George Claassen | Stellenbosch University (original) (raw)
Papers by George Claassen
Ecquid Novi, 2001
... Starck & Villanueva emphasize the importance of the correct cultural frames for journ... more ... Starck & Villanueva emphasize the importance of the correct cultural frames for journalists and point ... culture, first pitted against the undisputed king of late night, Johnny Carson, and ... a comprehensive report for the American National Institute of Educa-tion, Anderson also found ...
Communicatio, 1995
... Prof George Claassen is hoof van die Departement Joernalistiek, Universiteit van Stellenbosch... more ... Prof George Claassen is hoof van die Departement Joernalistiek, Universiteit van Stellenbosch. ... War occurred; a third did not know that Columbus sailed for the New World "before 1750"; three-fourths could not identify Walt Whitman or Thoreau or ee cummings or Carl Sandburg ...
Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies, 2002
... presents a report of a survey among news companies about newsroom training efforts, concludin... more ... presents a report of a survey among news companies about newsroom training efforts, concluding that two thirds of American journalists receive no regular skills train-ing; Europe: at the recent annual meeting of the Forum for European Journalism Students (FEJS) in Helsinki ...
Communicatio, Nov 1, 2011
Abstract The public understanding of science is vital in any society, to counter pseudoscientific... more Abstract The public understanding of science is vital in any society, to counter pseudoscientific claims and quackery. The relationship between scientists and the media (the latter often the only channel through which scientific findings reach the public) was studied within a South African framework. An empirical survey was conducted by means of a comprehensive questionnaire sent to 740 South African scientists and researchers and 360 journalists. Because the media are important in the public understanding of science, the survey tried to establish the depth of and possible reasons for distrust between the two professions and what structures could be put in place to overcome this. This study found some significant differences in the views of scientists and journalists about the role of science in society, how it could be communicated to the public, and the reasons for this dichotomy. Finally, proposals to bridge the gap between scientists and the media are made: the media should give serious attention to raise the standards of science reporting by establishing science desks headed by properly trained science editors and well-trained science reporters. On the other hand, scientists should be trained to communicate better with the media and, therefore, the public.
Rhodes Journalism Review, Sep 1, 2007
The international Organisation of News Ombudsmen (ONO) was established in the early 1980s as a di... more The international Organisation of News Ombudsmen (ONO) was established in the early 1980s as a discussion forum to enhance the standard of ethics in journalism. It now has members from six continents across the media disciplines of radio, television and the printed media.
The media have a great responsibility to communicate more science to improve public understanding... more The media have a great responsibility to communicate more science to improve public understanding of science to help them make sense of their world. The aim should be to popularize scientific ideas and to create a better understanding of how science is daily altering lifestyles and culture. Scientific literacy is an important element of an all-round educated person, and the media need to fill whatever blanks have been left by his or her formal education. The function of the scientific journalist is to transform scientific ideas and results into a form that other groups can understand. This transformation is as much an intra-scientific as well as an extra-scientific matter, and the forms that such communication take and the consequences for intellectual development vary according to the sort of field involved, the audience addressed and the relationship between them. This transformation process must not affect the truth status of scientific knowledge, but it obviously changes the form in which this knowledge is expressed. Scientists need to unveil the secrets of nature, and need to explain to the public that science is always incomplete and incremental, that knowledge is imperfect. Communicating with the media is becoming an obligation, and popularizing of science is becoming an integral part of the professional responsibility of practicing scientists. This overview indicates that there is a need for scientists to increase their communication skills and activities across a broad field and for journalists to increase their understanding and training in science.
Journal of Science Communication
The paper highlights the feedback loop between media, politics, foreign influence and science in ... more The paper highlights the feedback loop between media, politics, foreign influence and science in relation to the adoption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in food production in Uganda to demonstrate that socio-cultural considerations are important in the GMO science and technology debates. Based on the science-in-society model, the findings from a content analysis of newspaper articles over a four-year period, supplemented by interviews with scientists, activists from non-governmental organisations, journalists, and Members of Parliament's Science and Technology Committee, the study found that food is a politically thick issue. Both activists and scientists opportunistically use the media, the platforms where the public access and contribute content, to appeal to the politicians to legislate GMOs in their favour, arguing that the activists or the scientists' position is in the `public interest'. Often, such coverage produces a paradox for the public by accelerati...
