1. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Presentation at EGI
Amsterdam
September 15, 2010
Martin Ince Communications Limited

2. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
About me….
UK-based journalist
Times Higher Education
Many others!
Media adviser and trainer
EU machine eg JRC, Commission
World University Rankings
Martin Ince Communications Limited

3. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
How media works
Not a training session
Here to share knowledge
May be too simple for this audience
One big lesson: transferable skill
Martin Ince Communications Limited

4. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Why bother?
Increasing expectation
“Impact”
Eg ERC
Even peer reviewers are members of “the public”
NYT experiment
Martin Ince Communications Limited

5. Things journalists don’t care about
Who did it
Organisation
Money
These normally mean a bad news story
Martin Ince Communications Limited

6. Things they might care about
Is it true?
How do we know?
Climate change
MMR
Macondo
Banks
This is a massive recent change
Martin Ince Communications Limited

7. UK not hostile to science
Survey in 2000
84% of people in Britain believe scientists and engineers make a valuable contribution to society
68% say that ‘scientists want to make life better for the average person’.
Martin Ince Communications Limited

8. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
But….
EU 15
People asked whether they thought ‘science had made life better’
Everyone said yes
Countries scoring lowest on scientific understanding were most enthusiastic.
Martin Ince Communications Limited

9. Things they do care about
Is it new
What does it do?
This works in two ways
Application
Interest
Martin Ince Communications Limited

10. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Application
New computer model of river hydrodynamics
Knocked out gene for plant adaptation to dry conditions
Solved a problem in number theory
Martin Ince Communications Limited

11. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Application
New computer model of river hydrodynamics
Made flood hazards more predictable
Martin Ince Communications Limited

12. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Application
Knocked out gene for plant adaptation to dry conditions
Made grass for sports pitches that will stay green all summer
Martin Ince Communications Limited

13. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Application
Solved a problem in number theory
Made mobile phone calls more secure
Martin Ince Communications Limited

14. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Interest
Astronomy –
Exoplanets, dark matter and energy
Brief History of Time
LHC
Dinosaurs
Martin Ince Communications Limited

15. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Vocabulary
All industries have their own language
Double standards
Poker, football, opera
How would you say this to an eight year old?
Insolation
Martin Ince Communications Limited

16. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Insolation..
Sunshine
Martin Ince Communications Limited

17. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Competition
Science correspondent of a national newspaper, radio or TV station, etc
Who is the competition?
Why does this matter to you?
Martin Ince Communications Limited

18. Not the other science writers
Environment
Crime
Education
Eg British Science Association
Martin Ince Communications Limited

19. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
So try to help them..
Make the story as strong as you can
But no stronger
Why it’s unique
Why it matters
Why it’s new
Science as a process
Martin Ince Communications Limited

20. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Busy…..
Yes, we all have too much to do
Not the same way you are
Write something
Plan next thing
Work towards longer piece
Twitter and Facebook
Martin Ince Communications Limited

21. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Becoming a contact
All journalists do this
Build your reputation
It’s a business transaction
Don’t say anything you can’t defend later
Martin Ince Communications Limited

22. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
The interview
Look the part
What do you want to get out of this?
Three things
Really?
Martin Ince Communications Limited

23. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Concerns: Accuracy
Study by Brad Schaeffer in Texas
Not a massive issue
Sun on artificial heart
Real issue is vocabulary
Martin Ince Communications Limited

24. Concern: Hostile questioning
Mainly for obvious criminals
Politicians
Business executives
Only happens if you are boring
Martin Ince Communications Limited

25. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Hostile questioning
Research seen in a positive light
Cf creationism, anti-stem cells
Relevance
Novelty
Martin Ince Communications Limited

26. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
The press conference
Don’t do it
If you must:
Professional organisation
Imposing top table
Remote access
Martin Ince Communications Limited

27. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
The press release
Why?
Needs a professional writer
Needs to go to the right people
Other reasons – legal, closure etc
They are – legal etc/ closure/ draw attention/
Martin Ince Communications Limited

28. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Overall lesson…
Self-help likely to be a disaster
Your institution has or should get some proper help for this activity
Must form part of a proper media strategy for the institution as well as the activity
Martin Ince Communications Limited

29. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Finally
More pressure as money gets tight
But not some terrible ordeal
Normal and pleasurable part of modern working life
Recall the words of Gore Vidal
Martin Ince Communications Limited

30. Martin Ince Communications Limited www.martinince.eu
Really finally
Thank you for inviting me
Thank you for your attention
Questions and discussion
Martin Ince Communications Limited