Anyone who has spent even 10 minutes thinking about Science Communication knows that - like any REAL communication - it’s all about privileging information from trusted sources. We also know that according to many respected polls including Pew, the trust of scientists among the general public is not great at the moment. So, how and to whom can you be a trusted source beyond your colleagues, family, and friends?
How about weighing in with the people of your hometown community, who may know you and your family and may give your words extra weight about these issues and what information to trust?
The Science Coalition put this toolkit together to help scientists who want to write a letter to the editor of their hometown newspaper.
A combination of head and heart will help here—maybe you tell a quick version of WHY you became a scientist and WHO affected your decision (a beloved teacher? a relative’s illness? A local environmental issue?) and HOW your work relates to the community and WHAT they will lose with all these spending and job cuts.
Try it and let us know if you get published…and tell us what happened! (take a picture, share the feedback, and let’s keep it going!)
With thanks and credit to our friends at Liminal for putting together the Meeting The Moment initiative!