 270–290. https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625241268700

Wagenknecht, K., Woods, T., Nold, C., Rüfenacht, S., Voigt-Heucke, S., Caplan, A., Hecker, S., & Vohland, K. (2021). A question of dialogue? Reflections on how citizen science can enhance communication between science and society. Journal of Science Communication, 20(03), Article A13. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.20030213

Weingart, P. (2022). Trust or attention? Medialization of science revisited. Public Understanding of Science, 31(3), 288–296. https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625211070888

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