Michel Joubert
Biographic Data
| ID | 767686 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Michel Joubert |
| GIVEN NAMES | Michel |
| FAMILY NAME | Joubert |
| SIGNATURE | JOUBERT M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Stellenbosch University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0178-1796 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 26 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1996 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Scientists under fire
Scientists face growing pressure to share their research with the public — an ethical and professional duty that can sometimes lead to public hostility when addressing sensitive, controversial, or unpopular topics. Negative reactions from society, often worsened by social media, threaten not only the scientists themselves but also public trust in science and the integrity of knowledge systems. This commentary presents a case study of two scientis…
Integrity under pressure
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly present in academic writing workflows, and their irresponsible use poses a growing threat to the integrity of scholarly publishing. In this editorial, we highlight the emergence of AI-generated references, or so-called “ghost references”, as a specific concern for JCOM and the wider academic community. We consider how AI tools like large language models can produce convincing yet fict…
Gaining trust, sowing doubt
Purpose This study aims to investigate the dynamics of climate communication and climate mis- and disinformation on YouTube in South Africa. Methodology Starting from an initial dataset of 5,685 videos, we combined content and thematic analyses with a quali-quantitative approach to examine 46 videos produced by South African channels in 2023, a year marked by record-breaking climate events in the country. Findings We found a predominance of video…
Gaps in public trust between scientists and climate scientists
This study compares public trust in climate scientists and scientists in general across 68 countries ( N = 69,534). On average, participants reported moderately high levels of trust in climate scientists, with trust levels being slightly lower than trust in scientists in general. Overall, this trust gap was larger among participants who identified as politically conservative or right-leaning, but there was considerable variation across countries
Public Communication about Science in 68 Countries
This 68-country survey ( n = 71,922) examines science information diets and communication behavior, identifies cross-country differences, and tests how such differences are associated with sociopolitical and economic conditions. We find that social media are the most used sources of science information in most countries, except those with democratic-corporatist media systems where news media tend to be used more widely. People in collectivist soc…
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries
Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists. We interrogated these concerns with a preregistered 68-country survey of 71,922 respondents and found that in most countries, most p…
Expériences trans à Paris, Rennes et Londres
En ville, les espaces publics enferment-ils ?Dans le cadre du partenariat entre Mtropolitiques et le Prix de thse sur la ville, Sylvanie Godillon et Michel Joubert prsentent le travail de Milan Bont, Prix Spcial 2023, qui analyse la faon dont les espaces publics alimentent la marginalisation des personnes trans en multipliant les accs et usages diffrencis en fonction du genre
Fact-Checking Role Performances and Problematic Covid-19 Vaccine Content in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa
The move from political fact-checking to a “public health” or debunking model of fact-checking, sustained by policies and funding from platforms, highlights important tensions in the case of Covid-19. Building on findings from studies focused on journalistic role performance, we investigated how professional fact-checkers in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa conceived of and performed their professional roles when addressing Covid-19 vaccinati…
Science Communication
In this contribution, Konstantin and Marina develop a comprehensive overview of the current trends and challenges to teaching and training science communication from an international perspective. They do that by, firstly, developing a comprehensive understanding of science communication in the context of institutional challenges to higher education around the globe; secondly, discussing the current political, public, and scholarly debates on the …
The impact of Covid-19 on science journalists in South Africa
Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic demanded ongoing media coverage unprecedented in its scope and reach. As a result, the pandemic dominated global and national news headlines for an extended period of time. Science and health journalists, and their colleagues covering other journalistic beats, were called upon to report on various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and many journalists found themselves in unchartered waters. To investigate th…
‘Polony panic’
During food-borne disease outbreaks, people get most of their information about food safety and risk from the news media. Best practice in risk messaging requires the rapid sharing of information to minimise harm, while expressing empathy, accountability, and commitment. The journalistic processes through which news is shaped can prioritise information differently, potentially limiting informed decision-making. The South African listeriosis outbr…
