New Year 2010

From the Chair

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Sci Comm news

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Feature: The dawn of
another industry

Event Report: Swineflu,
pandemic or hamdemic

Event Report: My worst
day in the office

Interview: Romana
Canneti, media lawyer

Stempra newsletter

EVENT REPORT: The UK's response to swine flu - pandemic or hamdemic?

Speakers: Dr Ed Sykes, Press officer at the Science Media Centre and James Sorene, Head of News at the Department of Health

Call it what you will, swine flu has been in the headlines since it burst on to the scene in April. The first pandemic in nearly 41 years created a constant haze of coverage, conjecture and comment. But how have those in the driving seat of pandemic flu communications handled the daily pressures?

In London an informal discussion led by the Department of Health's Head of News James Sorene and the Science Media Centre's (SMC) Ed Sykes described how they shaped the news media by fielding expert comment. As autumn loomed and phones ran red hot, crucial decisions had to be made about how to get across challenging messages to the public.

Ed Sykes also travelled to Edinburgh to discuss the SMC’s efforts to ensure that journalists reported the science of swine flu correctly and that scare stories did not spiral out of control. The informal evening was attended by people working in communications for the NHS, universities, charities as well as public relation consultancies. The event focused on whether journalists had behaved responsibly and what we could expect on the horizon. There was ample opportunity for questions as well as an opportunity for those new to Stempra to find out more about what we do.

Ruth Francis
Head of Press, Nature, and Stempra committee member
Ruth@stempra.org.uk

Tara Womersley
Press and PR Officer, University of Edinburgh, and Stempra committee member
Tara@stempra.org.uk

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