Freedom to speak

NSF got the highest marks from a scientific watchdog group gauging the degree of freedom that scientists at 15 federal agencies have to communicate their research to the media and the public. The report card by the Union of Concerned Scientists awarded NSF an “outstanding” grade for its “supportive and professional” public affairs operation, but the foundation’s lack of a formal media policy earned it a final grade of “incomplete.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was the only agency to get an A for its “exemplary” communications policy, but the UCS said that the policy isn’t always followed. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission received a B+, and NASA and three Department of Commerce agencies—the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NIST, and the Bureau of the Census—each received a B grade.

Both Commerce and NASA were prodded into adopting more open policies by former House Science Commit tee chairman Sherwood Boehlert. Accusations of political meddling in agency research programs have soared during the Bush administration; the most prominent of those involved the alleged muzzling of climate scientists. UCS gave the Environmental Protection Agency Department of the Interior, and Consumer Product Safety Commission all Ds, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration received a failing grade. The Department of Energy and the Department of Defense were not included in the survey.