I agree with David. Be careful who you talk to. The Forest Service
requires us to report requests for interviews to our media relations office
so that the credibility of the reporter can be verified. We do this
regularly unless its a reporter we know, such as a local radio or
television reporter.
We've had a number of dealings with the press at our FACE experiment.
Credible science reporters want to get the story right. We've let them
know that we're dealing with complicated issues and we'd like a chance to
review their presentation before it goes to press. Some of them have even
asked us if we'd be willing to review the transcript. We've asked
reporters to be sure to acknowledge certain institutions in their story,
and they have faithfully agreed to do so. Many of them send us their copy
to make sure the details are accurate. Even radio reporters have sent us
their transcripts before the piece aired. Most of our problems come when
a story goes out on the wires and is picked up by some other news
organization. That's when the story gets edited and sometimes distorted.
Other than contacting that particular editor and pointing out the errors
this is beyond anyone's control
The time we got burned the most is when one large-city newspaper ran a full
page story on our elevated CO2 open-topped chanber experiments under the
title of "End of the Earth Research" and described how we were testing
trees poisoned with carbon monoxide.
----------
Mark E. Kubiske
Research Plant Physiologist
USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station
Forestry Sciences Lab
5985 Hwy K
Rhinelander, WI 54501
Office phone: 715-362-1108
Cell phone: 715-367-5258
Fax: 715-362-1166
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
----- Forwarded by Mark E Kubiske/NRS/USDAFS on 04/24/2007 09:03 AM -----
"David M.
Lawrence"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To
Sent by: [email protected]
"Ecological cc
Society of
America: grants, Subject
jobs, news" Re: Fwd: Global Warming Swindle
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]
V.UMD.EDU>
04/23/2007 09:17
AM
Please respond to
"David M.
Lawrence"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The take-home lesson is to be careful whom you talk to and be careful what
you say to them. Someone requests an interview, practice due diligence.
If
you've never heard of them before, check them out. Make sure they are
legitimate journalists. Ask if they are members of organizations like the
National Association of Science Writers, the Society of Environmental
Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists, etc.
I work as both a journalist and a scientist. As a journalist, I would
never
offer anyone such an agreement as proposed. As a scientist, I would never
request such an agreement.
The role of the journalist is supposed to to be an independent voice -- a
skeptical filter for the public. Journalists are not supposed to be
mouthpieces for institutions, corporations, celebrities -- even scientists.
I don't think any reputable scientist would want to give up intellectual
control over his research. Why would a scientist ask a journalist to give
up editorial control of his reporting?
Dave
------------------------------------------------------
David M. Lawrence | Home: (804) 559-9786
7471 Brook Way Court | Fax: (804) 559-9787
Mechanicsville, VA 23111 | Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
USA | http: http://fuzzo.com
------------------------------------------------------
"We have met the enemy and he is us." -- Pogo
"No trespassing
4/17 of a haiku" -- Richard Brautigan
-----Original Message-----
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of joseph gathman
Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 7:47 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Fwd: Global Warming Swindle
<stuff snipped>
On a different note, the lesson to learn from the
scientist who was misquoted seems to be: don't talk
to the media unless they give you, in writing, the
right of approval or rejection of what they do with
your words. Of course, they probably won't do that...
Joe
