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IAP Statement on and the Media 04 December 2013 Should the scientific community interact more to assume that the products of scientific closely with the media in efforts to explain the work are safe just because scientists say so. Likewise, of scientists to a larger public? public confusion - and often doubt - concerning the ethical propriety of cloning, whether for reproductive Of course, it should. But the more difficult questions or therapeutic purposes, suggests that the scientific involve the responsibilities that the scientific community has been unable to clearly explain such community should shoulder in such efforts and the difficult issues to the public or, conversely, that the concrete measures that should be taken to enhance public is not listening when scientists do. the capabilities of both scientists and scientific institutions in their interaction with the media. The scientific community and media each have distinctive roles to play within this increasingly On the one hand, the public often turns to science complicated relationship between science and for answers to difficult issues that science itself may society. That’s why a fruitful relationship between not be able to provide. On the other hand, today’s the two - one that proves of value to the societies cutting-edge scientific research does not readily lend in which they both function - depends on each itself to explanations that can be easily conveyed understanding and respecting the other’s roles. through the media, especially broadcast media. Therefore, the InterAcademy Panel on International Today’s cutting edge scientific research, moreover, Issues (IAP) supports efforts to strengthen and often raises ethical issues that must be discussed expand: among a broad cross-section of society before a consensus can emerge. In a sense, advances in 1. training programmes for building the capacity science have raised immensely complicated issues of science to interact with the that science alone cannot answer. media, paying particular attention to the needs and circumstances faced by academies in the Fierce public resistance to the cultivation and developing world, and to the increasing conflicts distribution of genetically engineered food crops, over scientific issues in industrialized countries; even in developing countries suffering from malnutrition and hunger, indicate that the public - 2. programmes for media representatives to visit both in the North and South - is increasingly unwilling scientific laboratories in order to learn more about the work of scientists, paying particular The Delegation of the Finnish Academies of Science and Letters attention to the needs and circumstances faced Académie des , by print and broadcast media representatives in Georgian of Sciences the developing world; Union of German Academies of Sciences and Academy of Arts and Sciences 3. workshops organized by academies with public Academy of Athens, information offices (PIO) designed for academies Academia de Ciencias Medicas, Fisicas y Naturales de that do not have such offices to provide practical Guatemala information on how PIOs function; Hungarian Indian National Science Academy 4. workshops designed to improve the ability of Indonesian Academy of Sciences scientists to engage the public in their work by (Acadamh Ríoga na héireann) developing the skills necessary to give public Kenya National Academy of Sciences Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, lectures, improve print and electronic material Science Council of for public consumption, and serve as consultants Royal Scientific Society of Jordan on science-related television programmes, films African Academy of Sciences and videos. Latvian Academy of Sciences Lithuanian Academy of Sciences We, the undersigned science academies throughout Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts the world, members of the IAP, support any effort Akademi Sains Malaysia done jointly by the scientific and the journalistic Academía Mexicana de Ciencias communities aiming at enhancing the fluidity of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova information about discoveries in science, and at Mongolian Academy of Sciences favouring public debates of high objectivity on the The Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences ethical issues which they may raise. Academy Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand Nigerian Academy of Sciences Science and the Media: Signatories Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters Academy of Sciences Latin American Academy of Sciences Palestine Academy for Science and Technology Third World Academy of Sciences Academia Nacional de Ciencias del Peru Albanian Academy of Sciences National Academy of Science and Technology, National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences Argentina Académie des Sciences et Techniques du Sénégal Australian Academy of Science Singapore National Academy of Sciences Austrian Academy of Sciences Slovak Academy of Sciences Bangladesh Academy of Sciences Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Academy of Science of Academy of Sciences and Arts of Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of Brazilian Academy of Sciences Cameroon Academy of Sciences National Academy of Sciences, The Royal Society of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Academia Chilena de Ciencias Council of the Swiss Scientific Academies Chinese Academy of Sciences Academy of Sciences, Republic of Tajikistan , , The Caribbean Academy of Sciences Colombian Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences Turkish Academy of Sciences Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences The Uganda National Academy of Sciences Cuban Academy of Sciences The Royal Society, Academy of Sciences of the US National Academy of Sciences Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, Egypt Academia de Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales de Estonian Academy of Sciences Venezuela IAP Science and IAP Health Secretariat: ICTP Campus, c/o TWAS, Strada Costiera 11, 34151 Trieste, Italy. Email: [email protected] IAP Policy Secretariat: c/o The U.S. NASEM, 500 Fifth St. NW, Washington, DC 20001, . Email: [email protected] Twitter: @IAPartnership Website: www.interacademies.org