Communicating with Public and Scientific Audiences: Are They Really Any Different?
- Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Efforts to communicate the results of environmental studies and involve the public in environmental decisions have increased nationwide. Frequently, the assumption is made that communicating with the public is somehow different than communicating with scientific audiences. Our experience shows that this is often not the case. Today's multi-disciplinary environmental issues pose communications problems that are the same in public as they are in scientific forums. Outreach efforts on the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Nuclear Site have drawn on a broad spectrum of communications media including techni cal articles (open literature and symposium publications, annual and topical reports); information brochures; video productions; interactive exhibits; presentations at scientific, technical, civic and other public meetings; and, more recently, proactive interactions with the news media and local, state, and federal agencies. In addition, plans are being made for representatives of local communities to operate offsite sampling stations in Hanford's environmental monitoring network. All major environmental programs, such as the current five-year effort to reconstruct past radiological doses to offsite human populations, are conducted with open public participation. This presentation describes Hanford's public outreach efforts, our successes and failures, and the lessons learned. For example, developing brochures and videos is of little value without also developing and implementing a detailed distribution plan. Follow-up activities are often neglected during initial planning stages but must be considered in outreach efforts.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 5893378
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA--18454; CONF-9104190--2; ON: DE91012822
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
290600* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Nuclear Energy
COMMUNICATIONS
DECISION MAKING
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
HANFORD RESERVATION
INFORMATION
MEETINGS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PUBLIC INFORMATION
PUBLIC RELATIONS
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS