Towards another social conception of science? About the television coverage of the pandemic in Spain

Numerous studies have evaluated how the situation caused by COVID-19 influences the trust that citizens place in science. Far fewer, on the other hand, have assessed the way in which the pandemic can motivate the population to form an alternative image of scientific research. Considering the role of the media and taking into account the exceptional consumption of information and dissemination during confinement (especially through television), our article aims to investigate to what extent the media may be contributing to forging a new social conception of science. To do this, we qualitatively analyze the informative and informative treatment of the crisis on Spanish television, focusing on the cases and novel aspects of the coverage that most significantly offer a different look at science. Thus, we point out how the continuous monitoring of research exposes the iterative process of science, questions its certainties and underlines its provisionality. Next, we point to the rapprochement between the scientific elite and citizens that seek the frequent appearances of experts and we highlight how the discussion of the debate shows a plural and divergent scientific community. Likewise, we value the dissemination of information and dissemination in different programs as a way of reaching the bulk of the population and sparking debate within it. We conclude that the recent experience can act as a turning point in the media treatment of science and in its popular conception, and we emphasize the important role of both transformations in the path towards the democratization of the scientific institution.