media policies

Department of Interior Buries Communications Policy After Attempting to Justify Muzzling Scientists

, Deputy director, Center for Science & Democracy

June 22, 2018 2:26 PM EDT

Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times broke the story about the new policy at the U.S. Geological Survey requiring scientists to get permission before speaking to reporters about science. In an attempt to justify the muzzling, a department spokesperson said they were just following an Obama-era communications policy (sound familiar?). After reporters linked to the policy, it was removed from its previous location and buried deep in the DOI website. You can find it there as a Word document; I’ve made a PDF available here.  Read more >

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The FDA Released a Long-Awaited Social Media Policy—and It’s Impressive

, Research Director, Center for Science and Democracy

November 13, 2015 3:44 PM EDT

Earlier this year, I looked at the social media policies of 17 federal agencies and departments with science in their missions. All but one of those agencies had a social media policy in place. So we asked the lone agency—the Food and Drug Administration—to produce the social media policy it claimed it was working on. This week the agency released that policy. And it’s not just any policy, it’s a strong one. Read more >

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Communicating Science: Barriers Journalists Face at Government Agencies

, former analyst, Center for Science & Democracy

August 4, 2015 12:55 PM EDT

Transparency invigorates a strong democracy. It inspires trust and spurs citizens to hold their leaders accountable. As citizens, we have the right to know about the scientific information shaping the policies that affect our health, our safety, and the environment, and our government has a responsibility to share this information openly. Read more >

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Access Denied? A Survey of Science Writers Sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Union of Concerned Scientists

, former analyst, Center for Science & Democracy

April 9, 2015 12:11 PM EDT

Earlier this year, the Center for Science and Democracy published a report on media policies at 17 federal agencies. More than four years after the Obama administration had issued a directive ordering reform of federal scientific integrity policies—including those governing media access—we found evidence that public communications are too often censored, constrained, or funneled through agency media offices. Read more >

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Censorship of Government Scientists Spreads to the United Kingdom

, Deputy director, Center for Science & Democracy

March 31, 2015 7:00 AM EDT

British scientists are pushing back strongly against a move by the UK government to control how government scientists communicate their research with the public. This is a very troubling development that is bad for science and bad for the public interest. The news was reported on Friday in the Guardian and Science. Read more >

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