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.
Research, published in Heliyon, reports that more than 100,000 cancer cases in the US could stem from contaminants in tap … read more
A conference abstract/poster, presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), reports a link … read more
A conference poster/abstract, being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), reports a … read more
Research, published in Nature, reports that Babies born vaginally have different gut bacteria – their microbiome – than those delivered by … read more
A study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, reports that electromagnetic fields have an impact on the internal … read more
Research, published in Nature Communications, reports that carbon particles have been found in the fetal side of the placenta in … read more
A study, published in European Urology, reports on possible connection between those with the BRCA2 mutation and risk of prostate cancer. … read more
A conference abstract, being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), reports … read more
A conference poster, being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), reports … read more
An abstract, being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), reports that there … read more
A study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine. reports that the benefits of aspirin for patients without cardiovascular disease may out … read more
Research, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, reports on the levels of the chemical pulegone in mint- and menthol-flavored e-Cigarettes. … read more
Research, published in Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, reports that childhood behaviour, memory, and IQ may be linked to paracetamol use … read more
Protesters have been flying drones at Heathrow airport in an attempt to cause disruption. Prof Ian Poll, Emeritus Professor … read more
It has been announced that Prof Sir Mark Walport will be retiring as CEO of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) … read more
President Trump has decided to ban flavourings in e-cigarettes in the USA, in light of the recent illness and deaths … read more
Research, published in JAMA Psychiatry, reports a link between time spent on social media and risk of mental health problems in … read more
The UK Government has announced changes to student immigration rules that will allow students to remain in the UK for … read more
The High Court case concerning the future and treatment of the ill child Tafida Raqueeb started on September 9th. … read more
Research, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, reports the discovery of a new strain of bacteria linked to scarlet fever. … read more
