Perception of the CERN/LHC: Evidence from French Media Articles

CERN is advancing plans for the Future Circular Collider (FCC), a next-generation particle accelerator designed to push the boundaries of high-energy physics beyond what was possible using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). As a scientific mega-project of unprecedented scale, the FCC requires substantial financial and scientific resources over a long time horizon, making sustained public support essential for its success. However, fostering favourable public perception is a complex challenge influenced by diverse factors, including the project’s scientific foundations, potential benefits, and the broader social and political context. Media outlets play a pivotal role in this process by selecting, framing, and broadcasting information to the public. This role persists despite the pressures exerted on traditional journalism by the rise of social media. This paper seeks to deepen our understanding of how large scientific projects are perceived in the media, using CERN and its LHC as a case study. Specifically, it examines how CERN and the LHC have been portrayed in French media from 2006 to 2024, focusing on the topics emphasised and the sentiment associated with this coverage. Two key research questions guide the analysis: (1) What are the main topics covered by French journalists regarding the LHC and CERN? (2) How has media perception of LHC and CERN evolved?. Using statistical and natural language processing techniques, I show that French media coverage of CERN and the LHC fluctuated cyclically, often influenced by major scientific milestones, such as the discovery of the Higgs boson, or negative incidents, such as terrorism allegations. Despite these fluctuations, French media coverage remained predominantly positive, showing no significant trend toward increased negativity or polarisation, as may be expected from comparisons with social media. These findings suggest that traditional French media may support fostering positive public perceptions of CERN and the LHC. The implications for research institutions’ communication strategies are also discussed. For instance, the positive perceptions of CERN/LHC in French media constitute a favourable context for the transition towards new projects, such as the FCC