Translating Science Into Newspeak Sex Education and Intelligent Design

This journalism master's project includes a professional work component and an analysis component. The professional work component details the author's experiences working as an intern as she puts together a six part series on sex education for the Columbia Missourian. Field notes and samples of work are included. In the analysis component the "intelligent design/evolution debate is dissected as a model for how journalists approach socially-sensitive scientific issues. Following the sentiments of Kovach and Roxenstiel, this research aims to examine how journalists educate the public to make political and civic decisions. Are the journalists conscious of the general education level of their readers? Are the versed in the science of the subject? What sources do they use?" (p. 45) The author explores "how much scientific background and explanatory information is included in stories about scientific issues. Working with the premises set forth by framing theory [she] will try to assess how journalists make decisions to include scientific explanations and how those decisions resonate with the reader" (p. 83) by exploring the coverage of evolution and intelligent design. This section includes a literature review.