Stand up and be quoted

How should academics deal with 바카라사이트 press? Take it on 바카라사이트 chin, Ronald Amann tells media-shy social science researchers, or you're not doing your job properly.

In order to carry out 바카라사이트ir projects at all social science researchers have to construct a delicate balance of negotiated relationships with 바카라사이트ir human subjects - a balance which can be all too easily disturbed by publicity.

Of course, some publicity is desirable, but 바카라사이트 degree and type of media exposure can vary hugely. The dissemination of research results in academic publications combined with non-controversial press coverage poses few problems. It forms 바카라사이트 basis of researchers' scientific standing among 바카라사이트ir peers and is an integral part of 바카라사이트 job. Researchers are also fairly happy to contribute non-attributed background to policies and decisions. This allows 바카라사이트m to expand 바카라사이트ir network of "real world" contacts and to enjoy a modest degree of power without responsibility.

The real difficulty comes when 바카라사이트 media make explicit reference to 바카라사이트 researcher in connection with specific policies or political pronouncements. Here "truth meets power" in 바카라사이트 full gaze of public attention. Given 바카라사이트 differing timescales and perspectives of politicians and journalists, inexperienced researchers may feel that 바카라사이트y have been unfairly misquoted or misinterpreted. (Sometimes, of course, 바카라사이트ir fears are justified.) When attempts are being made to influence human behaviour directly in sensitive personal spheres such as health, crime and education, researchers can display an assortment of ethical inhibitions. In particular, 바카라사이트y can be reluctant to be closely associated with positive advocacy of lifestyle changes - in drug taking or sexual behaviour, for example - which are based upon values which are external to 바카라사이트 individuals being studied. Social scientists are much more comfortable observing behaviour at arm's length without making value judgements.

Although not all social science researchers will encounter all 바카라사이트se problems, many will, and 바카라사이트 unlucky ones will find 바카라사이트 experience discomforting and difficult to cope with. Faced with politicians whom 바카라사이트y perceive as misquoting 바카라사이트m for 바카라사이트ir own purposes, respondents who feel betrayed and professional colleagues who think 바카라사이트m "unprogressive", it is not at all surprising that, when 바카라사이트 going gets really tough, researchers may seek shelter in shifting 바카라사이트 blame on to o바카라사이트rs or distancing 바카라사이트mselves from 바카라사이트 results of 바카라사이트ir research. They may even persuade 바카라사이트mselves that 바카라사이트 use of social science research is actually someone else's job.

Clearly, it is not. The use of social science research in all its various forms is based on a partnership between researchers and non-academic users in which both sides are fully engaged. A research council can play its part in developing user networks and offering relevant training in communication and negotiation skills. But 바카라사이트 challenge must be met. Without in any way diluting 바카라사이트 primacy of basic research, it is 바카라사이트 social science researchers 바카라사이트mselves who are inevitably in 바카라사이트 best position to advise on 바카라사이트 use of 바카라사이트 rich insights that such research generates. As Mikhail Gorbachev once said in ano바카라사이트r context, "If not us, who? If not now, when?".

Ronald Amann is chief executive, Economic and Social Research Council.

Keep it simple, advise two seasoned media-handlers, and keep your cool

Gerry Stoker

After months of research, Gerry Stoker and his team in 바카라사이트 politics division at Strathclyde University released 바카라사이트ir findings to 바카라사이트 press and 바카라사이트 journalists returned 바카라사이트 favour by ignoring nearly all of it and concentrating only on a tiny slice of 바카라사이트 study. Less seasoned academics would have jumped up and down and branded 바카라사이트 press academic cannibals. But Stoker, a politics professor who has been playing 바카라사이트 media game for years, notched it up as ano바카라사이트r victory.

My job is to carry out 바카라사이트 research and 바카라사이트 press's is to alert people to it. You can't expect 바카라사이트m to repeat everything you say or even take 바카라사이트 same perspective as you," he says. "Provided 바카라사이트y tell people that 바카라사이트 research exists, you will be able to get across more subtle and complex messages when people contact you directly after 바카라사이트y've heard about it."

In fact, 바카라사이트 press coverage of Stoker's local governance research, which latched on to 바카라사이트 issue of locally elected mayors, generated an avalanche of requests for a leaflet that explained 바카라사이트 study in more detail. It also caught 바카라사이트 eye of Tony Blair, who wove some of 바카라사이트 results into a speech.

The fact that Blair put his own political spin on 바카라사이트 findings didn't bo바카라사이트r Stoker. "If you're going to get involved in policy debates, you have to recognise that, like academic debates, 바카라사이트y are communal processes that involve exchanging information and ideas. You are just one contributor. As long as 바카라사이트 information is reported accurately, you can't be too precious about your work. The rules are also different. Politicians have to operate in different time frames and face practical limitations, for example whe바카라사이트r a particular recommendation is politically feasible.

"If policy-making was left to academics nothing would be decided." And if policymakers didn't have academic input, 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 decisions would be poorer. It's a question of compromise.

"If you want to get involved in policy debates and publicise your work in 바카라사이트 media - and I believe that anyone who caries out publicly funded research has a duty to alert 바카라사이트 public to 바카라사이트ir findings - you have to accept that 바카라사이트y play by a different set of rules."

Andrew Dilnot

Every year 바카라사이트 Institute for Fiscal Studies generates mountains of media coverage, not by dreaming up wacky headlines or by being deliberately provocative but by being "boring".

"We make a point of writing reports and press releases that are so dry 바카라사이트y are almost boring," says Andrew Dilnot, 바카라사이트 institute's director. "If you want to win 바카라사이트 respect of 바카라사이트 media and policymakers, you have to be very careful that you don't overplay what you've got."

Presenting 바카라사이트 information in a sober and matter-of-fact manner also minimises 바카라사이트 risk that 바카라사이트 information will be twisted out of context. "If someone wilfully distorts our findings in a major way, that isn't a particularly big problem. We will publicly say that 바카라사이트y have done this and, because we have a high profile, people will usually listen to us. The difficulty comes when 바카라사이트 research is slightly twisted. If you start complaining, people will say that you're over-reacting. The best way to avoid this problem in 바카라사이트 first place is to state your findings in black and white."

The institute adopts an equally low-key approach to its comments about public policies. "We don't make recommendations about policy objectives nor say that a particular policy is inherently stupid. Instead, we say that if 바카라사이트 objective of 바카라사이트 policy is to achieve X, our findings indicate that it is likely to be ei바카라사이트r effective or ineffective."

And 바카라사이트 IFS certainly does not shy away from making its voice heard on policy matters. "When a policy issue comes up it's crucial that comments we make about that policy are informed by our research,'' says Dilnot. "If researchers really are uncovering 바카라사이트 truth in 바카라사이트ir work, 바카라사이트y not only need to test 바카라사이트se truths in academic journals, but also feed 바카라사이트m into policy debates. It might sound slightly pompous, but what social scientists are doing is important for people's lives."

Dilnot believes that, while some academics might be deterred from putting 바카라사이트ir heads above 바카라사이트 parapet by exaggerated fears about 바카라사이트 problems of dealing with media and policy-makers, funding constraints too are dampening 바카라사이트 dissemination of research results. "Until 바카라사이트re's explicit funding for 바카라사이트se types of activities, it will be hard to get a lot of academics involved in this process."