An argument-based model for public interest communication

In this paper, we introduce a general-purpose model to categorize, quantify and analyse the impact of public interest communication on target audiences. The model maps the central elements of a communication campaign such as the information flow it generates and the interaction with the beliefs, values and expectations of its target audiences. Since communication campaigns are based on arguments, we leverage on formal argumentation to specify its main ingredients and to understand the multifaceted ways a campaign can impact the beliefs of a target audience. As its main contribution, this work introduces a novel quantitative framework for value-based argumentation, in line with mainstream theories of human values, where vectors are employed to represent a multi-dimensional spectrum of values influencing audience perception and response.