U.S. News Coverage of Neuroscience Nanotechnology: How U.S. Newspapers Have Covered Neuroscience Nanotechnology During the Last Decade

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Nanotechnology has become one of the fastest-growing emerging technologies in the United States. President Bill Clinton established the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) to increase federal investment in nanotechnology research and development in 2001. In 2003, the U S Congress enacted the twenty-first Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act to evaluate and promote federal nanotechnology research, development, and other activities. This research and development in nanotechnology has led to the advancement of nanotechnology applications and products. For example, consumers can find over 1,000 nanotechnology applications on the market, ranging from tennis rackets to skin care products (Scheufele and Dudo 2010). The social penetration of nanotechnology has raised concerns as an important social issue associated with its potential benefits and risks (Scheufele and Lewenstein 2005). News media have been covering nanotechnology issues for decades, helping to shape how the public understand and perceive the new technology, and whether they support the technology or not (Scheufele and Lewenstein 2005; Weaver et al. 2009).