nisbetmc | February 24, 2008Traveling back from talks at UTexas, I spotted this front page feature in today's Austin American Statesman. As I have noted at this blog before, according to surveys and experts who track the Evangelical movement, a generational split has emerged among Evangelicals when it comes to the issues of most salient concern. Evangelicals 40 and older tend to vote for the most socially conservative candidate and rally around issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, but evangelicals under 40 are defining a new set of political priorities, with poverty and the environment at the top of the list.
nisbetmc | February 21, 2008In the Wall Street Journal today, GOP strategist Karl Rove rejects conventional wisdom that Obama is vulnerable simply because of the two sided attacks from Clinton and McCain, but rather because in Tuesday night's Wisconsin speech he made a shift away from a centrist to a "left" political agenda. With Rove offering this new line of attack in the Wall Street Journal, expect it to be among the emerging talking points on talk radio and cable news.
Unlike Bill Clinton in 1992, Mr. Obama is completely unwilling to confront the left wing of the Democratic Party, no matter how outrageous its…
nisbetmc | February 20, 2008Expect a lot more of this train of thought pushed by the Clinton campaign and various journalists and pundits over the next two weeks leading up to the primaries in Ohio and Texas.
nisbetmc | February 19, 2008One of the reporters I spotted at AAAS was Curtis Brainard of the Columbia Journalism Review. Curtis is CJR's science correspondent and creator of CJR's Observatory, a great new online source for analysis of how the media is covering science.
At AAAS, I also saw Bud Ward who runs the Yale Forum on Climate Change & the Media. The site is designed to foster dialogue on climate change among scientists, journalists, policymakers, and the public. And as I mentioned in an earlier post, I appeared on an amazing panel with Andy Revkin of the NY Times, who has launched the ultra-successful Dot…
nisbetmc | February 18, 2008I hope to have more details on Sunday's Communicating Science in a Religious America panel later this week and there will also be several media reports forthcoming. The turnout was stunning with the room packed, people sitting on the floor and crowding the doors. As discussion and dialogue took place over the three hours, it was clear that the diversity of perspectives really helped generate a feeling of unity and strong community in the room. A staffer from the Royal Society UK even talked to me afterwards about organizing something similar at a future meeting in London.
A few bloggers who…
nisbetmc | February 18, 2008A good overview of the relevant research in social psychology from the Sunday Boston Globe.
nisbetmc | February 18, 2008At the Science Friday broadcast from AAAS (audio), there was a focus during the discussion on the necessary collaboration between science and religion in solving societal problems. Below is from the transcript. First the audience question and then answers from Francesca Grifo, Union of Concerned Scientists; James McCarthy, president elect of AAAS; and David Goldston of Harvard University. From the transcript:
AUDIENCE QUESTION: I'm really very interested in asking your panelists - the great conversation here at the - perhaps talk about the relationship between science, religion, moral…
nisbetmc | February 18, 2008
Over at my friends Chris and Sheril's Intersection blog, I posted a summary of some reservations I have always had about the staging of an actual presidential science debate. Bottom line: research suggests that when it comes to audience effects, a presidential debate is a really bad idea. Despite our best wishes, intentions, and hopes for deliberative democracy, the reality is that a debate would be sending the strongest of invitations to the American public to think about science in partisan terms. Go here for my comments.
If the goal is to turn science into a wedge issue, as the Dems…
nisbetmc | February 17, 2008Yesterday at AAAS, a crowd of 250 attendees overflowed into the hallway, as we gathered for a fascinating panel discussion about media coverage of climate change. The amazingly successful event was organized by Cristine Russell of Harvard University and the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing.
Andrew Revkin shared his observations as an agenda-setter in covering the story for the NY Times and more recently in launching the Pulitzer worthy blog Dot.earth. Revkin reports that the blog now has more than 300,000 monthly readers. In my presentation, I discussed how research in the area…
nisbetmc | February 12, 2008Brown University has a news advisory out about Ken Miller's presentation at the panel on "Communicating Science in a Religious America." From the release:
Kenneth Miller, a professor of biology and a leading defender of the theory of evolution, will argue that pro-Darwin forces need to acknowledge the public appeal of "intelligent design" and make the case that science itself, including evolutionary biology, is predicated on the idea of "design" - the correlation of structure with function that lies at the heart of the molecular nature of life. Miller will make his case in a Feb. 17, 2008,…
nisbetmc | February 12, 2008
As I posted yesterday, this weekend at the annual AAAS meetings in Boston, I will be presenting as part of the panel on "Communicating Science in a Religious America."
