Combining university public relations and science communication: Tensions and Opportunities

The video abstract is presented by Miguel Vissers who is a doctoral scholarship holder at the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Antwerp (Belgium). He is a member of the research groups ’Media & ICT in Organisations and Society (MIOS)’ and ’Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)’. Contact email: [email protected]

About the Paper

Actual Research Paper Title: Surfing the COVID-19 news waves: a Belgian case study of science communication and public relations with university press releases.

Authors: Miguel Vissers, Steve Paulussen, & Gert-Jan de Bruijn

Publication date: Oct 14, 2024

Abstract

Press releases remain an important link between academia and the media. While science communication is a goal of universities, public relations is also becoming increasingly salient. The press release, as a significant tool for both science communication and institutional public relations, means that the fields are entwined, prompting us to propose viewing science communication and public relations on a continuum. Based on a quantitative content analysis of all press releases sent out by a Belgian university during the COVID-19 pandemic we show what this university communicates about and identify how science communication can be used for public relation purposes and vice versa.

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