Rapid Reactions: responding to breaking news. The demands of the 24-hour media machine mean that news journalists often don’t have the luxury of time to track down the best scientists when a science story lands on their desks, so availability can sometimes win out over expertise. This is where the Science Media Centre steps in. When a story breaks – whether it’s the latest flu epidemic, health scare or a potential nuclear crisis – the SMC persuades leading experts to drop everything and engage with the story, then contacts journalists at all the major news outlets to offer those experts for interviews or immediate comment.
Roundups: putting new research into context. One of the other ways the SMC ensures that the media have easy access to scientists and their views is by offering journalists a variety of comments from scientists reacting to the latest research. This service differs from our ‘Rapid Reactions’ as scientists have time to react before new research is announced, rather than in response to breaking news.
With access to embargoed journals before publication, we can pick stories of most interest to journalists, asking third party experts to provide comments and information to put research into context before it appears in the media. The SMC’s unique Roundups help busy journalists critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of new research, and highlight when studies are very preliminary or display a correlation that should not be read as causation. Equally, when leading scientists are excited about a significant study this can reassure journalists that the study should feature strongly in their coverage.
An evidence update on nicotine vaping in England by scientists at King’s College London has been published by the Office … read more
A statistical report by NHS Digital and the UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA) reports on childhood vaccination coverage statistics for … read more
A study published in PLOS ONE looks at maternal use of paracetamol during pregnancy and neurobehavioral problems in offspring at … read more
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry looks at folic acid prescription fills, suicide attempts and intentional self-harm among privately Insured … read more
There have been several news reports on the Nord Stream gas leaks following explosions. Prof Jeffrey Kargel, Senior Scientist, … read more
A press release from Eisai and Biogen has announced positive topline results from their Phase 3 clinical trial of lecanemab … read more
A study published in Lancet eBioMedicine looks at plasma proteomic signatures and persistent symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Prof Kevin … read more
An opinion piece published in Archives of Disease in Childhood looks at the effects of smart voice control devices on … read more
A study published in European Journal of Preventative Cardiology uses data from UK Biobank to look at impact of coffee … read more
A study published in Science Advances looks at antibody responses against human microbiota flagellins in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) … read more
The Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced the new ‘Growth Plan’ in his statement to the House of Commons. Steve Bates, … read more
The Office for National Statistics (ONS), have released the latest data from their COVID-19 Infection Survey. Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of … read more
Two conference abstracts presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting 2022, look at COVID-19 infection … read more
The British Geological Survey (BGS) have published their report on induced seismicity from fracking. Dr Salvador Acha, Senior Research … read more
A conference abstract (not a published paper) presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of … read more
Results of a phase 3 clinical trial looking at the use of tofersen for motor neurone disease (MND) has been … read more
A conference abstract, presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting 2022, looks at tea consumption … read more
A conference abstract, presented at the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting, discusses blue light exposure and puberty onset in … read more
WHO guidelines, published in the BMJ, advise against the use of sotrovimab and casirivimab-imdevimab for COVID-19. Dr Kovilen Sawmynaden, Biologics … read more
An analysis by World Weather Attribution has looked at the Pakistan flooding and attribution. Prof Ted Shepherd, Grantham Professor … read more
