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- 1,446
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http://www.margaretwilliams.me/2016/bbc-reply-mar-nov21.pdf
Carol Rubra, BBC News, in response to the Countess of Mar's letter:
“Finally I would like to reassure you about the relations between the Science Media Centre and BBC News. The SMC is a valuable resource for advice on matters requiring expert understanding but it does not condition our journalism. BBC health and Science journalists always check directly with the researchers involved in the reports they cover. Their journalism is independent and impartial, in keeping with the BBC’s Editorial guidelines”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/w...arch-function-at-the-Science-Media-Centre.pdf
Review of the first three years of the mental health research function at the Science Media Centre
'….. Tom Feilden, science correspondent for BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, won the UK Press Gazette's first ever specialist science writing award for breaking the story the SMC gave him about the harassment and intimidation of researchers working on CFS/ME. The SMC had nominated him for the award'
Page 12:
Supporting experts targeted by extremists
‘We have also been involved in supporting experts who have found themselves being targeted by individuals or groups who do not like their research. This has been particularly important in the case of psychiatrists and psychologists working on chronic fatigue syndrome/ME. These researchers have found themselves in the firing line from a small group of extremists who are opposed to psychiatrists or psychologists doing research on chronic fatigue syndrome/ME.
The SMC ran a press briefing on the first findings from the PACE trial, and supported
The researchers involved throughout this process, for example, by organising media training in collaboration with the MRC. When we became aware of the level of intimidation researchers were experiencing we brought together key parties for a brainstorm to discuss what could be done to aid researchers. At this event it was agreed that the harassed experts should speak out publically about the harassment they were experiencing. As a result the BBC Radio 4 Today programme ran an exposé on the piece (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14326514) and a number of outlets followed the story including the Observer (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/aug/21/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-myalgic-encephalomyelitis) and the Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...reats-investigating-psychological-causes.html).
Page 14
Seizing the agenda
As well as breaking stories of new research and responding to mental health in the news, the SMC has also helped to set the agenda and frame the narrative of reporting on a number of big issues.
Previous to our background press briefing on DSM 5 few of the UK based science journalists knew about the unease amongst UK scientists. The background press briefing generated vast media coverage and informed the UK’s most important health and science reporters of the issues of concern. The SMC followed this up with several Roundups including comments from large numbers of the UK’s top mental health researchers, all generating continued media coverage.
This kind of agenda setting was also on display in our work around the harassment and intimidation of researchers working on chronic fatigue syndrome/ME. The meeting organised by the SMC on this was the first of its kind and brought the beleaguered researchers together with representatives of funding agencies, the police, the GMC etc. One of the results of that meeting was the decision of a number of academics to go public on their situation with the support of the SMC and their respective press officers .
The SMC engineered the coverage through working with the Today programme on an exclusive – a story that was planned over many weeks. The result was huge with Today making the very best of their exclusive with several different packages on the morning of release. As expected the follow up was huge with almost every newspaper, Sunday paper and influential magazine covering the subject in some way. The results of that coverage have been mixed but include the following:
· Many in the scientific community became aware of the situation having previously been unaware
· For some researchers the media coverage marked the end of their harassment. For others it has continued
· Across the board the researchers who were interviewed received a huge amount of
supportive emails from fellow scientists and from chronic fatigue syndrome/ME patients and their families'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Science Media Centre's self-assessment of the "results" of the lurid 'Death threats' media blitz it conceived, engineered and orchestrated .... sounds altogether too modest.
.
http://www.margaretwilliams.me/2016/bbc-reply-mar-nov21.pdf
Carol Rubra, BBC News, in response to the Countess of Mar's letter:
“Finally I would like to reassure you about the relations between the Science Media Centre and BBC News. The SMC is a valuable resource for advice on matters requiring expert understanding but it does not condition our journalism. BBC health and Science journalists always check directly with the researchers involved in the reports they cover. Their journalism is independent and impartial, in keeping with the BBC’s Editorial guidelines”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/w...arch-function-at-the-Science-Media-Centre.pdf
Review of the first three years of the mental health research function at the Science Media Centre
'….. Tom Feilden, science correspondent for BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, won the UK Press Gazette's first ever specialist science writing award for breaking the story the SMC gave him about the harassment and intimidation of researchers working on CFS/ME. The SMC had nominated him for the award'
Page 12:
Supporting experts targeted by extremists
‘We have also been involved in supporting experts who have found themselves being targeted by individuals or groups who do not like their research. This has been particularly important in the case of psychiatrists and psychologists working on chronic fatigue syndrome/ME. These researchers have found themselves in the firing line from a small group of extremists who are opposed to psychiatrists or psychologists doing research on chronic fatigue syndrome/ME.
The SMC ran a press briefing on the first findings from the PACE trial, and supported
The researchers involved throughout this process, for example, by organising media training in collaboration with the MRC. When we became aware of the level of intimidation researchers were experiencing we brought together key parties for a brainstorm to discuss what could be done to aid researchers. At this event it was agreed that the harassed experts should speak out publically about the harassment they were experiencing. As a result the BBC Radio 4 Today programme ran an exposé on the piece (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14326514) and a number of outlets followed the story including the Observer (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/aug/21/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-myalgic-encephalomyelitis) and the Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...reats-investigating-psychological-causes.html).
Page 14
Seizing the agenda
As well as breaking stories of new research and responding to mental health in the news, the SMC has also helped to set the agenda and frame the narrative of reporting on a number of big issues.
Previous to our background press briefing on DSM 5 few of the UK based science journalists knew about the unease amongst UK scientists. The background press briefing generated vast media coverage and informed the UK’s most important health and science reporters of the issues of concern. The SMC followed this up with several Roundups including comments from large numbers of the UK’s top mental health researchers, all generating continued media coverage.
This kind of agenda setting was also on display in our work around the harassment and intimidation of researchers working on chronic fatigue syndrome/ME. The meeting organised by the SMC on this was the first of its kind and brought the beleaguered researchers together with representatives of funding agencies, the police, the GMC etc. One of the results of that meeting was the decision of a number of academics to go public on their situation with the support of the SMC and their respective press officers .
The SMC engineered the coverage through working with the Today programme on an exclusive – a story that was planned over many weeks. The result was huge with Today making the very best of their exclusive with several different packages on the morning of release. As expected the follow up was huge with almost every newspaper, Sunday paper and influential magazine covering the subject in some way. The results of that coverage have been mixed but include the following:
· Many in the scientific community became aware of the situation having previously been unaware
· For some researchers the media coverage marked the end of their harassment. For others it has continued
· Across the board the researchers who were interviewed received a huge amount of
supportive emails from fellow scientists and from chronic fatigue syndrome/ME patients and their families'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Science Media Centre's self-assessment of the "results" of the lurid 'Death threats' media blitz it conceived, engineered and orchestrated .... sounds altogether too modest.
.
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