Current Changes in the Relationship Between Scientists and Journalists. A Systematic Literature Review

Events such as the climate crisis, developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and the COVID-19 pandemic, compel interaction between researchers and journalists to inform citizens and increase public understanding of science. This literature review provides an in-depth analysis of publications about the changing relationship between researchers and journalists. The analysis is based on two main trends which impact science-media interactions, changing media landscapes and medialisation of science. We find that the roles of both researchers and journalists have diversified in response to increased competition and increased time pressure for the science journalism profession. The combination of the two trends may cause journalists to increasingly depend on strategic communication from researchers and public relations departments of scientific organizations, which could reduce the quality of science journalism. Additional research is recommended, in particular regarding how journalists and researchers can ensure science journalism of good quality with an emphasis on analysing understudied countries and recent developments in generative AI.