The way most experts see it, â??ignorance is at the root of conflict over science,â? write two communication scholars, but many â??ignore the possibility that their communication efforts might be part of the problem.â?
The authorsâ??Matthew C. Nisbet, an assistant professor of communication at American University, and Dietram A. Scheufele, a professor of journalism and mass communication at the University of Wisconsin at Madisonâ??say that for too long, scientists have clung to the â??popular scienceâ? model, which puts the news media in charge of educating the public about science that is controversial, such as embryonic-stem-cell research.