The press club as indicator of science medialization: How Japanese research organizations adapt to domestic media conventions

Abstract

This study examined how and whether Japanese research organizations adapt their communications outputs and practices to the media’s requirements in a media landscape that has frequently been described as “cartelized.” A survey and subsequent in-depth interviews with communications and public relations departments at Japanese research organizations showed that universities and government-funded research institutions employ outputs expected by the media, such as issuing press releases and using fax machines for dissemination. The adoption of media-imposed requirements appears to meet the dual interests of Japanese research organizations and established media. The results suggest that press clubs, one manifestation of an information cartel, are an indicator of how research organizations orient to the media at the organizational level. The findings add a non-Western perspective to the current literature of science medialization.