Beyond Cheerleading
Science journalism faces an issue that is part of a bigger picture of media change. The economic pressures which have seen shrinking resources available for reporting news are contrasted by the relentless rise of corporate communication and public relations. Institutional science communication has become a booming industry, operating, at least partially, by bypassing the traditional roles of journalists. To interrogate how science journalists per…
Public engagement with science—Origins, motives and impact in academic literature and science policy
‘Public engagement with science’ has become a ‘buzzword’ reflecting a concern about the widening gap between science and society and efforts to bridge this gap. This study is a comprehensive analysis of the development of the ‘engagement’ rhetoric in the pertinent academic literature on science communication and in science policy documents. By way of a content analysis of articles published in three leading science communication journals and a se…
The Conversation, Ten Years On
The Conversation (theconversation.com) represents a unique model for communicating scholarly research to the general public via explanatory journalism. Rather than relying on scholars’ personal networks, the promotional efforts of university press offices, or requests from science journalists for comments on current developments, The Conversation offers a platform for scholars across all disciplines to pitch their own stories, gain support from i…
Novel interfaces in science communication
Science amplifier platforms such as The Conversation have gained popularity in a changing media ecosystem in which the traditional roles of journalists are eroded, and scientists are urged to engage with society. The Conversation constitutes a blend of scientific communication, public science communication and science journalism, and a convergence of the professional worlds of science and journalism. In this study, we investigated the nature and …
South Africa
Reflections on the first human heart transplant and its impact on medicine, media and society
Agir sur les vulnérabilités sociales
Grâce à des enquètes menées non pas sur, mais avec des travailleurs sociaux, cet ouvrage donne à voir très concrètement comment les vulnérabilités sociales circulent, se renforcent ou s'atténuent. Critiqué pour son appui qu’il apporterait à l’ordre social, ou au contraire loué pour l’attention qu’il donne aux plus démunis, le travail social est souvent l’objet d’approches qui ne rendent pas compte de sa réalité quotidienne. Se placer au plus près…
Combining Paid Work and Family Care
Vulnérabilités sociales et engagement associatif. Les ressorts d'une démarche d'action communautaire sur un quartier précarisé
Analyse d'une démarche associative engagée dans une cité de Seine-Saint-Denis particulièrement touchée par la précarité : axée au départ sur le terrain du soutien scolaire, son action s'étend progressivement aux besoins d'insertion, de loisirs et de convivialité. Au travers d'une approche innovante de l'accueil et de l'écoute, elle développe des actions de médiation, de soutien aux familles, d'insertion des jeunes, de promotion de la santé, de pr…
Quelle est la place légitime de l'enseignement des mathématiques dans l'éducation
Report
PCST 2002 was the seventh in the series of the network meetings. Held in December 2002 in Cape Town, South Africa, the conference attracted more than four hundred delegates from fortyone countries to discuss theoretical and practical issues in science communication. Following is a report on the conference by the conference chair
La vie de Marlène
Une histoire singulière - celle de Marlène - permet de comprendre la manière dont les individus font face aux difficultés majeures de la vie, qu'il s'agisse de dissociation familiale, de violences sociales ou institutionnelles, d'errance et de rupture, dans des périodes où ils ne disposent plus d'ancrages ou de soutiens sociaux. Dans les trajectoires jalonnées par ces épreuves, des pratiques très personnelles y introduisent des ressources, des re…
Report
This report outlines science communication priorities in a country facing the same global issues as the developed world while in a state of transition and situated on an impoverished continent. South Africa's science communication aims are defined, with examples of successes (like science weeks and festivals, and science centers). Highlighting the bridge-building role of local scientists and the media, the report outlines progress and gaps, recom…
Politiques locales et nouveaux dispositifs d'action dans le domaine des toxicomanies
Starting from some comparative research on the policies put into effect on drugs in communes and departments in the suburbs of Paris, this article describes the conditions and determinants of local action (on security, public safety, citizenship, risk reduction), linking it to different political and social contexts. Several kinds of action resulted, which reflected the paradoxes and uncertainties of national policy. The local level allowed certa…
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries
Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists. We interrogated these concerns with a preregistered 68-country survey of 71,922 respondents and found that in most countries, most p…
Beyond Cheerleading
Science journalism faces an issue that is part of a bigger picture of media change. The economic pressures which have seen shrinking resources available for reporting news are contrasted by the relentless rise of corporate communication and public relations. Institutional science communication has become a booming industry, operating, at least partially, by bypassing the traditional roles of journalists. To interrogate how science journalists per…
