What is it about?
Shark Week is a high-profile, international programming event that has a potentially enormous influence on public perceptions of sharks, shark research, shark researchers, and shark conservation. However, Shark Week has received regular criticism for poor factual accuracy, fearmongering, bias, and inaccurate representations of science and scientists. We watched 201 episodes of Shark Week and wrote down what the shows were about, what species were featured, who was featured as an expert, how sharks were portrayed, and what kind of conservation messaging there was.
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Why is it important?
Given its popularity and global viewership, Shark Week has the potential to generate interest in both sharks and scientific careers among viewers. However, Shark Week fails to feature the full range of shark research topics and methods and the diversity of people performing research on sharks. Our results, coupled with the scholarly literature, suggest that as a whole, Shark Week is likely contributing to collective perceptions of sharks as monsters, and that even relatively small alterations to programming decisions could substantially improve the presentation of sharks and shark science and conservation issues. Cultivating a positive attitude toward sharks through Shark Week has the potential to drive enhanced support of shark and ocean conservation efforts.
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This page is a summary of: A content analysis of 32 years of Shark Week documentaries, PLoS ONE, November 2022, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256842.
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