CSPC 2017

508 – Engaging the public where they live: perspectives from media personalities and strategists for better science communication 
508 – Susciter la participation du public dans son environnement : points de vue de personnalités médiatiques et stratèges pour une meilleure communication de la science 

Panel Organizer: Shawn McGuirk & Vanessa Sung, Science & Policy Exchange
The steadily declining perception of science in the media has now become a critical and worldwide issue, fueled by the viral spread of pseudoscience and “fake news” in an era where misinformation is prevalent. It has become necessary to enact new and more informed strategies to engage the public on a large scale, to break the stereotype of the “elite” scientist, and to communicate the importance of evidence, consensus, and the scientific method.
Our panel of media strategists and science communicators will describe their success in reaching the public on various media platforms (Twitter, podcasts, television, etc.) as well as how they believe scientists and policy makers can leverage new media to reinvigorate public interest and engagement in science and evidence. To maximize interactions between panelists and the audience, 45-60 minutes will be dedicated to a moderated discussion and question period. The strength of this panel firmly resides in establishing a dialogue between these media experts and our audience of established and aspiring science policy experts at CSPC, and we are confident that this exchange will yield viable and valuable strategies.
The intended outcomes are to generate a set of concrete strategies with which scientists and policy-makers alike can deploy to (1) increase their social media presence in an impactful way, (2) communicate information more effectively to wider audiences, and (3) translate online interactions into more active engagement from the public. These will be communicated broadly through universities, provincial and federal agencies, and other interest groups following CSPC.
Science & Policy Exchange is a non-profit advocacy group run by graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in Montreal, whose aims are two-fold: (1) to foster the student voice in evidence-based decision making and (2) to bring together leading experts from academia, industry, and government to engage and inform students and the public on issues at the interface of science and policy.