Up to Table of Contents

Ahead to Marine special interest group forming: Planning meeting in Missoula

GETTING THE WORD OUT: SCB AND THE NEWS MEDIA

We've all heard it said a million times: "the public is scientifically illiterate" or "the reporter got it wrong" or "why don't they cover what's really important?" Many factors contribute to each of these frustrating situations, but reporters' access to sound scientific information should not be one of them. SCB can help make a difference. Many of us believe that good media coverage is key for increasing public recognition of the mission and importance of conservation biology. Without public support (and dollars), conservation efforts ultimately will fail. With this in mind, the SCB Media Committee is working to bolster understanding and coverage of conservation biology and conservation topics in the news media. Our success depends upon the enthusiasm and expertise of the SCB membership.

First, we want all SCB members to be aware of SCB's recent activities to generate media interest in members' work. Robin Meadows, a freelance science writer, prepares and distributes news tips to journalists on four papers in each issue of Conservation Biology that are most likely to appeal to the media. But to prepare accurate and engaging tips, Robin needs authors to discuss their work with her. With the goal of increasing public awareness, we ask all Conservation Biology authors to be receptive to Robin's requests for information. For example, providing visuals can help determine whether a story is covered (after all, people do like pictures). Photographs in an electronic format are particularly useful because Robin can provide them quickly and directly to interested reporters who are working on deadline. Journalists also need answers to their questions in order to prepare an accurate story, so the more responsive authors are, the better the story will be.

Building on these efforts, and knowing that the simpler it is for journalists to get a story the more likely they are to report it, SCB is creating a special link on its web site that journalists can use as an easy source of information. This link will include the latest Conservation Biology news tips, information on the annual meeting designed specifically to generate media interest, and a valuable new resource for journalists: an expert directory. We encourage you to fill out the directory form that soon will be posted and to mark your categories of expertise. (Please recognize that these categories are based upon what is useful for journalists-not necessarily upon traditional scientific distinctions!) We hope that this resource will improve the accuracy of news stories and encourage journalists to obtain input from scientists. The more participants we have, the more effective we will be in establishing SCB's reputation as a reliable and timely source of scientific information.

"But wait," you're thinking. "I don't like talking to reporters. They're so demanding, they want everything immediately, and then half the time they get it wrong. I don't want to be misquoted or have my research misinterpreted." Then you should join us at noon on 11 June for our workshop Bridging the Cultural Divide - Journalism and Conservation Biology. In cooperation with the Society for Environmental Journalists (SEJ), Todd Wilkinson (national environmental correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor) and one other science writer will discuss stories they've written, their interactions with scientists, the obstacles they face, and what they need from scientists to be successful. Then, SCB members Tom Scott and Richard Knight will relate both their frustrations and the benefits of their interactions with the media. After the case study presentations, SCB member Susan Jacobson will moderate a discussion with the audience. This exercise is designed to inform journalists of scientists' concerns while simultaneously informing SCB members what journalists need to get the story out. We hope that the workshop will initiate an ongoing dialogue between SCB and SEJ to improve both the quantity and quality of conservation biology media coverage.

As the largest SCB event of the year, the annual meeting provides multiple opportunities to expand media coverage. We will publicize the meeting in appropriate journalism circles, prepare press releases, and maintain a press room to help reporters file their stories. In future years, we hope to expand our activities to include news briefings and field trips for journalists, and media training opportunities to help increase SCB members' comfort and effectiveness in dealing with reporters. In the meantime, please join the expert directory, attend our workshop in Missoula, and look for occasional newsletter columns on media-related topics. The benefits to conservation of good media coverage are too great to ignore. Please join us in enhancing coverage whenever possible.

Media Committee members are Amy Mathews-Amos (Chair, amy@mcbi.org), Mark Brunson, Graham Hallward, Burr Heneman, David Johns, Kathy Kohm, and Robin Meadows.

Up to Table of Contents

Ahead to Marine special interest group forming: Planning meeting in Missoula