COMMUNICATING SCIENCE
R E S P O N S I B LY A N D E F F E C T I V E LY
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COMMUNICATING SCIENCE
R E S P O N S I B LY A N D E F F E C T I V E LY
Why is Science No Longer Credible?
All generations have faced establishment push back and refusal of new technologies,
yet what is more apparent today is that the ideas and technology that brought us 24-hour
entertainment television and instantaneous reviews have also led to the near demise of
thoughtful, well-informed engagement.
We are witnessing the triumph of video culture over print culture. We know that consumers are
much more likely to share content if it’s delivered by video. Videos are processed by the
brain thousands of time faster than text, so the brain defaults to a “lazy” state and prefers
video viewing over reading, which requires active brain function.
There also is a disconnect between Americans’ rising level of formal education and sinking
level of a basic understanding geography, science and history. And there is a declining state of
education in the U.S. compared to other advanced countries.
The fusion of anti-rationalism with anti-intellectualism and anti-establishment is on the rise, too. If
science-based information comes from an established source, such as a government agency,
it is trusted less. Yet, if the Kardashians talk about food, animals or agriculture, they’re
viewed as a credible source.
Gut-Check for Agricultural Communicators
“There is a cult of ignorance
in the United States, and
there has always been. The
strain of anti-intellectualism
has been a constant thread
winding its way through our
political and cultural life,
nurtured by the false notion
that democracy means that
my ignorance is just as
good as your knowledge.”
—Isaac Asimov,
science fiction writer
No longer do ag-related messages reach only the Indiana farmer in the cab of his
pickup truck; the reach is deep, touching both rural and urban audiences. Multi-media
platforms open the gates for expanded reach – but to a wide variety of audiences, including
those who know little about the science and technology used in ag production.
Everyone sharing information about agriculture
has an opportunity, and a responsibility,
to decipher science and present it in an
educational, relevant and responsible way.
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History Shows Mistrust of ‘New’
1793
Eli Whitney invents
the cotton gin, which
contributes to the
success of cotton as a
southern cash crop
1837
John Deere introduces
his steel plow
1920s
Lester Pfister, Henry A.
Wallace and Eugene Funk
develop hybrid crosses,
leading to the first commercial
sale of hybrid seed
The cotton gin reduced the labor
of removing seeds; it did not
reduce the need for slaves to
grow and pick the cotton. Cotton
Steel plow opposition included
perceptions that it would do
more harm than good, it would
drive mule breeders out of
By the 1950s, the great bulk of
maize throughout the U.S. was
hybrid. The greater uniformity of
hybrids was useful for machine
growing became so profitable, it
increased demand for both land
and slave labor. Abolitionist and
right-minded farmers opposed the
technology because of its moral
and social implications.
business, and the steel plow
was only for elite.
harvesting, yet critics thought
this method for corn breeding
was against the ways of nature.
Detractors said that it could even
be harmful to animals consuming
it. Buying new seed each year was
also criticized.
Improving How Science is Communicated
Introduction of new technology is not an easy sell, even to the people it will benefit the most.
Peer-to-peer information, with conversations about both risks and benefits, and the ultimate
value to the end-user, gives technology a better chance of being accepted into a culture.
Sharing scientific information remains a valid part of communications strategy. What needs
changed is how this information is shared.
You must understand the science first. It is your obligation to thoroughly understand what the science
means and its possible implications, both short- and long-term. Research reports and journal
articles need to be thoroughly understood.
Use a style most suited for your audience, not that of the researcher. Also, consider the “register.” Is it formal?
Or familiar? Remember that the more formal it is, the harder it is for the audience to comprehend.
Understand what your audiences need and want to know. Who are they? Is it a primary or secondary
audience? What do they already know? What do they need to know to understand or adopt?
WIIFT (What’s In It For Them)?
Dig into the validity and vulnerabilities of the science. The peer review processes followed by leading
science and health journals ensures (with a few notable exceptions) that published accounts of
investigations are worthy of consideration by the wider community. Research that has not been
peer-reviewed, replicated or very carefully vetted should not be your foundation. Communicators
should also consider the reputation of the institution or academic department where the research
was conducted and the professional qualifications and track record of the investigators.
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Answer the “so what?” question and explain benefits. Develop messages that clearly address the likely
questions from your audiences. Consider the value of testing messages with target audiences. If
you take this step, engaging a qualified market research expert is advisable.
Seek out experts. Be prepared to seek out issue experts who can provide insight, information and
a second opinion. Remember that associations can be excellent resources. What groups have
recently been involved with similar topics and what did they learn?
