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.
A study published in EClinicalMedicine looks at survey results on willingness of children and adolescents to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. … read more
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released a technical article looking at risk of testing positive for COVID-19. Dr James … read more
A study published in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry looks at time trends in autism diagnosis in the UK … read more
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released the latest data from their COVID-19 Infection Survey. Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor … read more
A conference abstract presented at the 59th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting looks at exposure to obesity-promoting chemicals … read more
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has updated its clinical care guidance to include the drugs casirivimab and imdevimab (produced by … read more
A consensus statement published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology suggests taking a precautionary approach to using paracetamol during pregnancy. Prof … read more
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, looks at public attitudes to COVID-19 booster vaccinations and influenza vaccines. Dr … read more
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released data on life expectancy in the UK from 2018 to 2020. … read more
The UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) have issued a statement suggesting that water fluoridation is an effective public health intervention … read more
The pharmaceutical company Gilead have press released results that report to show that early use of remdesivir (Veklury®) reduces risk … read more
The World Health Organization (WHO) have published new global air quality guidelines. Prof Frank Kelly, MRC centre for Environment and … read more
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released the latest data from their COVID-19 infection survey. Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor … read more
A report, published by Copernicus Marine Service, looked at the state of the world’s oceans. Prof Andrew Shepherd, Professor of … read more
A study, published in PLOS Medicine, looked at biomarkers of dairy fat intake, Cardio Vascular Disease and all-cause mortality. Dr … read more
A study, published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, looked at replacement of nitrite in meat products by plant products … read more
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released provisional counts of the number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the … read more
The UK is currently experiencing a substantial rise in gas prices and a shortage of C02 gas. Prof Jon … read more
Research, published in the journal Heart, looked at physical activity and the coronary artery calcium score (CAC score). Prof Gavin … read more
A study, published in JAMA Paediatrics, looked at the effect of a pre-emptive intervention in children showing early signs of autism on … read more