Quotations, In the Words of South African Struggle Heroes, Sep 27, 2012
Rhodes Journalism Review, 2007
The international Organisation of News Ombudsmen (ONO) was established in the early 1980s as a di... more The international Organisation of News Ombudsmen (ONO) was established in the early 1980s as a discussion forum to enhance the standard of ethics in journalism. It now has members from six continents across the media disciplines of radio, television and the printed media.
Communicatio, 2011
Abstract The public understanding of science is vital in any society, to counter pseudoscientific... more Abstract The public understanding of science is vital in any society, to counter pseudoscientific claims and quackery. The relationship between scientists and the media (the latter often the only channel through which scientific findings reach the public) was studied within a South African framework. An empirical survey was conducted by means of a comprehensive questionnaire sent to 740 South African scientists and researchers and 360 journalists. Because the media are important in the public understanding of science, the survey tried to establish the depth of and possible reasons for distrust between the two professions and what structures could be put in place to overcome this. This study found some significant differences in the views of scientists and journalists about the role of science in society, how it could be communicated to the public, and the reasons for this dichotomy. Finally, proposals to bridge the gap between scientists and the media are made: the media should give serious attention to raise the standards of science reporting by establishing science desks headed by properly trained science editors and well-trained science reporters. On the other hand, scientists should be trained to communicate better with the media and, therefore, the public.
Peer review declaration The publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book... more Peer review declaration The publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum Best Practice for Peer Review of Scholarly Books'. The manuscript was subjected to a rigorous two-step peer review prior to publication, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the author(s). The reviewers were independent of the publisher and/or authors in question. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript and recommended that the manuscript should be published. Where the reviewers recommended revision and/or improvements to the manuscript, the authors responded adequately to such recommendations. Research Justification This book reflects academically on important and relevant natural scientific disciplines, important technologies and related media to determine and communicate the moral issues and challenges within those specific fields of study, and how to deal with them morally and from a multidimensional South African context. It aims to add scientific, technological and ethical value, locally and globally, by reflecting mainly from the viewpoint of specific scholars, writing about the most pressing moral issues or challenges raised by problems within their specific field of study. It is written mainly from a qualitative methodological perspective, including autobiographical and participatory views. The co-authors present in respective chapters their research systematically and intersectionally, based on profound theoretical analysis and reasoning. Current research in the basic and implied sciences and technologies requires sound ethical practice based on a defensible moral stance. Moral norms, in our view, are deeply grounded and evolved convictions about justice and injustice, right and wrong, good and bad. It is not about rules. This scholarly book combines the insights and expertise of established South African scholars from different disciplines and backgrounds. The contributors are all deeply committed to the value and validity of science and ethical practice across the moral spectrum. Open and responsible discussions around this topic can lead to the introduction of moral guidelines and regulations to protect the rights of individuals, animals and the environment, while simultaneously facilitating the growth of scientific practice. This collected work, with its very specific and carefully selected grouping of academic fields, aims to innovatively assist in alleviating the shortage of academic publications reflecting on the moral issues in these specific fields. Its target audience includes international scholars, peers, researchers and educators with an interest in the specific fields covered in this volume. As an open access publication, this book is meant to assist in countering the high costs of Western academic publications and directly benefit scholars in Africa. We can confirm that all the chapters are based on original research and that no part of the book was plagiarised from another publication or published elsewhere.
Chapter 7 in the book Science Communication in South Africa.
Rhodes Journalism Review, 2010
Unfortunately the vast majority of South African journalists and, dare I say, very few editors, f... more Unfortunately the vast majority of South African journalists and, dare I say, very few editors, fulfil the British scientist and statistician Francis Galton's wish. If you want to count and interpret your world, whether it is by analysing the variables of the population, HIV statistics, the percentage of line-outs Victor Matfield has won in a match, how serious and how soon climate change will alter our water-scarce world, or any other statistical interpretation, at least you must be scientifically and numerically literate - which South African journalists are not.
Moral Issues in the Natural Sciences and Technologies, 2019
Ecquid Novi Afr Journal Stud, 2001
In nt te er rn na at ti io on na al l c co on nf fe er re en nc ce e i in n c co oo op pe er ra a... more In nt te er rn na at ti io on na al l c co on nf fe er re en nc ce e i in n c co oo op pe er ra at ti io on n w wi it th h C Co ol lu um mb bi ia a U Un ni iv ve er rs si it ty y, , N Ne ew w Y Yo or rk k E El le ec ct ti io on n C Ca am mp pa ai ig gn ni in ng g
Photocopy of typescript. Summary in Afrikaans and English. Thesis (D. Litt. et Phil.)--Universite... more Photocopy of typescript. Summary in Afrikaans and English. Thesis (D. Litt. et Phil.)--Universiteit van Suid-Afrika, 1983. Bibliography: leaves 324-336.
