Talking Global Changewith the Public and the Media

Clarisse HartHarvard Forest Outreach

& Education Manager

Pop quiz! Question 1

According to a 2006 survey, what percentage of Americans say scientists are people of “very great” or “considerable” prestige?

a) 24 %b) 46 %c) 63 %d) 87 % The highest of any job category

included in the survey.

Pop quiz! Question 2

What percentage of Massachusetts residents are able to name a nearby institution engaged in research?

a) 20 %b) 40 %c) 60 %d) 80 %

And only 26% of them are ableto name a living scientist.

While 85% of the members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science say public ignorance of science is a “major problem,” only 3% of those scientists say they “often” speak to the media.

Barriers to getting good scientific information to the public

• Decline of space and staff for science reporting

• Proliferation of dubiously rigorous blogs and online news sources

• The problem of objectivity– “Fair and balanced” reporting can lead to an

overweighting of dissent• Lack of public interest?

Beliefs and Attitudes

Beliefs and Attitudes

Beliefs and Attitudes

What do we know, and how do we know it?

What do we know, and how do we know it?

What do we know, and how do we know it?

What do we know, and how do we know it?

Apples and Oranges?

The public may see scientists as

• Boring• Hair-splitting• Caveating things to

death• Unable to articulate a

bottom line• Unintelligibly • jargon-y speakers

Scientists may see the public as

• Unconcerned with accuracy

• Superficial• Sensationalist• Focused on controversy• Ignorant

Consider Your Audience

Talking to policymakers:What makes voters vote?

“The Language of Conservation”: The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land, 2004

Talking to the media:What makes news news?

• Extent (broad impact)• Intensity (deeply felt)• Consequence (major repercussions)• Novelty• Eminence or celebrity• Proximity (local angle)• Timeliness (first scoops)• Currency

Practice your elevator speech• Answer the 5 W’s & the H.• Don’t be too generic in your description -- what makes your

project unique? • Avoid jargon, acronyms, and abbreviations (use ‘headline

words’ – DNA is a headline word; RNA is not).• Tell a story! Bring the 5 senses to your work – what methods

or equipment are you using, what environments are you working in?

• Mention small- and large-scale implications for the general public.

• ACTIVITY: Check out the examples below; discuss what works and what doesn’t – then try it out yourself!

Michio Kaku, theoretical physicistAlan Sage, plant physiologist Katharine Hayhoe, climate scientist

Caryn Babaian, high school teacherShaundra Daily, computer scientistAllan Adams, theoretical physicistEmily Whiting, architectural engineer Andre Fenton, neurobiologist

Dave Sulzer, neuroscientist

“The hardest thing for me to remember when talking to a reporter is to go in with three main points and then not ramble around/go off point. It really dilutes the message and you also get crazy quotes attributed to you!”

~A Harvard Forest researcher

Media Messaging

New England Maple Trees Under Asian Longhorned Beetle Attack. The Post Chronicle.

Threat from Asian beetle expands beyond cities. The Boston Globe.

Are New England's Iconic Maples at Risk? The National Science Foundation.

Trees Showing Resilience to Beetles. Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

Editorial - Holding ground: Beetle vs. tree goes to OT. Worcester Telegram and Gazette.

Media MessagingA cautionary tale

• Break into pairs; one will be a reporter, the other a scientist. • The “reporter” will receive a slip of paper (keep it hidden!) noting

whether they are supposed to stay “on message” or try to guide the conversation to a different/revised message.

• Both parties spend ~15 minutes reading a scientific article about global change (focus especially on the abstract and discussion/conclusions).– Orwig, D. A., Thompson, J. R., Povak, N. A., Manner, M., Niebyl, D., Foster, D. R.

2012. A foundation tree at the precipice. Ecosphere.– Oswald, W. W., Foster, D. R. 2011. Middle-Holocene dynamics of Tsuga canadensis

(eastern hemlock) in northern New England. The Holocene.– Stinson, K. A., Brophy, C., Connolly, J. 2011.

Catching up on global change: new ragweed genotypes emerge in elevated CO2 conditions. Ecosphere.

• The “scientist” identifies 3 key messages they want to get across during a 10-minute interview.

• After the interview, the “reporter” presents back to the group the key messages s/he worked out. The “scientist” responds about the process.

Media Messaging: Activity

HF examples

• Discuss types and examples of leads in science writing (see “Leads” handout).

• Pass around a stack of magazines and newspapers; ask students to identify and share the 1 or 2 leads that most strike them. What type(s) of leads are they?

• Watch The Island President trailer – a different way to think about packaging a climate change message. It’s like a big “focus on a person” lead!

• Ask students to write and share their own lead for a story about the scientific paper they worked with in the Media Messaging exercise.

Writing Good Leads: Activity