Politiques locales et nouveaux dispositifs d'action dans le domaine des toxicomanies
Starting from some comparative research on the policies put into effect on drugs in communes and departments in the suburbs of Paris, this article describes the conditions and determinants of local action (on security, public safety, citizenship, risk reduction), linking it to different political and social contexts. Several kinds of action resulted, which reflected the paradoxes and uncertainties of national policy. The local level allowed certa…
Remonter le fil des dégradations. La production urbaine de santé dans la banlieue parisienne
La producción urbana de salud en los suburbios parisienses Tras el auge higienista del siglo pasado, y luego del establecimiento de la seguridad social y las mutuales durante el crecimiento industrial, la salud pública en los medios de gran precaridad se convierte, desde hace algunos años en Francia, en un verdadero terreno de prevención social. La pérdida de habitus de salud por las poblaciones en via de marginalización es un verdadero desafío p…
Politiques locales et nouveaux dispositifs d'action dans le domaine des toxicomanies
Starting from some comparative research on the policies put into effect on drugs in communes and departments in the suburbs of Paris, this article describes the conditions and determinants of local action (on security, public safety, citizenship, risk reduction), linking it to different political and social contexts. Several kinds of action resulted, which reflected the paradoxes and uncertainties of national policy. The local level allowed certa…
Report
This report outlines science communication priorities in a country facing the same global issues as the developed world while in a state of transition and situated on an impoverished continent. South Africa's science communication aims are defined, with examples of successes (like science weeks and festivals, and science centers). Highlighting the bridge-building role of local scientists and the media, the report outlines progress and gaps, recom…
La vie de Marlène
Une histoire singulière - celle de Marlène - permet de comprendre la manière dont les individus font face aux difficultés majeures de la vie, qu'il s'agisse de dissociation familiale, de violences sociales ou institutionnelles, d'errance et de rupture, dans des périodes où ils ne disposent plus d'ancrages ou de soutiens sociaux. Dans les trajectoires jalonnées par ces épreuves, des pratiques très personnelles y introduisent des ressources, des re…
Report
PCST 2002 was the seventh in the series of the network meetings. Held in December 2002 in Cape Town, South Africa, the conference attracted more than four hundred delegates from fortyone countries to discuss theoretical and practical issues in science communication. Following is a report on the conference by the conference chair
Quelle est la place légitime de l'enseignement des mathématiques dans l'éducation
Agir sur les vulnérabilités sociales
Grâce à des enquètes menées non pas sur, mais avec des travailleurs sociaux, cet ouvrage donne à voir très concrètement comment les vulnérabilités sociales circulent, se renforcent ou s'atténuent. Critiqué pour son appui qu’il apporterait à l’ordre social, ou au contraire loué pour l’attention qu’il donne aux plus démunis, le travail social est souvent l’objet d’approches qui ne rendent pas compte de sa réalité quotidienne. Se placer au plus près…
Combining Paid Work and Family Care
Vulnérabilités sociales et engagement associatif. Les ressorts d'une démarche d'action communautaire sur un quartier précarisé
Analyse d'une démarche associative engagée dans une cité de Seine-Saint-Denis particulièrement touchée par la précarité : axée au départ sur le terrain du soutien scolaire, son action s'étend progressivement aux besoins d'insertion, de loisirs et de convivialité. Au travers d'une approche innovante de l'accueil et de l'écoute, elle développe des actions de médiation, de soutien aux familles, d'insertion des jeunes, de promotion de la santé, de pr…
Reflections on the first human heart transplant and its impact on medicine, media and society
South Africa
Public engagement with science—Origins, motives and impact in academic literature and science policy
‘Public engagement with science’ has become a ‘buzzword’ reflecting a concern about the widening gap between science and society and efforts to bridge this gap. This study is a comprehensive analysis of the development of the ‘engagement’ rhetoric in the pertinent academic literature on science communication and in science policy documents. By way of a content analysis of articles published in three leading science communication journals and a se…
The Conversation, Ten Years On
The Conversation (theconversation.com) represents a unique model for communicating scholarly research to the general public via explanatory journalism. Rather than relying on scholars’ personal networks, the promotional efforts of university press offices, or requests from science journalists for comments on current developments, The Conversation offers a platform for scholars across all disciplines to pitch their own stories, gain support from i…
Novel interfaces in science communication
Science amplifier platforms such as The Conversation have gained popularity in a changing media ecosystem in which the traditional roles of journalists are eroded, and scientists are urged to engage with society. The Conversation constitutes a blend of scientific communication, public science communication and science journalism, and a convergence of the professional worlds of science and journalism. In this study, we investigated the nature and …
