| dc.description.abstract | In popular science and technology writing, “boosterism” is prominent. Writers overwhelmingly
describe science and technology in enthusiastic terms, thereby promoting the deficit
or Public Appreciation of Science and Technology model (PAST). A crucial aspect of
the PAST model is its pro-innovation bias: writers enroll chaperones in the texts, such as
spokespersons, users, celebrities, witnesses, experts, and authorities, to support their claims.
Both “boosterism” and pro-innovation bias constrain the public’s critical understanding of
science and technology. This study includes a detailed exploration of pro-innovation bias in
the popularization of the Internet in the Norwegian press and how journalists use chaperones
to support their claims. The author demonstrates that, in popularizing the Internet, proinnovation bias manifests several other biases, such as individual-praise, pro-technology, individual-blame, technology-blame, and source biases. | sv |