Anticipate the influence of your story on audiences both rural and urban. There are many times when wellintended information has contributed to undesirable changes in behavior. Will you be bringing
up related negative issues? Unfounded scares can cause very serious damage and consequences
to agricultural audiences.
Determine which sources will be most credible and effective. Not all experts should be spokespeople.
Carefully choose experts who will connect with your various audiences. There is good research
available about what kind of spokespeople are most trusted by different audiences.
Use Care Not to Over-Sell the Science
Research studies are designed to address a specific question. How the study is
conducted determines what the results mean. We cannot stress enough that “risk” does not
mean “cause.”
THE RESEARCH SAID
WHAT IT MEANS
WHAT IT DOESN’T MEAN
X is associated with an
increased risk for mastitis after
controlling bedding type and
vitamin E levels.
X may lead to an increase risk
for mastitis.
X causes mastitis.
There was an increased
incidence rate from 0.1 plants
per acre compared to 0.18
plants per acre when X was
included in spring planting
practices in northeast
Illinois fields.
When X is used on fields in
northeast Illinois, there was a
very slight increase in Y.
X production practice increases
the risk of ABC disease in
soybeans by 75%.
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THE CASE FOR FARMERS TO COMMUNICATE ABOUT PRODUCTION AGRICULTURE
Perceptions of transparency in food production are advancing, but there is plenty of room for
improvement. Farmers can provide first-hand accounts of how science and technology are used on
their own farms. These farmer-based explanations connect well with consumers, but also with other
ag-based audiences.
According to “Evolving Trust in the Food Industry” by Sullivan Higdon & Sink FoodThink, 2016:
65% of consumers are seeking more information about food production and its processes
and practices.
Consumers’ trust levels in food and agriculture have increased by 15 percentage points —
from 19% in 2012 to 34% in 2016.
While friends and family remain the most trusted source of food production information,
there have been some notable shifts in other channels that consumers consider.
Food companies and manufacturers, bloggers and social media, and grocers and food
retailers are increasingly regarded as sources of credible information about the food industry
as a whole.
What Agricultural Communicators Confront
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ report on education
shows that the U.S. ranks second among all nations in the proportion of the population aged
35-64 with a college degree, but 19th in the percentage of those aged 25-34 with an associate
or high school diploma, which means that for the first time, the educational attainment of young people will be
lower than their parents.
Additionally, the World Economic Forum ranked the U.S. at 52nd among 139 nations in the quality
of its university math and science instruction in 2010. In the U.S., nearly 50% of all graduate students in
the sciences are international students, most of whom are returning to their home countries.
The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs commissioned a civic education poll among public
school student and found:
77% didn’t know that George Washington was the first President
77% couldn’t name Thomas Jefferson as the author of the Declaration
of Independence
2.8% of the students passed the citizenship test
Along similar lines, the Goldwater Institute of Phoenix did the same survey and only 3.5% of
students passed the civics test.
A 2014 National Science Foundation study found that about 45% of the public think that
astrology is a science. In fact, the percentage of the American public with this perception has
been increasing every year for the past 10 years.
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Science and Technology Communication Resources
Genetic Literacy Project
www.geneticliteracyproject.org
Ag Bio World
www.agbioworld.org
Science Literacy
www.scienceliteracy.org
GMO Answers
www.gmoanswers.com
American Association for the Advancement of Science
www.aaas.org
Ann Finkbeiner, Science Writer
www.annfinkbeiner.com
www.lastwordonnothing.com
Writing Science in Plain English by Anne E. Green
National Association of Science Writers–A Field Guide for Science Writers
www.nasw.org
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Communicating Science
Effectively: A Research Agenda (2016)
https://www.nap.edu/catalog/23674/communicating-science-effectively-a-research-agenda
The Science Writers’ Handbook by Thomas Hayden and Michelle Nijhuis
News and Numbers: A Guide to Reporting Statistical Claims and Controversies in
Health and Other Fields by Victor Cohn
Math Tools for Journalists: Professor/Professional Version by Kathleen
Woodruff Wickham Improving Public Understanding For Communicating Emerging Science on Nutrition,
Food Safety, and Health: For Journalists, Scientists, and Other Communicators (Based on
an advisory group convened by Harvard School of Public Health and International Food
Information Council Foundation)
12 Tips for Scientists Writing for the General Public by Katie L. Burke, American
Scientist’s July 31, 2015
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You deserve effective communications that
moves you forward and helps you grow.
Come to us for the Demeter Difference.
CONTACT US
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