Communication in an age of ‘fake news’

4th May 2017


Related Topics

Related tags

  • Generation ,
  • Renewable ,
  • Management ,
  • Stakeholder engagement

Author

Gemma Fenn

Professionals need to be diligent in all communications.

As fake news appears to continue to shape our lives in 2017, a report by MPs on the House of Commons’ Science and Technology Committee, published in February, looked at the way science was being communicated to the public.

The findings revealed that the ‘Boaty McBoatface’ media furore over naming a new polar vessel had increased people’s engagement in science. However, the MPs said scientists needed to be more strategic in developing relationships with media and should engage more with the public.

Against the backdrop of a climate-change sceptic US president and the sparse coverage on the environment in the government’s Brexit documents, do environmental professionals also need to be more strategic in how they approach the media?

A recent Chatham House report into using wood biomass for heat and power concluded that biomass subsidies be revised. The findings were swiftly rebuked by the International Energy Agency. It claimed the study did not present an objective overview on the state of scientific understanding on the climate impacts of bioenergy.

The report still received widespread coverage on both the BBC and in New Scientist. With all parties respected communicators, who are politicians or the public to believe?

Without being drawn into this specific discussion, as professionals we must ensure that we are impartial, objective and diligent in all communications and in all the work we do.

It is now more important than ever to ensure that the information sources we use are sound and objective and, to the best of our knowledge, contain no conflicts of interest.

Subscribe

Subscribe to IEMA's newsletters to receive timely articles, expert opinions, event announcements, and much more, directly in your inbox.


Transform articles

UK’s CCUS strategy based on outdated assumptions, government warned

The UK government’s carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) strategy is based on optimistic techno-economic assumptions that are now outdated, Carbon Tracker has warned.

13th March 2024

Read more

The UK government’s latest Public Attitudes Tracker has found broad support for efforts to tackle climate change, although there are significant concerns that bills will rise.

13th March 2024

Read more

A consortium including IEMA and the Good Homes Alliance have drafted a letter to UK government ministers expressing disappointment with the proposed Future Homes Standard.

26th February 2024

Read more

Global corporations such as Amazon and Google purchased a record 46 gigawatts (GW) of solar and wind energy last year, according to BloombergNEF (BNEF).

13th February 2024

Read more

Three-quarters of UK adults are concerned about the impact that climate change will have on their bills, according to polling commissioned by Positive Money.

13th February 2024

Read more

The reality of delivering net zero is that we need solutions tailored to specific areas. Peter Gudde explores models that local authorities could adopt

15th January 2024

Read more

Heat pump installations in UK homes increased by nearly a fifth last year, with over 200,000 now having been installed across the country.

11th January 2024

Read more

Last year was the warmest ever recorded, surpassing the previous annual high set in 2016 by a large margin, scientists have confirmed today.

9th January 2024

Read more

Media enquires

Looking for an expert to speak at an event or comment on an item in the news?

Find an expert

IEMA Cookie Notice

Clicking the ‘Accept all’ button means you are accepting analytics and third-party cookies. Our website uses necessary cookies which are required in order to make our website work. In addition to these, we use analytics and third-party cookies to optimise site functionality and give you the best possible experience. To control which cookies are set, click ‘Settings’. To learn more about cookies, how we use them on our website and how to change your cookie settings please view our cookie policy.

Manage cookie settings

Our use of cookies

You can learn more detailed information in our cookie policy.

Some cookies are essential, but non-essential cookies help us to improve the experience on our site by providing insights into how the site is being used. To maintain privacy management, this relies on cookie identifiers. Resetting or deleting your browser cookies will reset these preferences.

Essential cookies

These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website.

Analytics cookies

These cookies allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors to our website and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works.

Advertising cookies

These cookies allow us to tailor advertising to you based on your interests. If you do not accept these cookies, you will still see adverts, but these will be more generic.

Save and close