Amid successive social and environmental issues such as COVID-19, Fukushima contaminated water, and large wildfires, baseless information spread in an instant. As the need grows for a system that delivers accurate scientific information and prevents distortion, heads of the Science Media Center (SMC) in Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan stressed that "in times of crisis, science and the media must work together quickly."
On the 11th in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Australia SMC head Susannah Eliott, New Zealand SMC head Dacia Herbulock, and Taiwan SMC head Sinead Hsi-Yi Chen shared their countries' experiences ahead of the Global Science Media Forum to be held on the 13th.
SMC is an institution that links science and the media, providing reporters with expert opinions related to social issues quickly. First established in the United Kingdom in 2002, it spread to Australia in 2005, New Zealand in 2008, Japan in 2010, Canada in 2014, and Taiwan in 2017.
Eliott said, "When large wildfires break out in Australia, the media first seek firefighters, politicians, and wildfire victims, but they do not look for scientists who can explain the causes of the spread of the fire," adding, "To see such events properly, scientists' opinions are essential. That was the impetus for establishing Australia's SMC."
Chen also said, "In Taiwan, there are many articles that translate and run international news, and distortions often occurred in the translation process," adding, "So we thought we needed to build a system to gather domestic experts' opinions and deliver them to reporters."
The three heads agreed that they truly felt SMC's role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Herbulock said, "At the time, the New Zealand government aimed to vaccinate 90% of the population, and initially there was a strong perception that it was impossible," adding, "With the government, media, local communities, and experts supplying information and running campaigns together, the vaccination rate exceeded 80%, and even among the remaining 20% of the public, the perception spread that they should get vaccinated."
COVID-19 also became an opportunity for scientists and journalists to work together proactively. During the pandemic, SMCs in six countries, including Australia and New Zealand, received $1 million (about 1.46 billion won) in support from Google and launched a website called the "COVID-19 Vaccine Media Hub." Eliott said, "We gathered scientists' opinions collected by SMCs around the world here so that reporters everywhere could consult them," adding, "It was the largest international collaboration project we undertook."
SMC has now established itself as an essential scientific information hub for media in each country. Herbulock said, "In disaster coverage such as tsunamis and earthquakes, including scientist interviews has become routine," adding, "Experts are also getting used to presenting evidence through the media."
Chen said, "It has been only about five years since Taiwan's SMC was launched, but clear changes are visible," adding, "Scientists have become much more willing to talk with reporters, and reporters have developed the habit of asking the government for evidence. I think it is a very big change in Taiwan."
In Korea, the Korea Science and Technology Media Center was officially launched in September. Like SMCs in other countries, it aims to quickly provide expert, evidence-based explanations on scientific issues. It was established as an independent nonprofit foundation approved by the Ministry of Science and ICT and will be operated with government budgets for the first three years.
The heads advised that for Korea's SMC to take root stably, financial transparency, editorial independence, and speed of information are key. Australia's SMC operates with distributed support from about 70 institutions, and support from any single institution is capped below 10% of the center's operating costs. New Zealand's SMC receives government support but is guaranteed complete independence over editorial decisions. Taiwan's SMC combines subsidies and donations, limiting any single subsidy to 30% of operating costs and any single donation to 10%, and discloses its funding every year.
Herbulock said, "Occasionally, complaints come in from the government or opposition lawmakers' offices, but no administration has tried to intervene in SMC's operations even when the government changed," adding, "These institutional safeguards are the foundation that allows us to work independently."
They added, "When a new science issue emerges, like Fukushima contaminated water, the evidence must be explained transparently before public opinion hardens," noting, "While scientists take time for careful review, misinformation spreads first." They continued, "As reporters move quickly, scientists must respond more swiftly," emphasizing, "There is no need to rush to a definitive answer, but clearly stating what is known and what is unknown is the starting point for trust."