Science virale : comment la COVID-19 a changé la représentation médiatique de la science

Abstract

Background: Media representations of science have changed little over the past few decades, despite numerous calls for their enrichment. Analysis: The shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how the media represent science. This computational analysis of two large samples (news articles and Facebook posts) from French language news media in Canada describes and quantifies these changes. Conclusions and implications: Science has been more present in the media. It has generated more public interactions. It has become more associated with political regulation and more explicitly uncertain. Indeed, the authors measure a 20 to 25 percent shift on these variables.