This article describes some of the effects violence and sex may have on media consumers, as well ... more This article describes some of the effects violence and sex may have on media consumers, as well as the media's role in influencing antisocial behavior with regard to news, entertainment and advertising. It also examines the South African censorship policy with regard to religious tolerance, as well as the changing mores with regard to sex and violence in the media. In general, the analysis suggests that the South African Publications Act of 1974 needs drastic revision and that greater tolerance should be shown towards adult tastes.
Ecquid Novi-african Journalism Studies - ECQUID NOVI-AFR JOURNAL STUD, 1996
South African political violence over the last four decades has always been linked, in one way or... more South African political violence over the last four decades has always been linked, in one way or another, to the struggle to get rid of apartheid. Since 1960, when the ANC and other opposition parties were banned, the media have gradually become more intertwined with efforts to change the country. In the 1980s the media became the target of the minority government when severe restrictions were put on their functioning in riot-torn areas. The first real test for media freedom for the new South African government came in August 1994 when a fictional depiction of violence in South Africa was banned on national television after only one episode. Apart from the issue of media restrictions and censorship enforced by the previous government, it is argued that the media have also played a vital role in censorship of political news. The role of the SABC in addressing violent television content, is also discussed.
South African Theatre Journal, 1996
... As Postman shows (1986:7), "it is implausible to imagine that anyone like our twenty ...... more ... As Postman shows (1986:7), "it is implausible to imagine that anyone like our twenty ... polls showing that newspaper reporters rank down there with dentists and serial killers (Hanson, 1996 ... This development, originating during the fifties with the McCarthy hearings, has brought a ...
Communicatio, 1995
... Prof George Claassen is hoof van die Departement Joernalistiek, Universiteit van Stellenbosch... more ... Prof George Claassen is hoof van die Departement Joernalistiek, Universiteit van Stellenbosch. ... War occurred; a third did not know that Columbus sailed for the New World "before 1750"; three-fourths could not identify Walt Whitman or Thoreau or ee cummings or Carl Sandburg ...
Ecquid Novi, 2001
... Starck & Villanueva emphasize the importance of the correct cultural frames for journ... more ... Starck & Villanueva emphasize the importance of the correct cultural frames for journalists and point ... culture, first pitted against the undisputed king of late night, Johnny Carson, and ... a comprehensive report for the American National Institute of Educa-tion, Anderson also found ...
Communicatio, 1995
... Prof George Claassen is hoof van die Departement Joernalistiek, Universiteit van Stellenbosch... more ... Prof George Claassen is hoof van die Departement Joernalistiek, Universiteit van Stellenbosch. ... War occurred; a third did not know that Columbus sailed for the New World "before 1750"; three-fourths could not identify Walt Whitman or Thoreau or ee cummings or Carl Sandburg ...
Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies, 2002
... presents a report of a survey among news companies about newsroom training efforts, concludin... more ... presents a report of a survey among news companies about newsroom training efforts, concluding that two thirds of American journalists receive no regular skills train-ing; Europe: at the recent annual meeting of the Forum for European Journalism Students (FEJS) in Helsinki ...
Communicatio, Nov 1, 2011
Abstract The public understanding of science is vital in any society, to counter pseudoscientific... more Abstract The public understanding of science is vital in any society, to counter pseudoscientific claims and quackery. The relationship between scientists and the media (the latter often the only channel through which scientific findings reach the public) was studied within a South African framework. An empirical survey was conducted by means of a comprehensive questionnaire sent to 740 South African scientists and researchers and 360 journalists. Because the media are important in the public understanding of science, the survey tried to establish the depth of and possible reasons for distrust between the two professions and what structures could be put in place to overcome this. This study found some significant differences in the views of scientists and journalists about the role of science in society, how it could be communicated to the public, and the reasons for this dichotomy. Finally, proposals to bridge the gap between scientists and the media are made: the media should give serious attention to raise the standards of science reporting by establishing science desks headed by properly trained science editors and well-trained science reporters. On the other hand, scientists should be trained to communicate better with the media and, therefore, the public.
