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How certain is ‘certain’?: Exploring how the English-language media reported the use of calibrated language in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

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How certain is ‘certain’? Exploring how the English-language media reported the use of calibrated language in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report. / Collins, Luke C.; Nerlich, Brigitte.
In: Public Understanding of Science, Vol. 25, No. 6, 01.08.2016, p. 656-673.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Collins, LC & Nerlich, B 2016, 'How certain is ‘certain’? Exploring how the English-language media reported the use of calibrated language in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report', Public Understanding of Science, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 656-673. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662515579626

APA

Collins, L. C., & Nerlich, B. (2016). How certain is ‘certain’? Exploring how the English-language media reported the use of calibrated language in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report. Public Understanding of Science, 25(6), 656-673. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662515579626

Vancouver

Collins LC, Nerlich B. How certain is ‘certain’? Exploring how the English-language media reported the use of calibrated language in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report. Public Understanding of Science. 2016 Aug 1;25(6):656-673. Epub 2015 Apr 6. doi: 10.1177/0963662515579626

Author

Collins, Luke C. ; Nerlich, Brigitte. / How certain is ‘certain’? Exploring how the English-language media reported the use of calibrated language in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report. In: Public Understanding of Science. 2016 ; Vol. 25, No. 6. pp. 656-673.

Bibtex

@article{e6b63f79037a4009854c66777e4e170d,
title = "How certain is {\textquoteleft}certain{\textquoteright}?: Exploring how the English-language media reported the use of calibrated language in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change{\textquoteright}s Fifth Assessment Report",
abstract = "This article presents findings from an analysis of English-language media reports following the publication of the fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Report in September 2013. Focusing on the way they reported the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change{\textquoteright}s use of {\textquoteleft}calibrated{\textquoteright} language, we find that of 1906 articles relating to the issuing of the report only 272 articles (14.27%) convey the use of a deliberate and systematic verbal scale. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change{\textquoteright}s carefully calibrated language was rarely discussed or explicated, but in some instances scientists, political actors or journalists would attempt to contextualise or elaborate on the reported findings by using analogies to other scientific principles or examples of taking action despite uncertainty. We consider those analogies in terms of their efficacy in communicating (un)certainty.",
keywords = "calibrated language, climate change, mass media, metaphor, uncertainty",
author = "Collins, {Luke C.} and Brigitte Nerlich",
year = "2016",
month = aug,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1177/0963662515579626",
language = "English",
volume = "25",
pages = "656--673",
journal = "Public Understanding of Science",
issn = "0963-6625",
publisher = "SAGE Publications Ltd",
number = "6",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - How certain is ‘certain’?

T2 - Exploring how the English-language media reported the use of calibrated language in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report

AU - Collins, Luke C.

AU - Nerlich, Brigitte

PY - 2016/8/1

Y1 - 2016/8/1

N2 - This article presents findings from an analysis of English-language media reports following the publication of the fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Report in September 2013. Focusing on the way they reported the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s use of ‘calibrated’ language, we find that of 1906 articles relating to the issuing of the report only 272 articles (14.27%) convey the use of a deliberate and systematic verbal scale. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s carefully calibrated language was rarely discussed or explicated, but in some instances scientists, political actors or journalists would attempt to contextualise or elaborate on the reported findings by using analogies to other scientific principles or examples of taking action despite uncertainty. We consider those analogies in terms of their efficacy in communicating (un)certainty.

AB - This article presents findings from an analysis of English-language media reports following the publication of the fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Report in September 2013. Focusing on the way they reported the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s use of ‘calibrated’ language, we find that of 1906 articles relating to the issuing of the report only 272 articles (14.27%) convey the use of a deliberate and systematic verbal scale. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s carefully calibrated language was rarely discussed or explicated, but in some instances scientists, political actors or journalists would attempt to contextualise or elaborate on the reported findings by using analogies to other scientific principles or examples of taking action despite uncertainty. We consider those analogies in terms of their efficacy in communicating (un)certainty.

KW - calibrated language

KW - climate change

KW - mass media

KW - metaphor

KW - uncertainty

U2 - 10.1177/0963662515579626

DO - 10.1177/0963662515579626

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:84979740999

VL - 25

SP - 656

EP - 673

JO - Public Understanding of Science

JF - Public Understanding of Science

SN - 0963-6625

IS - 6

ER -