What question did this study set out to answer?

To examine how science journalists conceptualize scientific uncertainty and to identify the primary challenges and strategies they encounter when communicating it to the public.

September 17, 2026Public Understanding of ScienceOpen Access

Communicating scientific uncertainty: Exploring science journalists’ understandings, challenges, and strategies

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Authors

FAFinja Isabel AugsburgUniversity of Erfurt FPFabian ProchazkaUniversity of Erfurt ETEva ThommUniversity of Erfurt

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Implication

Qualitative interview study reveals reporting strategies for scientific uncertainty among science journalists, highlighting trust maintenance as a central challenge.

Key Points

To examine how science journalists conceptualize scientific uncertainty and to identify the primary challenges and strategies they encounter when communicating it to the public.
Conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with science journalists (N=13).
Journalists conceptualize scientific uncertainty as the inability of science to offer simple answers to complex questions due to limited, incomplete, or conflicting evidence.
Uncertainty was found to have a dual role: building trust and clarifying knowledge generation when reported well, but generating public confusion and skepticism when communicated poorly.
Maintaining public trust in science and journalism was identified as the key meta-challenge, managed through nine strategies including contextualizing uncertainty and avoiding artificial controversy.

Cite This Study

Augsburg et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aabb6725f706d05830e4f6c https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625261484418

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Implication

Qualitative interview study reveals reporting strategies for scientific uncertainty among science journalists, highlighting trust maintenance as a central challenge.

Communicating scientific uncertainty: Exploring science journalists’ understandings, challenges, and strategies

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Communicating scientific uncertainty: Exploring science journalists’ understandings, challenges, and strategies

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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