Rhodes Journalism Review, Sep 1, 2007
The international Organisation of News Ombudsmen (ONO) was established in the early 1980s as a di... more The international Organisation of News Ombudsmen (ONO) was established in the early 1980s as a discussion forum to enhance the standard of ethics in journalism. It now has members from six continents across the media disciplines of radio, television and the printed media.
The media have a great responsibility to communicate more science to improve public understanding... more The media have a great responsibility to communicate more science to improve public understanding of science to help them make sense of their world. The aim should be to popularize scientific ideas and to create a better understanding of how science is daily altering lifestyles and culture. Scientific literacy is an important element of an all-round educated person, and the media need to fill whatever blanks have been left by his or her formal education. The function of the scientific journalist is to transform scientific ideas and results into a form that other groups can understand. This transformation is as much an intra-scientific as well as an extra-scientific matter, and the forms that such communication take and the consequences for intellectual development vary according to the sort of field involved, the audience addressed and the relationship between them. This transformation process must not affect the truth status of scientific knowledge, but it obviously changes the form in which this knowledge is expressed. Scientists need to unveil the secrets of nature, and need to explain to the public that science is always incomplete and incremental, that knowledge is imperfect. Communicating with the media is becoming an obligation, and popularizing of science is becoming an integral part of the professional responsibility of practicing scientists. This overview indicates that there is a need for scientists to increase their communication skills and activities across a broad field and for journalists to increase their understanding and training in science.
Journal of Science Communication
The paper highlights the feedback loop between media, politics, foreign influence and science in ... more The paper highlights the feedback loop between media, politics, foreign influence and science in relation to the adoption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in food production in Uganda to demonstrate that socio-cultural considerations are important in the GMO science and technology debates. Based on the science-in-society model, the findings from a content analysis of newspaper articles over a four-year period, supplemented by interviews with scientists, activists from non-governmental organisations, journalists, and Members of Parliament's Science and Technology Committee, the study found that food is a politically thick issue. Both activists and scientists opportunistically use the media, the platforms where the public access and contribute content, to appeal to the politicians to legislate GMOs in their favour, arguing that the activists or the scientists' position is in the `public interest'. Often, such coverage produces a paradox for the public by accelerati...
Quotations, In the Words of South African Struggle Heroes, Sep 27, 2012
Rhodes Journalism Review, 2007
The international Organisation of News Ombudsmen (ONO) was established in the early 1980s as a di... more The international Organisation of News Ombudsmen (ONO) was established in the early 1980s as a discussion forum to enhance the standard of ethics in journalism. It now has members from six continents across the media disciplines of radio, television and the printed media.
Communicatio, 2011
Abstract The public understanding of science is vital in any society, to counter pseudoscientific... more Abstract The public understanding of science is vital in any society, to counter pseudoscientific claims and quackery. The relationship between scientists and the media (the latter often the only channel through which scientific findings reach the public) was studied within a South African framework. An empirical survey was conducted by means of a comprehensive questionnaire sent to 740 South African scientists and researchers and 360 journalists. Because the media are important in the public understanding of science, the survey tried to establish the depth of and possible reasons for distrust between the two professions and what structures could be put in place to overcome this. This study found some significant differences in the views of scientists and journalists about the role of science in society, how it could be communicated to the public, and the reasons for this dichotomy. Finally, proposals to bridge the gap between scientists and the media are made: the media should give serious attention to raise the standards of science reporting by establishing science desks headed by properly trained science editors and well-trained science reporters. On the other hand, scientists should be trained to communicate better with the media and, therefore, the public.
Peer review declaration The publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book... more Peer review declaration The publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum Best Practice for Peer Review of Scholarly Books'. The manuscript was subjected to a rigorous two-step peer review prior to publication, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the author(s). The reviewers were independent of the publisher and/or authors in question. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript and recommended that the manuscript should be published. Where the reviewers recommended revision and/or improvements to the manuscript, the authors responded adequately to such recommendations. Research Justification This book reflects academically on important and relevant natural scientific disciplines, important technologies and related media to determine and communicate the moral issues and challenges within those specific fields of study, and how to deal with them morally and from a multidimensional South African context. It aims to add scientific, technological and ethical value, locally and globally, by reflecting mainly from the viewpoint of specific scholars, writing about the most pressing moral issues or challenges raised by problems within their specific field of study. It is written mainly from a qualitative methodological perspective, including autobiographical and participatory views. The co-authors present in respective chapters their research systematically and intersectionally, based on profound theoretical analysis and reasoning. Current research in the basic and implied sciences and technologies requires sound ethical practice based on a defensible moral stance. Moral norms, in our view, are deeply grounded and evolved convictions about justice and injustice, right and wrong, good and bad. It is not about rules. This scholarly book combines the insights and expertise of established South African scholars from different disciplines and backgrounds. The contributors are all deeply committed to the value and validity of science and ethical practice across the moral spectrum. Open and responsible discussions around this topic can lead to the introduction of moral guidelines and regulations to protect the rights of individuals, animals and the environment, while simultaneously facilitating the growth of scientific practice. This collected work, with its very specific and carefully selected grouping of academic fields, aims to innovatively assist in alleviating the shortage of academic publications reflecting on the moral issues in these specific fields. Its target audience includes international scholars, peers, researchers and educators with an interest in the specific fields covered in this volume. As an open access publication, this book is meant to assist in countering the high costs of Western academic publications and directly benefit scholars in Africa. We can confirm that all the chapters are based on original research and that no part of the book was plagiarised from another publication or published elsewhere.
