BfR | Annual Report 2013
74
Nanotechnology and pesticides as mirrored
by the media
Even in the age of the internet, classical media are still
a central source of information for consumers when it
comes to health risks. At the same time it is well known
from research into risk perception that media coverage
of a subject can significantly influence its public percep-
tion. Because risk topics often are interpreted differently
by the media from the way science interprets them, the
BfR regularly carries out media analyses to find out how
the media report on selected topics addressed by the
institute. Most recently, the BfR commissioned two com-
prehensive media analyses, on nanotechnology and pes-
ticide residues in food. Both topics are of central impor-
tance to the BfR and frequently present in the media.
German print media from 2008 to 2012 were analysed
with regard to their reporting on the subject of nanotech-
nology. This study is the continuation of an earlier media
analysis by the BfR that examined the reporting of this
subject from 2000 to 2007. The basis for both analyses
comprised articles in leading German media. Analysis of
these articles showed that the importance of the topic
of nanotechnology in the media has decreased in spite
of a large number of public activities. This is evidenced
by the constantly sinking number of relevant articles. As
a comparison, 155 relevant articles were identified in
2008, while in 2012 there were only 89. At the same time,
articles have become longer. This is presumably to be
viewed as being closely related to the fact that the topic
is becoming increasingly specialised. Thus the majority
of the articles identified were published in the science
section, with a proportion of 83.1 percent in 2012. How-
ever, hardly any of the media coverage was controversial.
The focus was more on the benefits of nanotechnology.
One or more benefits were cited in more than 80 percent
of all the articles from 2008 to 2012. Nanotechnology
is therefore presented in German media as a primarily
scientific subject with a high benefit value.
The BfR has commissioned two wide-ranging media
analyses on nanotechnology and residues of pesti-
cides in food in order to determine how the media
communicate selected topics addressed by the BfR
to the public at large.