‘Polony panic’
During food-borne disease outbreaks, people get most of their information about food safety and risk from the news media. Best practice in risk messaging requires the rapid sharing of information to minimise harm, while expressing empathy, accountability, and commitment. The journalistic processes through which news is shaped can prioritise information differently, potentially limiting informed decision-making. The South African listeriosis outbr…
Beyond Cheerleading
Science journalism faces an issue that is part of a bigger picture of media change. The economic pressures which have seen shrinking resources available for reporting news are contrasted by the relentless rise of corporate communication and public relations. Institutional science communication has become a booming industry, operating, at least partially, by bypassing the traditional roles of journalists. To interrogate how science journalists per…
Science Communication
In this contribution, Konstantin and Marina develop a comprehensive overview of the current trends and challenges to teaching and training science communication from an international perspective. They do that by, firstly, developing a comprehensive understanding of science communication in the context of institutional challenges to higher education around the globe; secondly, discussing the current political, public, and scholarly debates on the …
The impact of Covid-19 on science journalists in South Africa
Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic demanded ongoing media coverage unprecedented in its scope and reach. As a result, the pandemic dominated global and national news headlines for an extended period of time. Science and health journalists, and their colleagues covering other journalistic beats, were called upon to report on various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and many journalists found themselves in unchartered waters. To investigate th…
Expériences trans à Paris, Rennes et Londres
En ville, les espaces publics enferment-ils ?Dans le cadre du partenariat entre Mtropolitiques et le Prix de thse sur la ville, Sylvanie Godillon et Michel Joubert prsentent le travail de Milan Bont, Prix Spcial 2023, qui analyse la faon dont les espaces publics alimentent la marginalisation des personnes trans en multipliant les accs et usages diffrencis en fonction du genre
Fact-Checking Role Performances and Problematic Covid-19 Vaccine Content in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa
The move from political fact-checking to a “public health” or debunking model of fact-checking, sustained by policies and funding from platforms, highlights important tensions in the case of Covid-19. Building on findings from studies focused on journalistic role performance, we investigated how professional fact-checkers in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa conceived of and performed their professional roles when addressing Covid-19 vaccinati…
Gaps in public trust between scientists and climate scientists
This study compares public trust in climate scientists and scientists in general across 68 countries ( N = 69,534). On average, participants reported moderately high levels of trust in climate scientists, with trust levels being slightly lower than trust in scientists in general. Overall, this trust gap was larger among participants who identified as politically conservative or right-leaning, but there was considerable variation across countries
Public Communication about Science in 68 Countries
This 68-country survey ( n = 71,922) examines science information diets and communication behavior, identifies cross-country differences, and tests how such differences are associated with sociopolitical and economic conditions. We find that social media are the most used sources of science information in most countries, except those with democratic-corporatist media systems where news media tend to be used more widely. People in collectivist soc…
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries
Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists. We interrogated these concerns with a preregistered 68-country survey of 71,922 respondents and found that in most countries, most p…
Scientists under fire
Scientists face growing pressure to share their research with the public — an ethical and professional duty that can sometimes lead to public hostility when addressing sensitive, controversial, or unpopular topics. Negative reactions from society, often worsened by social media, threaten not only the scientists themselves but also public trust in science and the integrity of knowledge systems. This commentary presents a case study of two scientis…
Integrity under pressure
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly present in academic writing workflows, and their irresponsible use poses a growing threat to the integrity of scholarly publishing. In this editorial, we highlight the emergence of AI-generated references, or so-called “ghost references”, as a specific concern for JCOM and the wider academic community. We consider how AI tools like large language models can produce convincing yet fict…
Political science (20 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Climate Change Communication and Perception (12 works) · Public relations (12 works) · Law (7 works) · Misinformation and Its Impacts (7 works) · Politics (7 works) · Science communication (7 works) · Science education (6 works) · Computer Science (5 works)