PR influencing public debate, author says
MANY public policy decisions are not made in accordance with facts and scientific evidence, and ‘‘impression management’’ by vested interests often plays a big part, author and investigative journalist Nicky Hager says.
Mr Hager told more than 200 people on the final day of the Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference, at the University of Otago yesterday, that a ‘‘huge and wellresourced industry’’ had grown around the world, devoted to ‘‘influencing the news, public debate and government processes’’.
This was being done on behalf of vested interests — industry lobbyists, ‘‘the unscrupulous parts of the PR and marketing industries, specialist law firms and a constellation of related professions’’.
People who thought facts and scientific evidence must win out were likely to experience ‘‘continuous disappointment and confusion’’, unless they realised what could happen when there was a ‘‘collision between science and vested interests’’, he said.
Scientists who spoke up over issues of public concern, such as the deteriorating condition of some of our rivers, had been subjected to personal smear campaigns, and attempts to pressure them in their workplaces.
He urged scientists to speak up on behalf of researchers who had been unfairly criticised, and for everyone to become more aware of ‘‘the dark arts of public relations’’, and to continue to highlight the use of such tactics.
During a question and answer session, Mr Hager was asked how he felt when his home computer was seized by authorities and his bank records accessed, after one of his earlier books had been published.
He said he did not take these tactics personally, but they were still unacceptable.
‘‘It has become routine, on issues where the public interest and vested interests collide, for science, fact and truth to be denigrated, manipulated and endlessly disputed.’’
‘‘The challenge on most important issues is to keep caring, to keep speaking up and to keep finding ways to pursue fact and truth in spite of the manipulation.’’
Dunedin conference organising committee chairman Prof Lloyd Davis said the international gathering had been ‘‘spectacularly successful’’ and had sparked great deal of positive feedback from overseas science communicators.