essay COURSE CITIATIONS ARE ATTACHED
Hachley101
Week5_lecture_Experts.pptxEXPERTS as Claimsmakers
Lecture 5
(Module 5)
Prof Rennie Lee
Social Problems SYG 2010
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Quick announcement
Before we start lecture, short announcement from Florida PIRG students
Opportunities for internships, volunteers, and full-time positions (watch to the end of the video)
Link below to learn more:
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Meet ryann from florida PIRG students
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If you’re interested in learning more, please visit:
Please watch the following video here
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Experts
Whom do we consider to be experts?
What role can they play in claimsmaking?
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Experts
Experts are believed to have specialized knowledge about a particular subject.
Activists, the media, policymakers, and the general public often defer to experts.
Experts are highly influential claimsmakers because of their special knowledge.
Experts today are usually scientists.
In the past, experts were often religious authorities.
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Medicalization
The increased use of medical language to characterize social problems is called medicalization.
Frequent binge drinking, once spoken of as a moral failing, is now a disease: alcoholism.
Defining social problems as medical problems increased as medicine advanced.
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Medicalization
Why is medicalization important?
Medicalization shifts responsibility away from the individual.
Medicalizing excessive drinking implies that alcoholics should not be blamed for being sick.
Medicalizing produces a familiar frame—the medical model—for thinking about issues.
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Scientific Expertise
Advances in science and medicine have given scientists considerable authority.
Scientist expert claims from the understanding that scientists have special knowledge.
Role of scientific evidence
Scientific theories are tested and either proved or rejected
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Scientific Expertise
Science is also socially constructed.
Scientific findings become accepted (or not) slowly over time, as scientists repeat studies.
Ex: Understanding of COVID-19 based on previous research on respiratory viruses
The media often want quick, newsworthy results and often highlight a single study.
This ignores the fact a study needs to be replicated and its results also need to be understood in light of all earlier studies.
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scientific expertise: some limitations
Expert knowledge is often incorrectly assumed to be objective and impartial.
Expert knowledge:
Is shaped by the questions being asked.
Can reflect the biases of the expert who interprets the data.
Can be shaped by ideological or disciplinary commitments.
May be constructed to please funding agencies.
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Climate change, marketability and expert claimsmaking
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The “Marketability” of Social Problems
‘Claimsmaking is not an end in itself, but aims to achieve results’ eg some kind of ‘official response or outcome’ (Ungar 1998, p. 514).
Social problems have to be sold – some are easier to sell than others, depending on the historical context, dominant culture and reaction from institutions.
Because climate change is a future-oriented problem, it is a tougher sell.
Future threats tend to discounted in institutional thinking, economic calculations and by many people.
Ungar 1998, pp. 510-512, 514.
See the end reference list for the full reference.
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Barriers to Selling Action on Climate Change – Weather
Extreme weather events are pointed to as the main “sign” of the impacts of climate change, however, this leads to difficulties in selling the message.
Cannot directly attribute particular extreme weather events to climate change’ (Ungar 1998, p. 512).
Ex: Scientist James Hansen widely criticized for linking the 1988 heat wave in the US to climate change
Extreme weather events have also not generally been connected to climate change in the media.
After extreme weather events, when the weather returns to what seems “normal”, concern about the issue tends to decrease.
Ungar 1998, pp. 512-514, 522.
See the end reference list for the full reference.
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Barriers to Selling Action on Climate Change – Lack of Scientific Literacy
The threat of climate change is “invisible” and therefore ‘can only be detected through assembling scientific research and claims’ (Ungar 1998, p. 516).
A lack of scientific literacy amongst many members of the public in understanding the science of climate change, combined with a lack of lay models/simple schematics for understanding the issue, make progress on climate action difficult.
The impacts can be difficult for lay people to understand
Ex: it can be hard to comprehend the significance of a few centimeters of sea-level rise.
Ungar 1998, pp. 512, 515-516, 523.
See the end reference list for the full reference.
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Australian bushfires 2019-2020 and climate change
Case Study
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Coverage in the US Media
Ungar (1998, p. 522) argued that generally the US media do not cover extreme weather events in other countries, which prevents American citizens from getting a greater sense of the impact of climate change.
However, these bushfires were widely covered in major US media outlets.
Stevens, H. 2020, ‘More than 1 million fires in Australia
detected by satellites since September’, The Washington Post.
