Abstract
A significant amount of science coverage can be found nowadays inthe
mass media and is the main source of information about sciencefor
many. Accordingly, the relation between science and the mediahas
been intensively analyzed within the social scientific community.It
is difficult to keep track of this research, however, as a flurryof
studies has been published on the issue. This article providessuch
an overview. First, it lays out the main theoretical modelsof science
communication, that is, the `public understanding of science'and
the `mediatization' model. Second, it describes existing empiricalresearch.
In this section, it demonstrates how science's agenda-buildinghas
improved, how science journalists working routines are described,how
different scientific disciplines are presented in the mass mediaand
what effects these media representations (might) have on theaudience.
Third, the article points out future fields of research.
