Science Stories: Risk, Power and Perceived Emphasis

This study investigates the relationship between readers' perceptions of story emphasis and the degrees of risk from and control over science and technology developments felt by readers. Contrary to expectations, respondents saw scientific and technological developments as higher in risk and with outcomes less under their control when they read stories that emphasized the social and political over the scientific and technical aspects of these developments. Exploratory research bearing on the validity of the powerfulness scale used is also reported.