NEW MODEL FOR RESPONSIBLE COVERAGE OF CONTROVERSIAL SCIENCE

We developed a comprehensive three-month strategic program to announce a highly controversial piece of research - human embryos created from skin cells.

The goal was to ensure the sort of global media coverage deserved by the researchers, whose paper was published in Nature, while preventing the whole Frankenstein science angle blowing up.

We achieved this – front pages in both major dailies in Sydney and Melbourne – with coverage internationally following on from there: ABC and NBC in the US, Washington Post, LA Times, New Scientist, The Financial Times and Guardian in the US, TASS in Russia, El Pais and Le Monde in Europe as well as extensive coverage in Asia and South America.

Key to this measured coverage was the creation of a website of media assets including two animations, hero shots of the researchers, B roll, audio and video grabs of the researchers in English, Spanish and Mandarin, graphics etc. Everything that media would need, and in fact used, so that they didn\\\'t need to go \\\"off message\\\", as well as opinion pieces placed in Australia and internationally covering both the scientific and ethical implications of the research.

The availability of media releases in English and Mandarin, as well as audio and video grabs in English, Spanish and Mandarin meant that the scientists were not hounded by media for comment on the day the research was published.

In more than 2800 media hits internationally - NOT ONE was alarmist even in traditional \\\"tabloid\\\" media like Daily Mail in UK.

The media assets can be seen on https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EVn4BSH2Q6C4aaXt-byzQLzvi3uoN3pG?usp=sharing

Media Analytics: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13oIH4QPLFifThadGOWlW6m6lJ7-_Kkt5/view