Chapter 7 in the book Science Communication in South Africa.
Rhodes Journalism Review, 2010
Unfortunately the vast majority of South African journalists and, dare I say, very few editors, f... more Unfortunately the vast majority of South African journalists and, dare I say, very few editors, fulfil the British scientist and statistician Francis Galton's wish. If you want to count and interpret your world, whether it is by analysing the variables of the population, HIV statistics, the percentage of line-outs Victor Matfield has won in a match, how serious and how soon climate change will alter our water-scarce world, or any other statistical interpretation, at least you must be scientifically and numerically literate - which South African journalists are not.
Moral Issues in the Natural Sciences and Technologies, 2019
Ecquid Novi Afr Journal Stud, 2001
In nt te er rn na at ti io on na al l c co on nf fe er re en nc ce e i in n c co oo op pe er ra a... more In nt te er rn na at ti io on na al l c co on nf fe er re en nc ce e i in n c co oo op pe er ra at ti io on n w wi it th h C Co ol lu um mb bi ia a U Un ni iv ve er rs si it ty y, , N Ne ew w Y Yo or rk k E El le ec ct ti io on n C Ca am mp pa ai ig gn ni in ng g
Photocopy of typescript. Summary in Afrikaans and English. Thesis (D. Litt. et Phil.)--Universite... more Photocopy of typescript. Summary in Afrikaans and English. Thesis (D. Litt. et Phil.)--Universiteit van Suid-Afrika, 1983. Bibliography: leaves 324-336.
This article describes some of the effects violence and sex may have on media consumers, as well ... more This article describes some of the effects violence and sex may have on media consumers, as well as the media's role in influencing antisocial behavior with regard to news, entertainment and advertising. It also examines the South African censorship policy with regard to religious tolerance, as well as the changing mores with regard to sex and violence in the media. In general, the analysis suggests that the South African Publications Act of 1974 needs drastic revision and that greater tolerance should be shown towards adult tastes.
Ecquid Novi-african Journalism Studies - ECQUID NOVI-AFR JOURNAL STUD, 1996
South African political violence over the last four decades has always been linked, in one way or... more South African political violence over the last four decades has always been linked, in one way or another, to the struggle to get rid of apartheid. Since 1960, when the ANC and other opposition parties were banned, the media have gradually become more intertwined with efforts to change the country. In the 1980s the media became the target of the minority government when severe restrictions were put on their functioning in riot-torn areas. The first real test for media freedom for the new South African government came in August 1994 when a fictional depiction of violence in South Africa was banned on national television after only one episode. Apart from the issue of media restrictions and censorship enforced by the previous government, it is argued that the media have also played a vital role in censorship of political news. The role of the SABC in addressing violent television content, is also discussed.
South African Theatre Journal, 1996
... As Postman shows (1986:7), "it is implausible to imagine that anyone like our twenty ...... more ... As Postman shows (1986:7), "it is implausible to imagine that anyone like our twenty ... polls showing that newspaper reporters rank down there with dentists and serial killers (Hanson, 1996 ... This development, originating during the fifties with the McCarthy hearings, has brought a ...
Communicatio, 1995
... Prof George Claassen is hoof van die Departement Joernalistiek, Universiteit van Stellenbosch... more ... Prof George Claassen is hoof van die Departement Joernalistiek, Universiteit van Stellenbosch. ... War occurred; a third did not know that Columbus sailed for the New World "before 1750"; three-fourths could not identify Walt Whitman or Thoreau or ee cummings or Carl Sandburg ...