From journalism to corporate communication in post-war Britain

The public communication of science is an activity within constraints. It takes place in an evolving cultural, economic, and political environment; and it is in that context that science communication should be understood. By charting some developments in the public communication of science in the evolving context in the UK since World War II, we explore the following thesis:1

In the post-World War II period in the UK, there has been a shift in science communication from a logic of journalism towards a logic of corporate communication, or in other words, from media-led activities towards a source-driven reportage of science.