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Skeptical Science nominated for Climate Change Communicator of the Year
Posted on 13 March 2011 by John Cook
Skeptical Science is honoured to be nominated for the George Mason University's 'Climate Change Communicator of the Year' award. In 2009, the inaugural award from the Washington based university went to Bud Ward, editor of the Yale Forum on Climate Change & the Media. In 2010, they divided it into two categories, individual (going to Jason Samenow) and organizational (going to BBC World Service Trust). This year, Skeptical Science is nominated in the Organizational category. Considering the quality of the groups among the nominees, it's an honour to be listed (the individual nominees are also an impressive bunch):
Individual Nominees:
1. Tom Crompton
2. Jay Gulledge
3. Susan Joy Hassol
4. Naomi Oreskes
5. Joseph Romm
6. John Abraham/Scott Mandia/Ray Weymann
Organizational Nominees:
1. Alliance for Climate Education
2. Climate Change Media Partnership
3. Sea Grant Climate Network
4. Skeptical Science.com
5. The Earth Journalism Network
6. Union of Concerned Scientists
The Skeptical Science nomination recognises the efforts of everyone who have contributed to this website - a fantastic community effort that has come so far in the last year, I can scarcely take it in. This is reflected in the graciously written nomination from Bud Ward, the inaugural winner of the award, (I hope Bud doesn't mind that I've added emphasis to what I consider the especially important bits):
Working from his home office with his wife while still maintaining a full-time “day job” as a web\data base consultant, Mr. Cook, founder and editor of the site, has managed to attract key volunteer and expert scientific participation form some of Australia’s, the U.S.’s, and the world’s most well regarded climate scientists and climate science communicators. This participatory “citizen” journalism approach – with Mr. Cook retaining responsibility for scientific rigor – has enabled the skepticalscience.com to significantly increase both the number of originally researched and written postings in each year since it started and the number of individuals looking to the site each day for credible information in this often daunting field. That the site has managed to do so with virtually no external financial support beyond occasional contributions via PayPal testifies to the extraordinary level of energy and commitment the site and its editor bring to this effort. Just as importantly, the site routinely demonstrates through its authoritative postings the high level of volunteer personal commitment from others on behalf of the site. (In a very real sense, prize recognition of skepticalscience.com is recognition also of the much larger field of responsible climate science communicators.)
The site’s approach illustrates applications of “new media” and new communications tools in informing the public about complex issues: IPhone, ITouch, IPad “app” and Android counterparts bring informed and timely multi-media climate science information to one’s handheld. Especially notable are the site’s “Advanced,” “Intermediate, and Basic” explanations of fundamental climate science points, assuring the information is accessible to individuals with substantial familiarity and expertise while also serving those lacking in-depth technical background.
Skepticalscience.com’s new efforts to provide high-resolution climate science visuals and graphics for free download helps fill a yawning need and gap…providing via Creative Commons licensing noncommercial access to effective images critical to assuring effective messaging and framing of complex issues.
I recommend everyone visit the Center for Climate Change Communication, have a look at all of their own efforts to communicate climate science, check out the nominees and vote for who you deem most worthy.
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