The Public Image(s) of Science and Technology in the Greek Daily Press, 1908-1910

This paper discusses the results of our analysis of over 2,500 articles related to science and technology found in the daily newspapers Embros and Skrip, between 1908 and 1910. In view of the importance of this historical period for Greece, we examine the public images(s) of science and technology and interpret the multifaceted discourse used by journalists when accounting for science and technology in their articles. From the wide range of articles studied, we have discerned four broad themes: the introduction and cultural appropriation of new technologies in Greek cities, the concern with public hygiene and general health issues, attempts to control Nature, and lastly the presentation of the scientific and technological advances taking place abroad. Our empirical study has shown that (1) all scientific and technical fields were covered in both newspapers, (2) science and technology were not only addressed in special columns dealing with science popularization, but permeated the entire newspaper, (3) the term ‘science’, with all its derivatives, was used for science proper, but also in expressions employed in order to write about the advanced technology of the period, (4) the concept of science was associated with the notion of modernity and that of progress.