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Coverage in the US Media
Hassan et al. 2020; Cave & Abbott 2020; Tarabay 2020.
See the end reference list for the full references.
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Extreme Weather Events and Climate Change
Ungar (1998, p. 512) argues that those attempting to link extreme weather events with climate change ‘are either ignored by the media or mocked’.
However, in the recent coverage of the Australian bushfires, while some media outlets certainly ignored or mocked this link (predominantly Murdoch-owned – News Corp outlets), it was these outlets that stood out from most other major publications.
Ungar 1998, p. 512.
See the end reference list for the full reference.
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Impacting People’s Lives
Claimsmaking around ozone depletion was successful partly because of its association with skin cancer, which affected people’s everyday lives
E.g., Avoid the sun during the middle of the day, sunscreen, hats, etc.
The Australian bushfires had these real tangible impacts on people’s daily lives as well.
E.g., Destroyed houses, air quality, masks
Ungar 1998, p. 523.
See the end reference list for the full reference.
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Impacting People’s Lives
In addition to the many people directly affected by the fires, countless Australians were indirectly affected, such as through poor air quality, as well as the cancellation of the iconic Falls Festival (a music and arts festival) and New Year’s Eve fireworks in many cities around Australia.
Twitter link for image.
Wahlquist 2019.
See the end reference list for the full reference.
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Climate Action Protests
Framed bushfires as a result of climate change
Messaging linking the bushfires and climate change was central in these protests.
This tangible impact helped in creating an urgency in addressing the issue, with large climate action protests all around Australia and the world.
Regan 2020; ABC News. 2020.
See the end reference list for the full references.
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Reflection on Claimsmaking and Climate Change
Claimsmakers have continually attempted different messaging to try and frame climate change in a way that resonates beyond scientific experts and motivates action from the general public.
Try to fit the trajectories of their issue with prevailing institutional formations or cultural themes’.
Once things return to what is perceived as “normal”, interest and action on the issue decline. This appears to be what has happened in Australia with climate change, the bushfires only resulted in a ‘brief scare’.
Although a complicating factor is COVID-19, which put a halt to most social movement activity. This pandemic is another relevant issue when it comes to expert claimsmaking.
Ungar 1998, pp. 519, 521-522, 525.
See the end reference list for the full reference.
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Fires on west coast
Several lawmakers have linked wildfires to climate change
Has the debate on extreme weather events and climate change changed?
Was Ungar (1998) wrong?
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COVID-19 and Expert Claimsmaking
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Experts and Action
Similar to climate change, this distrust of scientific and medical experts has been a barrier to action on the issue.
Ex: large gatherings, limited mask wearing, reopening of states
Distrust of expertise
Role of the media
Role of conspiracy theories
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Donald Trump and Alternative Facts
Suspicious of experts in the traditional media and expert-led agencies within government bureaucracies – these are the sources that traditionally produce public information.
Traditional media have been replaced with a fragmented media environment, where ‘different segments of the population are exposed to different facts, different spectra of opinion and different ideas about the legitimate boundaries of political discourse’ (Hallin 2018,).
Ex: Dr. Fauci, an infectious disease expert, no longer invited to provide COVID-19 updates
Hallin, D.C. 2018. ‘Mediatisation, Neoliberalism and Populisms: The Case of Trump’, Contemporary Social Science, 14(1): 14-25.
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Fox News and Emotions Over Facts
Fox News promotes a class analysis contrasting cosmopolitan and media elites with ordinary working people.
Emphasizes charismatic authority, personal authenticity and the emotional connection between presenters and viewers versus dispassionate presentation of facts (Hallin 2018, p. 21-22).
Greater COVID-19 cases among Hannity than Carlson
Carlson was outlier and spent much time discussing dangers of COVID-19
Hallin, D.C. 2018. ‘Mediatisation, Neoliberalism and Populisms: The Case of Trump’, Contemporary Social Science, 14(1): 14-25.
Bursztyn, Leonardo et al. 2020 “Misinformation During a Pandemic”
https://bfi.uchicago.edu/working-paper/2020-44/
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Conspiracy and Facial masks
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Post-Truth Politics and Masks
The growth of “post-truth” politics has created a large number of people who are angry and want ‘their feelings to trump reality’ (Staples 2020).
This environment has made it harder for government officials to convince people to trust health experts on COVID-19 (Staples 2020).
