Advocating for Geoscience

Transcription

1 Advocating for Geoscience The Roles of AEG and AEG Members Advocacy Committee Collaborative Call April 6, 2016

2 Briget Doyle* Nate Saraceno Cynthia Palomares Phyllis Steckel* Paul Weaver* *Committee members AEG ADVOCACY COMMITTEE

3 Why advocate for Geoscience? Bad decisions have been made Bad laws have been made Basic education has been compromised Results are dangerous, expensive, and avoidable

4 State of the Science Attempts to de-license or eliminate professional registration

5 State of the Science Research funding dwindles

6 More State of the Science Risky development continues flood, earthquake, landslides+

7 State of the Science K12 students taught embedded beliefs in age of Earth, evolution, coexistence of dinosaurs and humans

8 Professional Responsibility Now we are in debt to the future of geoscience because of past inaction.

9 Proactive & Reactive PROACTIVE Outreach Talks Articles Field Trips Press releases Legislative watchdogs Social media REACTIVE Available subject experts Story sources Telephone & video interviews

10 Ideas to Make Change Happen Proactive AEG AEG Media Kit List of technical experts Press release template Breaking news protocol Send regular press releases Support for OP-ED articles Send ideas for feature articles to media regularly Proactive Individuals Join list of experts Initiate press releases Find local/regional issues Initiate OP-ED articles Lead local field trips Meet with legislators Speak to local groups Write letters

11 CONNECTING WITH GENERAL AUDIENCES

12 Connecting with General Audiences We Rock Your World What Geologists Do and How Our Work Improves Your Life Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists Presenter s Name and Employment Presenter s Address

13 Terrified of Public Speaking?

14 Cynthia Palomares VISITING PROFESSIONALS PROGRAM

15 Visiting Professionals Program Program manual available Volunteers for general audiences For students and allied professionals

16 Local Geology Field Trips

17 MISSOURI GEOLOGISTS CONSORTIUM

18 There are two things you never want to see how they are made. One is sausage, and the other is laws.

19 OUTREACH TO STATE & FEDERAL LEGISLATORS

20 OUTREACH TO ALLIED INDUSTRIES & PROFESSIONS

21 Reach Out to Allies Send relevant press releases Invite to mutual events, field trips, etc. Offer to speak at their meetings

22 Media Interviews No techno-speak! Don t talk to your boss Short statements Respect deadlines Think: sound bytes Keep it relevant Don t be offended if you re cut

23 Press Releases Respect traditional format Respect traditional writing style AP Style Book Chicago Style Manual Write for smart 8 th graders Check via Readability Index

24 Press Release Writing Style State names are never abbreviated as FL, CA, KS, or CT Used in USPS addresses only Viewed as amateur In press releases, use traditional abbreviations: Fla., Calif., Kans., N.Y. +

25 Press Releases Journalism s Inverted Pyramid Important stuff first! Editor may chop from the bottom No techno-speak, jargon, or acronyms AEG the Association Don t be old news

26 Press Releases Excellent skill for the workplace! Handy as a life skill Geoscience advocate Community groups Scouts Hobbyists Service organizations Alumni groups Church & synagogue

27 Breaking News Natural hazard event Earthquake, sinkhole, flood, tsunami + Corvette Museum Sinkhole Environmental event Spill, explosion, collapse Important vote or decision

28 Feature Story Ideas Feature story ideas No self-promotion Legitimate value to audience Interesting Timely Looking for help or input Deadline often flexible

29 Feature Story Ideas Usually, a reporter will write the story, taking ideas from a proposal Occasionally, a story may be used ~verbatim if it is extremely well written and author is trusted

30 Op-Ed Article Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) article Expert (or at least legit) Relevant Important Unbiased Timely: before the decision, vote, move, or event Include The Ask enlist audience action or support

31 Mainstream News Uses Your Ideas Local boy to meet pope Murder Apartment fire Overturned truck Candidates needed for local school board Purse snatchers lead high-speed chase Boeing lands at local middle school Local mom creates playground 12 things you missed after the Emmys Driver sees spider, causes crash Plus 6+ shameless plugs for upcoming TV shows, books, movies & events Most news stories are from press releases, police scanners, or online surfing Few or no dedicated beat reporters any more

32 When to Send What? Breaking news is now news 24/7/365 Relevance & value decreases over time Op-ed articles, feature stories, & announcements can wait Consider deadlines Calendar sweet spots

33 Press Release Calendar Sweet Spots JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

34 When Sending Press Releases Send Press Releases in message box No attachments: will catch in spamfilters Little or no graphics

35 Press Release Review Protocol IN PROGRESS AEG press releases must be reviewed (protocol TBD)

36 Feature Story Ideas IN PROGRESS AEG lists feature story ideas Send to known research journalists Running with the Big Dogs so expect limited interest But court any response.

37 List of Feature Story IN PROGRESS Who should maintain this list? National interests? Regional interests? Local interests?

38 Subject Matter Experts for Media Interviews IN PROGRESS Spreadsheet format On website? Gatekeeper? Who maintains list?

39 Review Proactive Public speaking General audiences Visiting Professionals Fed & State legislators Press releases Breaking news Regular news Feature articles Op-ed articles Reactive Subject matter experts Print media Broadcast media

40 Phyllis Steckel, RG ANY QUESTIONS?