Linking science with media and policy: The case of academics in Flanders, Belgium

Abstract

There is a growing expectation for academics to go public, that is, to actively engage with the media and supply policy advice for decision-makers. Data showing these interactions are scarce. By linking data from FRIS, BelgaPress, and Overton, this study reveals a first snapshot of academics’ media mentions and policy citations for all active academics from Dutch-speaking universities in Belgium. Exploratory analysis reveals distinct sector differences, with academics from Social sciences, Medical, and Health sciences being most visible. A small minority of mostly male academics featured very often in media as media figures, contrasted by much more discrete policy pillars whose publications were cited often but hardly featured in traditional media.