October 2011
View the evaluation below or download here
A lot has happened since the Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC) opened its doors in Adelaide at the end of 2005.
When the Centre was first conceived, the primary issue was a lack of science content in the mainstream media and the remit of the Centre was to usher more science into the news and ensure that Australian scientists and engineers had a stronger voice on the major issues of the day.
Now, more than five years on, science is up there with the heavy hitters of politics, economics and sport, informing issues of major social importance such as population growth, climate change, water resources, mining and energy, to name just a few.
There’s no better time to review the work of the AusSMC in its first five years and look ahead to the future. An independent evaluation of the Centre has now been completed, indicating widespread support for the Centre’s role in bringing more science to the public through the media.
Nearly 250 journalists, scientists, media managers and sponsors contributed to the evaluation which looked at the services provided by the Centre, the way it is perceived by the groups that use it and recommendations for improvement. The findings from the evaluation suggest that:
• The Centre has been very effective in improving the linkages between the scientific and media communities
• The Centre’s activities have seen a significant increase in the coverage of science in the Australian media
• The media values the services provided by the Centre, with nearly 90 per cent of media respondents saying there would be a negative impact on their work if the Centre ceased to exist
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who contributed to this evaluation and to those who have supported the Centre from its early beginnings.
