Research Column

Researcher says media interviews part of the job

By Kathryn Warden

As a leading reproductive biology expert, Roger Pierson has done dozens of national media interviews over the past year on hot topics — from the contraceptive patch to cloning and stem cell research. In one 24-hour period last month, he did 18 interviews.

These stories, which have included some in American media such as the New York Times, the Washington Post and National Public Radio, have helped spread the word that the University of Saskatchewan is an institution doing exciting and significant research.

But being a media star hasn’t exactly been a cakewalk.

Pierson has had to deal with cub reporters who’ve quoted him out of context, radio talk show callers who thought he was the devil incarnate for advocating stem cell research, and a Globe and Mail reporter who referred to him as a researcher from the “University of Saskatoon.”

During one local interview, he told the reporter “Yes, we have a very stable corps of volunteers who participate in menstrual cycle studies.” This was reported as “Pierson says he has a stable of women …”, a statement that brought upon him the wrath of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. “No one ever seems to read the little ‘Our Mistake’ blurbs in the papers,” he laments. 

But despite the occasional frustrations and bruises from entering the media fray, Pierson says it’s well worth the time and effort. 

Dr. Roger Pierson

“Communicating what we do, how we do it and why we think the way we do is extremely important,” he says. “We work for the public and members of the public have got to understand what we do with their tax dollars and why it’s important.  Of all the things we do, it’s probably the most important.”

To the general public, the multi-million dollar sums spent on research are “mind-boggling,” he says, adding “If you’re a researcher at this medical school, you need to be selling Mom-and-Pop Saskatchewan on what you’re doing and how it’s going to help them or their families.”

Traditionally, scientists have viewed being in the public limelight as unseemly, he says. “But public communication is how we justify our salaries. We are in the business of research and we have a product. We have to communicate the results to the people who need to use it,” he says.

Whether he’s doing grand rounds with GPs or speaking to the Globe and Mail, it’s all about disseminating research in more ways than just the traditional scientific paper. “We have to not think that it’s beneath us to talk to the media,” he stresses.

But dealing with the media is not for the faint-hearted. “We’ve got to learn how to be good at it,” he says. “I watch what I say more than I used to and I have a lot thicker skin now.”

Among his tips:

• Recognize that reporters live in a sound-bite, 30-second clip world so you’ve got to be brief and succinct. “These are people with a job to do, and we have to respect that,” he says.
• Be prepared for that fact that unless you’re dealing with specialist science or medical journalists, reporters you talk to probably didn’t take Biology 101 so  you’ll have to put your research into words and metaphors that they’ll understand. “You may encounter a reporter who says ‘I saw this on Gattaca” or some other movie,” he says. “That’s exactly what their knowledge base is and you’ve got to trade that for accurate, timely information. It’s really just showing people something new in terms of things they already know.”
• Don’t fall for the pregnant pause at the end of an answer that invites you to hastily add something you may regret
• Take a deep breath before you answer a question. If you say the first thing that pops into your head, you may see that clip on TV, rather than the more reasoned response you gave 30 seconds later.
• “If the reporter pulls out a tape recorder out, pull out yours.”

Pierson contends all faculty need some form of media training. “It probably ought to be part of our new faculty orientation,” he says. “I know that I certainly need help now, and even a little exposure to the media world earlier on would have been very helpful. The lights and cameras can be pretty overwhelming. Even a print reporter sitting there with a tape recorder can be intimidating.”

Armed with some media training, academic researchers need to welcome media calls. “It’s probably as much our responsibility to be fair and responsible with the media as it is theirs to be fair and responsible with us,” he says. “Of course we sometimes have different agendas, but that should not hinder clear communication. If we’re upfront with them and work with them in language they can understand, most are interested in doing a good job.”

***Watch this space in the next issue for tips on what researchers can do to help promote and celebrate U of S research successes.***