Speaker
Description
Informing science and also nurturing the sympathy to scientific activities could be an important background to raise the fund, recruit staff and acquire the land to build the large research infrastructures. Mass media plays an important role in this communication, that is, the media relation is very important for scientific community to build good relation with the general public, and public information officer (PIOs) play a big role and help in the relations.
Then what is “media relations”? It is the activity to build trusting relationships with reporters, and foster mutual understanding, sometimes acting as source of informal advice. It is to proactively inform the media of news, by issuing press releases and so on. It is to disseminate the news, by interviews by email or phone, face to face, or in front of the camera.
When informing the media of science, there are some points to note. First, scientists are encouraged to show the overview or the background of science or the importance or the meaning of it, and to make it clear what is the point.
Actually the media report not only scientific results. They cover how the research activities are going on, such like construction of the facilities. They are also interested in the humanities of scientists itself or the background of the scientific activities.
And PIOs will help scientists. PIOSs will build relationships with the media, by providing background and identifying the key points. They supplement what scientists did not say. They translate the jargons. They know how to consider that there are some cultural or local differences in reporting. As such, PIOs try to open the door and welcome the media to science.
In this way, scientists can rely on PIOs in making media relations in making better relations between scientific community and the general public.
It would be better to consider that there are some cultural or local differences in reporting.
