Offensive Squid

ClimateWire 9/14/10

8. CANADA: Ottawa requires preapproval of scientists' media interviews (09/14/2010)

Scientists working for the Canadian government need preapproval to discuss their work with the media under a new policy that critics say will "muzzle" scientists.

Natural Resources Canada scientists must also have their "media lines" approved by Minister Christian Paradis' office, whether they are about controversial topics such as pollution from Alberta's oil sands or about benign issues such as a flood that happened 13,000 years ago.

"If you can't get access to a nice, feel-good science story about flooding at the end of last glaciation, can you imagine trying to get access to scientists with information about cadmium and mercury in the Athabasca River? Absolutely impossible," said Andrew Weaver, a climatologist at the University of Victoria.

The policy went into effect in March and has prevented at least one scientist from commenting on his research because journalists had to publish their stories before the ministry finished drafting and vetting quotes.

"The minister is the primary spokesperson for Natural Resources Canada. As such, he needs to be made aware of issues in the media which involve the department so he can effectively fulfill his role," Micheline Joanisse, the acting media relations manager at the resource agency, said in a prepared statement.

Weaver said politicians need to remember that the scientists are working for the public, not for them, and the public has the right to know about their research. The policy also is damaging morale in federal labs, because "[s]cience is about generating new knowledge and communicating it to others," he said (Margaret Munro, Vancouver Sun, Sept. 12). – LP

I heard about this yesterday. how disappointing. It's something I'd expect here, not Canada.