2018 article

An inconvenient source? Attributes of science documentaries and their effects on information-related behavioral intentions

Yeo, S. K., Binder, A. R., Dahlstrom, M. F., & Brossard, D. (2018, June 20). Journal of Science Communication, Vol. 17.

By: S. Yeo, A. Binder* , M. Dahlstrom & D. Brossard

author keywords: Environmental communication; Science and media; Science communication: theory and models
topics (OpenAlex): Climate Change Communication and Perception; Media Influence and Health; Misinformation and Its Impacts
TL;DR: The results indicate that, compared to anonymous sources, use of authoritative ones result in greater intention to engage in some information-related behaviors, and increased intentions to engaging in exchanging information can be attributed to negative affect induced by the clip featuring a politician. (via Semantic Scholar)
UN Sustainable Development Goals Color Wheel
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
13. Climate Action (Web of Science)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: January 7, 2019

We investigate the impact of a science documentary on individuals' intention to engage in information-related behaviors by experimentally testing the effects of source type (scientist, politician, or anonymous source) and communication setting (interview or lecture) using a manipulated clip from the documentary, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’. Our results indicate that, compared to anonymous sources, use of authoritative ones result in greater intention to engage in some information-related behaviors. Additionally, our results suggest that increased intentions to engage in exchanging information can be attributed to negative affect induced by the clip featuring a politician. Implications for documentary films and science communication are discussed.