New UK policy regarding the media raises concerns for scientists

Science : A recent change to the UK civil service code has upset members of the country’s scientific community, who say it could hinder their communications with the press. According to the new policy, all contact with the media must be approved in advance by the minister of the agency in question. Several of the country’s journalistic and public relations organizations have asked the government to reconsider the change. In an open letter , representatives of the Science Media Centre, the Association of British Science Writers, and Stempra, an organization of science communication professionals, say the new code “will have a negative impact on the public understanding of science and the quality of the public discourse on some of the most important and contentious issues of our times.” The prime minister’s official spokesman has countered that the amendment “merely clarifies rules on official contact that were already in place.”