University of Maryland Communication Home

Public support for science is critical to managing emerging societal risks, particularly in contested scientific issues involving moral tensions. Incorporating moral concerns into persuasive messages may therefore represent a promising strategy for strengthening such support. Drawing on moral foundations theory, this study examined how moral framing shaped public support for science through two online experiments with U.S. adults across distinct risk contexts. In the context of agricultural biotechnology, Study 1 (N = 405) found that individualizing moral framing increased perceived message credibility and, in turn, support for agricultural biotechnology compared to binding moral framing. Study 2 on future pandemic preparedness (N = 218) further demonstrated that individualizing moral framing enhanced message credibility, which heightened moral engagement and subsequently increased support for federal spending. However, this serial mediation emerged only among individuals low in binding moral foundations. Theoretically, these findings advance moral foundations theory by identifying credibility and moral engagement as key mechanisms underlying the persuasive effects of moral framing. Practically, the results highlight the value of tailoring science and risk messages to audiences’ moral values to strengthen public support for science in contested risk contexts.

Media discourses on environmental disasters play a crucial role in shaping public opinion, perceptions of the disaster, policy formation, and management strategies. This study employed a computational approach to examine the African media agenda and sentiments surrounding flood disasters in Ghana over 20 years (2004–2024). Findings uncovered media discourses around the complex climate change paradox, government disaster preparedness, and risk management, as well as rural/urban practices and their effects. Results also indicated that the majority of coverage was positive (69.45%), whereas less than half (30.55%) was negative, with no neutral coverage. In addition, the study observed positive sentiments regarding the coverage of the proactive steps taken by the government and its agencies in responding to the disaster. In contrast, negative sentiments focused on the loss of lives and the destruction of property. The study discussed the role of cultural norms in these findings to contribute to the praxis of media and environmental disaster communication.

As digital platforms continually evolve, rapid changes to platform affordances quickly render digital tools and data collection methods obsolete. Researchers of digital culture therefore must proactively adapt to the ephemerality of data. This paper examines these challenges within the context of Twitter (X) following its 2022 acquisition by Elon Musk, and the subsequent limiting of access to the API for data collection. Using a combination of manual data-collection practices and Zeeschuimer [Peeters 2025], a browser extension that collects social media data while browsing, researchers developed a novel data collection method, and model methodological adaptability within shifting digital terrains.