I will also be participating in a second session that focuses on news coverage of climate change. Other panelists include Andrew Revkin of the NY Times, Pallab Ghosh of the BBC News, and AAAS Chair John Holdren of Harvard University.
For a preview of some of my presentation, see this recent Skeptical Inquirer Online article: "Moving Beyond Gore's Message."
nisbetmc | February 11, 2008
There's a definite buzz about Sunday's panel at the AAAS meetings in Boston. With a focus on the theme of "Communicating Science in a Religious America," there is sure to be a large crowd and a healthy discussion. The panel will be held on Sunday afternoon from 1:45 to 4:45 p.m, Hynes Convention Center, Third Level, RM 309.
For a preview of one paper, see this press release detailing William and Mary anthropologist Barbara J. King's presentation
In her AAAS presentation, King will address what she sees as a trend among scientists toward bumper-sticker declarations of faith (or lack thereof…
nisbetmc | February 9, 2008The Center for Inquiry has posted a list of its many Darwin Day events scheduled for locations across the country. For science enthusiasts, these events serve as an important ritual for building community and social identity.
Darwin Day events also provide a news peg for generating local media attention. In this case, a positive message would be framed around the value of Darwin's original idea as the building block for medical and social progress. For example, without evolutionary science we would be hard pressed to understand problems such as bird flu.
This message should be paired with a…
nisbetmc | February 1, 2008Blogs are already a central feature of mainstream news sites and their importance is only likely to grow. Just take a scan at the reporting, analysis, and commentary available at NYTimes.com and WashingtonPost.com.
So the question is...how long will it be until the Pulitzer prize committee recognizes the outstanding contributions of this major new outlet for "print" journalism?
And let me help begin the debate over inaugural winners. If there is a leading candidate, it's Andrew Revkin's work at the NY Times' DotEarth. Supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship, Revkin launched the blog last year…
nisbetmc | February 1, 2008
I am in Italy until Wednesday of next week participating in an expert workshop on the scientific and societal dimensions of climate change. Organized by the Earth Institute's Urban Design Lab at Columbia University and the Adriano Olivetti Foundation, the workshop will turn into an edited volume released as part of the Ecopolis conference to be held in Rome in April, 2009.
The workshop features experts analyzing almost every major dimension of climate change. I am on a panel that kicks the workshop off by focusing on "Politics, Public Opinion, and Communication." Here are the questions that…
nisbetmc | January 29, 2008Collectively, the polls show a double digit lead for Clinton over Obama in California. Yet a recent Gallup survey goes beyond the standard numbers and offers estimates based on a high versus low turnout and more importantly, based on the certainty of respondents as to their vote preference. The results show that there is still time for Obama to make up the difference on Clinton among undecideds. From the Gallup survey:
Clinton leads Barack Obama by 12 points to 18 points, depending on turnout assumptions. John Edwards languishes much further behind.
About a fifth to a quarter of Democratic…
nisbetmc | January 28, 2008
The American University campus surged with excitement and energy today as thousands of students and supporters gathered hours before the rally to bear witness to the Kennedy family's historic endorsement of Barack Obama for president.
Needless to say, college branding doesn't get much better than this. It also makes for great discussion in my Political Communication seminar tomorrow night. A former grad student, David Corey, was blogging the event in real time.
nisbetmc | January 27, 2008Here's some news not only of interest to readers in DC, but it could also be an important new dynamic in the Democratic primary race. Tomorrow in a rally open to the public on the campus at American University, Ted Kennedy will join Caroline Kennedy in endorsing Barack Obama for president. Read about it at the Boston Globe. The basketball arena should be packed, so make sure you try to arrive early.
nisbetmc | January 23, 2008On the Kojo Nnamdi Show at noon EST today, I will be joined by David Jenkins, Government Affairs Director for Republicans for Environmental Protection
and Gene Karpinski, President, League of Conservation Voters. Should be an interesting discussion on environmental issues and how they are playing out at the national and local political races.
You can tune in to the NPR affiliate's live or archived broadcast here.
nisbetmc | January 22, 2008Tomorrow, I will be appearing on WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi show for a segment called "A bi-partisan approach to environmentalism." The show starts at noon EST and you can listen live or to the audio archive here. I will post more details on the other guests when they become available. To preview my take on the environmental agenda in the 2008 election, see my recent column on "Going Beyond Gore's Message."
Late last year I appeared on the same program to discuss science policy and communication. Listen here.