Freedom of Speech Limited for Canadian Scientists
October 5, 2010 at 4:22 pm aviwener 2 comments
Strict controls on what federal researchers can reveal about their work is a disservice to science and the public, says Kathryn O’Hara, professor of science broadcast journalism at Carleton University and president of the Canadian Science Writers’ Association.
A policy enacted in March stipulates that all federal scientists must get pre-approval from their minister’s office before speaking to journalists who represent national or international media. The pre-approval process requires time-consuming drafting of questions and answers, scrutinized by as many as seven people, before a scientist can be given the go-ahead by the minister’s staff.
Does this “gag order” represent a significant restriction to academic freedom and integrity?
Read more on Nature News
Entry filed under: Biotechnology News. Tags: canada science policy, canadian scientists, science communication.
1. The dark ages of Canadian scientific communication « Canadian BioTechnologist2.0 | January 23, 2012 at 9:14 am
[...] scientists from speaking to the media without receiving prior government approval. At that time, we told you about the concern this caused among the Canadian Science Writers’ Association, and asked [...]
2. The dark ages of Canadian scientific communication | BiotechLive.com | January 23, 2012 at 10:00 am
[...] scientists from speaking to the media without receiving prior government approval. At that time, we told you about the concern this caused among the Canadian Science Writers’ Association, and asked [...]