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Download fileThe information about human evolution: An analysis of news published in Spanish communication media between 2015 and 2017
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posted on 2019-05-08, 18:42 authored by Jon Ander Garibi, Alvaro Antón, José Domingo VillarroelJosé Domingo VillarroelThe present study examines a sample of 220 pieces of news related to human evolution, written in Spanish and published over a period of two years, both in digital and print media. The aim of this study is to assess the rigour and coherence of the information in the news in our sample with the scientific knowledge on the Theory of Evolution. To this end, errors and the incorrect use of concepts related to Biological Evolution are identified; classified according to criteria resulting from the review of previous studies and finally, the frequency of errors identified in news published in print media is compared with that identified in digital media. The results presented allow us to highlight the significantly high frequency of errors in the news analysed and the most frequent error categories. Results are discussed within the frame of the important role of dissemination of information played by scientific journalism in the processes of knowledge dissemination, in this case, related to human evolution
Funding
University of the Basque Country (PES17/39)
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Declaration of conflicts of interest
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this articleCorresponding author email
txomin.villarroel@ehu.eusLead author country
SpainLead author job role
Higher Education ResearcherLead author institution
University of the Basque CountryHuman Participants
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