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Work with the media
Elsabe Brits
Specialist Reporter, Die Burger, Cape Town, South Africa
You have to understand first how little other people comprehend about space science and astronomy. One of the biggest reasons for miscommunication is that we often assume someone else knows or understands something …
People don't understand the size of the Universe. For most, it is just the solar system with some extra space around it … somewhere out there. They don't think of our Sun as a star … it is our Sun! When they look up at night, they have no idea that they are looking at more "suns".
An understanding of what is in the Universe and how it was formed is also necessary. Don't assume people get the Big Bang. In my experience most people think there was one giant explosion and then everything was in place at once. There is very little understanding of the concepts of time, space, matter, etc.
The astronomer has to use graphics, photos and engaging descriptions to relate this story - almost like a journey - to journalists and the public. Use analogies and metaphors to explain concepts around distance, speed, time and size in a way that people will grasp. For example, the distance to this star is so vast; it will take us 100 000 years to reach it if we travel there at the speed of light. Or, the size of this crater equals about a million soccer pitches.
Here are some tips when you have a news story:
- If a comet crashed into something today, we (the media) want to hear about it TODAY. Maybe still tomorrow. Don't bother after that. A week or more later we will just delete it.
- Answer your email every day on the same day. Active the "out of office" reply message if you're going to be out of reach for more than a day.
- If you send out a news release, send it to everyone (all relevant media). But, if a journalist calls you about a specific story that he/she is working on, don't pass that information on to other journalists!
- If your name and number is on a press release, you HAVE to be available for enquiries.
- Relax when you are being interviewed … it is not about you, it is about your work.
- Speak in a way that your grandmother would understand … you're not on stage at an international conference now.
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