Media & Mass Communication, Volume 2, 2013

Rezumat: Viewers of science television programs need sophisticated epistemological beliefs to better understand the represented scientific knowledge of molecular medicine. Although some research studies measured the different epistemological dimensions of such beliefs of pupils, teachers and adults, no study ever addressed actual media content as representing epistemological dimensions. Furthermore, journalists apply typical depiction styles that are defined here as media frames. The question remains if these frames interact with depicted epistemological dimensions. This is why this paper investigates frames and the coverage of epistemological dimensions in a full sample of German science television programs of the years 2008 and 2009 on molecular medicine (n = 204); which is a suitable domain for this research as it is an important new scientific field and at the same time hard to understand by the average recipients. Results of a content analysis identified three frames of molecular medicine that represent typical depiction styles of science journalists. According to the depicted epistemological dimensions of coverage about molecular medicine first insights into the certainty, simplicity, sources and justification of knowledge are presented. Epistemological dimensions significantly interact with the frames of molecular medicine. Findings indicate which journalistic depiction style is presumably able to promote sophisticated epistemological beliefs of recipients the best.