This study examined how and whether Japanese research organizations adapt their communications outputs and practices to the media’s requirements in a media landscape that has frequently been described as “cartelized.” A survey and subsequent in-depth interviews with communications and public relations departments at Japanese research organizations showed that universities and government-funded research institutions employ outputs expected by the media, such as issuing press releases and using fax machines for dissemination. The adoption of media-imposed requirements appears to meet the dual interests of Japanese research organizations and established media. The results suggest that press clubs, one manifestation of an information cartel, are an indicator of how research organizations orient to the media at the organizational level. The findings add a non-Western perspective to the current literature of science medialization.

这项研究调查了日本研究机构如何以及是否在经常被描述为“卡特尔化”的媒体环境中调整其传播输出和实践以适应媒体的要求。一项调查以及随后对日本研究机构的传播和公共关系部门的深入采访表明，大学和政府资助的研究机构采用了媒体期望的产出，例如发布新闻稿和使用传真机进行传播。采用媒体强加的要求似乎符合日本研究机构和成熟媒体的双重利益。结果表明，新闻俱乐部是信息卡特尔的一种表现形式，是研究组织如何在组织层面上面向媒体的指标。