O jornalismo científico como meio de publicização de pesquisas: um estudo de caso nos Institutos Federais do Estado de Goiás

Abstract

Science journalism presents itself in the contemporary scenario as an efficient means for the dissemination of research, especially in public institutions where much of the scientific knowledge is produced, as in the Federal Institutes (FIs) of Education, Science and Technology in Brazil. However, this field is little explored in terms of the journalist’s dialogue with scientists, and studies and products that refer to scientific journalism in these places are incipient. The practice of this specialized journalism is extremely important in contexts that have teaching, research, and extension as pillars. In this sense, this work aims to analyze how science journalism develops for the publication of research in the FIs of the State of Goiás. This case study uses mixed approaches, with qualitative and quantitative elements. Documents were analyzed, such as: Institutional Development Plan, Institutional Pedagogical Project, regulations of Scientific Initiation programs and Research Policies to point out the place of scientific journalism and science communication in these documents. Communication and research managers, journalists and researchers working in scientific initiation were evaluated through interviews (n=30) and questionnaires (n=242), in order to contextualize scientific journalism in the FIs, analyze the perceptions of journalists and researchers, the relationship among them, punctuating expectations and challenges for science communication. Thus, the main results of our study indicated that science journalism is scarcely present in the routine of the communication professionals of these institutions, as the work occurs in an unarticulated way among the research and communication sectors, without planning or a dissemination agenda; the contexts of the two locations are conducive to the development of this work, through cooperation and dialogue among journalists and researchers; and that in order to build the relationships among these two groups. The perspectives are that the research communication can go hand in hand with scientific production, to publicize not only information, but to engage audiences and establish a dialogue between scientists, institutions, and society. We have also prepared a practical guide that provides a basis for starting more incisive work in science communication and science journalism with a focus on communicating science to communities. This is the first study carried out in two FIs simultaneously that goes deep into the theme, through the combination of different data collection instruments.