Maintaining Credibility with the Media and Public in Uncertain Times

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is in a unique position with regard to the complex interface between science, policy makers, the media, and the general public. Because NCAR is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), it enjoys great credibility. At the same time, it is managed by a non-profit consortium of universities and therefore is free of the constraints that government scientists sometimes face when communicating with reporters and the public. The NCAR Media Office strategically works to protect the credibility of scientists. Its overriding goal is to ensure that the center and the larger scientific community remain a trusted source of information about weather and climate topics, including such controversial topics as climate change. Scientists are freely available to talk with reporters without needing any official clearance. A multi-tier approach is adopted for disseminating science news to the media and public, ranging from news releases for significant, peer-reviewed research results to online, non-technical summaries for research that is more specialized or still in process. The media office directs reporters not only to NCAR scientists, but also to researchers at federal agencies and universities. It works closely with media officers and researchers at other organizations, often helping scientific collaborators connect with reporters. These approaches have helped make NCAR well known in the media industry as an authoritative, credible, and accessible source of information. To further disseminate information about science, the NCAR Media Office is expanding its efforts into multimedia, including video interviews and other footage; animations; and still images. These efforts are often undertaken in collaboration with NSF and other scientific organizations. In addition, the office is putting a greater emphasis on social media, using such tools as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to communicate major scientific developments in a strategic fashion to retain public trust. The office is also developing a “media academy” to provide intensive media training to scientists on a number of topics. The academy will stress such themes as communicating more clearly in print, television, and radio interviews, and handling potentially adversarial media encounters. Such efforts can help frame public discussion about science while minimizing misinformation about research.