The
Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC) is an independent, non-profit service for the news media, giving journalists direct access to evidence-based science and expertise.
The Centre’s aim is to better inform public debate on the major issues of the day by improving links between local and international media and the Australian scientific community. The Centre operates a database of scientists who are willing to engage with the media. The AusSMC operates from
AdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
with five full time and one casual staff and is headed by CEO Dr Susannah Eliott. The AusSMC collects rapid round-ups of expert opinion and comments from scientists in reaction to breaking news and also runs national media briefings for journalists in cities around
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Media briefings are also streamed live over the internet.
The Centre also collaborates with media officers and scientists. Journalists are able to register with the AusSMC to receive media alerts and rapid roundups by email.
Funding
The AusSMC receives funding from more than 20 sponsors in media, academic institutions, government and industry groups. Sponsorship is capped at 10% of total funding. For an up-to-date list of sponsors, see
http://www.aussmc.org/about-us/sponsors/
Other SMCs
Science Media Centres exist in other countries;
CanadaThe Science Media Centre of Canada was formally opened on September 27 2010. It is located in Ottawa.The purpose of the centre is to serve journalists with accurate information on scientific matters. The centre has a Research Advisory Panel of 20 Canadian scientists who will make their expertize...
,
UKThe Science Media Centre is an organisation which formed following to the United Kingdom House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology's third report on "Science and Society" in 2000....
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. These centres are independent of each other, but cooperate regularly.
External links