Construction of knowledge in the mass media. Systemic problems in the post-modern power-struggle between the symbolic generalized media in the Agora: the Lomborg case of environmental science and politics

The present article analyses the Lomborg case of environmental conflicts in the Agora of the mass media by viewing science, politics, economics, religion and the big news media as differentiated systems using what Luhmann calls symbolic generalized media. Each has its own simplified code and interest that make it easier and faster to canalize messages. But the problem for the public good then becomes that they cannot communicate directly with each other. Each system is closed around its own code and specialists. There are no rules of engagement for the benefit of the greater system of society. Is that a good thing or could the public knowledge generation processes be improved? This article analyses the Lomborg case viewed as a problem of public knowledge management in democratic societies with free presses. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.