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.
The government have published the latest estimates for the COVID-19 R number and growth rates. Dr Yuliya Kyrychko, Reader … read more
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released the latest data from their COVID-19 Infection Survey in England, Wales and … read more
A review and opinion piece, published in The Lancet, looked at strategies for easing lockdown restrictions in Europe and Asia. … read more
A conference abstract, press released from the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Conference on Coronavirus Disease (ECCVID), … read more
The government have released the latest data on the number of new cases of COVID-19 in the UK. Prof … read more
A preprint, and unpublished non peer-reviewed study posted on medRxiv, looked at adherence to the test, trace and isolate system … read more
The NHS have released the latest annual childhood vaccination coverage statistics for England covering 2019-2020. Prof Helen Bedford, Professor … read more
NHS Test and Trace have released the latest figures from their work for the week 10th – 16th September. … read more
Data from the ongoing UCL COVID-19 Social Study looked at public acceptance of a possible COVID vaccine Prof Stephan … read more
The government have released the latest figures for cases and deaths from COVID-19 in the UK. Dr Julian Tang, … read more
It has been reported that in January a COVID-19 challenge trial will start, in which participants are purposefully infected with … read more
A study, published in Nature, looked at the Antarctic ice sheet and sea level rise. Dr Helene Hewitt, a Met … read more
A study, published in Science of The Total Environment, looked at placentas and particles which may be from air pollution. … read more
The Chinese government have announced that they intend to reach carbon neutrality by the year 2060. Prof Piers Forster, … read more
A correspondence piece, published in Nature, discusses UK and EU scientific collaborations in light of COVID-19. Beth Thompson, Head … read more
A study, published in Thorax, looked at COVID-19 viral load of asymptomatic vs symptomatic people. Dr Julian Tang, Honorary Associate … read more
A review, published in PLOS Medicine, looked at the proportion of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 who develop symptoms. Dr Julian Tang, … read more
The government have confirmed that there were 4,926 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 om Tuesday 22nd September 2020. Prof … read more
In a statement to the House of Commons, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined the new restrictions being put in … read more
An open letter has been sent to the Prime Minister by a group of scientists calling on him to alter … read more
