La divulgazione scientifica in televisione

The essay analyzes Italian scientific TV programs. A map of this TV genre is sketched, following a sociosemiotical perspective. The map classifies scientific programs, using two axes which identify the main effects that popularization of science can have on the audience’s imagination. The first axis is the one of “responsibility”: programs that foster the audience awareness of the values and of the risks of scientific progress (so that viewers perceive themselves as citizens who have the responsibility of making important choices for their future) are opposed to programs where science is presented only in its spectacular dimensions. The second axis distinguishes the programs where dramatic emotions prevail from those which aim to a more relaxed engagement of the audience. Besides, the article highlights how contemporary science journalism is exposed to increasing risks of misinformation since the mass media system has changed the canonical process of communication of scientific discoveries (in order to get visibility and funds for their researches, scientists are often tempted to anticipate the news of important results, even if their discoveries haven’t received all the necessary validations from the scientific community). The contribution draws also attention to the fact that too seldom the discussion about science regards the paradigms (i.e. the theoretical frameworks, with their specificity and limits) of scientific explanations.