Abstract (eng)
Scientific knowledge is a key issues in decision making processes, for policy makers as well as for democratic societies. As scientific information is very complex, the communication of such topics presents a challenge.
This piece of work investigates, in a qualitative approach, how complex scientific issues can be communicated best. A case study of conservation-communication gives an insight into practical communication processes. In specific, this study searches for the major communication models, instruments and channels that are used in order to mediate complex information of scientific background. Therefore I focus on the fields of PR- communication, lobbying and science journalism. The scientific basis of this thesis is founded by 8 interviews with prominent experts, from Austria as well as from Germany.
Results show, that PR-communication operates with complex bidirectional approaches, in order to convey delicate scientific knowledge to their target groups. The complexity of communication is modulated depending upon specific audiences and defined communication targets. Science journalism in mass media provides the opportunity to seed complex information to a broad public in a comprehensible format. However science journalism requires a set of prerequisites that is only provided by quality public media and some high quality private media.
Conservationists apply different communication instruments and strategies depending upon which target group they address. Popular media, counter intuitive, represents only a small share of all communication efforts. Media communication is mostly handled by rather simple PR-activities. What’s more, science journalism supports efforts of conservation communication, however it is hardly influenced by PR-measures and acts rather independently. Conservation experts focus on lobbying: political communication as well as communication to public authorities. Lobbying is highly demanding, concerning especially the need of high scientific-knowledge as well as personal contacts of the involved conservationists. Excellent information management, political independency, trust building, relationship building and a high reputation are mandatory for success in lobbying. The example of a WWF campaign shows how diverse conservationists communicate in practice: the campaign integrates fundraising-marketing, targeted PR- activities, lobbying, negotiations and cooperation with authorities on an expert-level – all targeted to accomplish a certain conservation goal.
Finally several critical factors of success can be deduced for the communication of complex conservation issues: adjustment of communication strategy to the target, use of target group centered approaches in communication, building and maintenance of trust relationships in lobbying and media contact, information management and expertise in order to persuade, identification and approach of multipliers, maintance of independence in science and in terms of political affiliation, creation of links that help one’s audience to identify with the communicated subject, use emotions in combination with scientific knowledge.