Twitterati and Paperati – evidence versus popular opinion in science communication

Science communication has traditionally been the remit of peer-reviewed journals with information being shared, almost exclusively, within the academic community. For those working at the coalface the limited scope of this traditional discourse in terms of access and consumption by key stakeholders (eg, coaches, National Governing Bodies of sport, sport scientists) is of concern. In fact, traditional peer-reviewed publication does not seem to be the most effective mechanism for scientists to engage with the public and to disseminate knowledge

Blame, Communication, and Morally Responsible Agency

Many important theorists – e.g., Gary Watson and Stephen Darwall – characterize blame as a communicative entity and argue that this entails that morally responsible agency requires not just rational but moral competence. In this paper, I defend this argument from communication against three objections found in the literature. The first two reject the argument’s characterization of the reactive attitudes. The third urges that the argument is committed to a false claim

Taking Demands Out of Blame

The idea that demands are a key constituent of any analysis of the negative reactive attitudes is rarely challenged, enjoying a freedom from scrutiny uncommon in philosophy. In this paper I press on this orthodox view, arguing that there are broadly speaking, three ways in which the term ‘demand’ is used in discussions of the negative reactive attitudes and that each is problematic

The rise and fall of IPRA in Australia: 1959 to 2000

The International Public Relations Association (IPRA) was established in 1955 as the lead international organisation for the development and promotion of public relations as a professional communication practice (L’Etang, 2004). Australian practitioners began their relationship with IPRA in 1959. However, it too three decades before it became intensive over a 15-year period from 1983 to the late 1990s during which time leading individuals took global leadership roles. Drawing from the IPRA archive and recent interviews by the authors with prominent practitioners in Europe and Australia, the paper establishes the narrative of international engagement by the Australian PR sector and explores the aims and effects of its involvement with IPRA in four periods: 1) Early international engagement (1959-1967): London-based Australians occasionally attended IPRA meetings in Europe, but engagement was mostly by correspondence with little evident impact on IPRA or vice versa. 2) The Jon Royce era (early-mid-1980s): Melbourne consultant Jon Royce’s presentation of Australian PR to IPRA in 1983 led to the 11th Public Relations World Congress being awarded to Melbourne for 1988. Royce was IPRA President in 1985 but died in early 1986. 3)IPRA World Congress in Australia: The 1988 IPRA World Congress in Melbourne in Australia’s Bicentenary year is acknowledged in IPRA records as very successful and a significant milestone in the nations’ developing PR industry. Senator Jim Short was praised for his leadership and Sydney consultant Jim Pritchitt joined IPRA’s Council and then Board, after which Australian membership of IPRA soared. 4) Peak membership and leadership (1990s): Pritchitt became Australia’s second IPRA President in 1992. Also during this time, Australians took a lead role in development of the IPRA Gold Paper No.11 on Evaluation (1994). In 1999 IPRA awarded its 2002 World Congress to Tasmania, but was postponed to 2003 and then merged into that year’s Public Relations Institute of Australia National Conference. This failure symbolised the fading influence of IPRA within Australia and internationally. By 2000, Australian membership of IPRA had fallen to 25 from a peak of 78 in 1993. The reasons for the rise and fall are explored in the paper. Based on archival documents and interviews with IPRA members from these periods, it concludes that the impact of IPRA on the development of the Australian public relations sector and Australian influence on IPRA was relatively ephemeral, limited to a decade from 1983 to 1993. Nevertheless, Australian practitioners made use of both the symbolism of international endorsement and international connections established through IPRA to transform the national PR sector from a predominantly local focus to an increasingly international outlook at a time when public relations services were expanding rapidly worldwide

Much Ado about…? A response to Hardy et al

Our response to the Great British Medallist (GBM) study focuses on three concerns. First, we discuss the extent to which the findings presented are actually novel and offer practitioners genuine guidance and information about how to structure talent development pathways. Second, we suggest that a lack of critical consideration of the findings against the considerable body of knowledge that already exists in this domain is a significant limitation. Finally, and most pertinently from a practitioner perspective, we highlight our concerns about the extent to which the findings presented may be prematurely adopted by practitioners without a genuinely appropriate evidence base

Being social: Missing pre-requisites for online engagement, exchange and inclusion

Despite cautionary analyses and critiques by some scholars, cyberoptimism and what Steve Woolgar calls cyberbole continue to characterise much discussion of social media in the context of democratic politics (e-democracy) and citizen engagement and participation, and is evident in claims of emergence of the ‘social organisation’ and ‘social business’. This paper synthesises the findings of three recent research studies, which show that the allegedly democratising social interaction and dialogic affordances of Web 2.0 are not being realised in many applications. Key missing prerequisites for engagement, exchange and inclusion are identified and highlighted as issues for attention in research and practice

Internet media and the public sphere: The 2007 Australian e-electioneering experience

Internet media have come under increasing examination since the early 1990s within a number of theoretical frameworks, including their use and potential influence in the public sphere of political discourse. Increasing use of internet media was identified in the 2000 and 2004 US presidential elections, with the latter being described as 'a critical turning point'. However, the development of what some call 'new media' or 'social media' based on Web 2.0 internet technology has overtaken many findings of previous research. Some of the most popular Web 2.0-based media currently in use were developed after 2004. These technological changes, coinciding with declining television viewing and newspaper readership, suggest that new forms of internet media need ongoing critical review. This paper analyses findings from a study of internet media use in the 2007 Australian federal election and explores their implications in relation to the public sphere

E-Electioneering: Use of new media in the 2007 Australian federal election

Like the 2007-2008 US presidential primaries, the 2007 Australian federal election was described as 'the YouTube election' and an 'internet election' (Media Monitors, 2008). This followed studies of use of what are termed 'new media' for political communication in a number of campaigns including the 2000 US presidential election (Bentivegna, 2002, p. 50) and the 2004 US presidential election which was described as 'a critical turning point' (Xenos and Moy, 2007, p. 704). However, the development of web 2.01 internet media, expanding broadband, and other changes have overtaken many findings of previous research. Some of the most popular new media currently in use were 'invented' post-2004. The rapid rate of technological and social change makes new media research particularly time-bound and indicates that ongoing empirical studies and analysis are needed. This paper contributes to understanding of how new media are used in political communication and how they influence the public sphere (Habermas, 1989, 2006), particularly looking at public interaction and participation (Carpentier, 2007) which have been identified as key features of web 2.0 media and as requirements of an active public sphere, based on findings of a study conducted by the Australian Centre for Public Communication at the University of Technology Sydney during the 2007 Australian federal election