This is reflected on the new “culture wars” in the US, with masks becoming ‘a symbol for political affiliation’. Trump’s reluctance to wear a mask has been reflected in the actions of many of his supporters, despite the advice of health experts (Wibawa 2020).
As of late June 2020, 65% of Democrats wore masks, but only 35% of Republicans.
‘To many in the US, masks represent trust in scientific advice being for the greater good of a community. But for others, an order to wear masks is government overreach and a violation of individual rights’ (Wibawa 2020).
Staples 2020; Wibawa 2020.
See the end reference list for the full references.
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The role of experts in social problems
Society depends on expert claimsmakers to make knowledgeable recommendations about social problems
Experts’ recommendations are only effective if the public accepts it
Clear consequences of not accepting scientific expertise
Ex: USA highest deaths per capita relative vs. New Zealand, South Korea, etc.
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DENIAL OF SCIENTIFIC expertise
Confidence in Scientists by Political Views
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Cohen, Philip. 2020 “The widening political divide over science” Retrieved at https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/u95aw
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Confidence in Scientists by Political Party Identification
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Cohen, Philip. 2020 “The widening political divide over science” Retrieved at https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/u95aw
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DENIAL OF SCIENTIFIC Expertise: education and political views
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Cohen, Philip. 2020 “The widening political divide over science” Retrieved at https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/u95aw
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How to be discerning about Expert Knowledge?
What is the source of the information?
Is it funded by an organization with particular
Has it been peer-reviewed?
Are findings generally consistent with our knowledge on the topic? Unlikely any single study to completely debunk existing knowledge.
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https://blogs.ifla.org/lpa/files/2017/01/How-to-Spot-Fake-News-1.jpg
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Tips for FINAL exam
Final exam prompt
1.) Describe the natural history of a social problem (6 stages).
2.) Who are claimsmakers?
How do insider and outsider claimsmakers differ?
Who are expert claimsmakers? How have they changed historically? What are some of the new concerns regarding expert claimsmakers?
3.) What is the role of media and media coverage in claimsmaking?
How does the media affect claimsmaking?
What are some limitations?
4.) Describe some ways that we, as ordinary citizens, can be involved in the social problems process.
Tips for Final exam essay
Answer each and every question
Use readings and lecture material to support your points
Cite at least 3 readings from the course
Textbook (Joel Best) counts as a source
Formatting, grammar, spelling, etc.
Allowed to consult any written material but no other person
grading
1.) Did the essay address each question asked?
2.) Are there examples from course materials to support their points?
3.) Does the essay include at least three course readings?
4.) Overall writing quality
Spelling, grammar, etc.
Paraphrasing and citations (remember your paper will be submitted via Turnitin to check for originality, etc.)
Due date
Due Friday October 8, 20 by 11:55 pm on Canvas via Turnitin
References (those not fully cited in slides)
ABC News. 2020, ‘Bushfire emergency leads thousands to protest against PM and climate change policies’.
Cave, D. & Abbott, M. 2020, ‘The end of Australia as we know it’, The New York Times.
Hassan, J., Freedman, A., Laurent, O. & Caren, A. 2020, ‘Scenes from Australia’s deadly bush fire crisis’, The Washington Post.
Knaus, C. 2020, ‘News Corp employee lashes climate 'misinformation' in bushfire coverage with blistering email’, The Guardian.
Meade, A. 2020, ‘The Australian: Murdoch-owned newspaper accused of downplaying bushfires in favour of picnic races’, The Guardian.
Regan, H. 2020, ‘Tens of thousands protest Australian PM's climate policies amid bushfire crisis’, CNN.
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References (those not fully cited in slides)
Remeikis, A. 2019, ‘Rupert Murdoch says 'no climate change deniers around' – but his writers prove him wrong’, The Guardian.
Staples. L. 2020, ‘Tories want us to trust experts on coronavirus. Too bad they spent years turning us against them’, The Independent.
Tarabay, J. 2020, ‘Why These Australia Fires Are Like Nothing We've Seen Before’, The New York Times.
Ungar, S. 1998, ‘Bringing the Issue Back in: Comparing the Marketability of the Ozone Hole and Global Warming’, Social Problems, 45(4), 510-527.
Wahlquist, C. 2019, ‘Falls Festival at Lorne cancelled due to extreme heat, amid mounting bushfire threat’, The Guardian.
Wibawa, T. 2020, ‘Wearing a mask in the United States is political, but Republicans are speaking out as coronavirus cases grow’, ABC News.
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