How Local News Can Deliver an Essential Defense of Science

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Science is under attack in the United States (and other places, too). Increasingly, well-established scientific findings are being challenged on social media, although that isn't so surprising. More surprising is that established scientific findings also are being challenged in relatively mainstream publications, sometimes under the guise of “just asking questions.” And the future of science in the United States is at risk as major science and medical granting agencies, particularly the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are being gutted. Just this week, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announed the termination of grants targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as misinformation and disinformation.

The sources of scientific knowledge can feel removed from our lives, but it could make a difference if we learned about science from local news sources. Studies suggest that local news sources are perceived as more trustworthy than national news outlets. Luckily, there are several initiatives aimed at bringing discussions of science, its benefits, and the malevolent influences of misinformation and disinformation to your local media.

A Role for Scientists

Science Homecoming was created by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of California, Berkeley as a means to broadcast the ways in which “American Science makes jobs, creates new medical treatments, invents new technologies, supports new businesses, and advances the nation’s prosperity.” The project encourages U.S. scientists, particularly those at universities who can speak to the impact of federal funding from NIH and the National Science Foundation (NSF), to write opinion pieces for their hometown newspapers and social media. The initiative recognizes that most scientists work in urban spaces or university towns—places where there are hospital, universities, or other types of research laboratories. Yet, these scientists often are originally from communities where few scientists currently live and to which they can still connect.

Science Homecoming provides resources to help scientists find local news sources to which they might contribute, advice on how to reach out to local editors, resources from which they might draw facts to defend science, and examples of opinion pieces that can inspire their writing. Examples include headlines like “Why science funding matters to Indiana,” and “Why Virginia needs science funding.” If you’re a psychological scientist, consider writing for your hometown newspaper or other news source.

A Role for Students

University students are also playing an important role in bringing news to their local communities. Recent federal decisions in the U.S. have far-reaching consequences, and the consequences often differ across communities. In Arkansas, the elimination of USAID purchases of U.S. crops affected local farmers who sold to those programs. University of Arkansas students reported on these developments to local communities. Meanwhile, Ithaca College student journalists in upstate New York reported on investigations of local school districts for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) events. Ithaca College student Kaeleigh Banda described the impact of their work: “I think that brings so much focus and emotion to these larger issues because it makes us as students realize: ‘Wow, this really is impacting us individually and as a community.’”

Local Networks

A final model harnesses the talents of trained journalists, but creates collaborative networks that expand the reach of a single reporter. The idea is based on the notion of “multi-local” newsrooms. The initiative aims to create regional hubs whereby journalists in a region within the U.S. work together to produce news for all of the communities within that region. This model is different from news bureaus that produce news to be distributed across a region, a nation, or even internationally. Instead, the regional hub produces news that is specific to each of the local communities. The non-profit American Journalism Project enumerates the 3300 newspapers that have gone out of business and the 60% of journalism jobs that have already been lost. They are supporting “digital nonprofit newsroom[s],” including those that work collaboratively in a region to restore local news.

The work of these networks, as well as of scientists and student journalists, to bolster local news and elevate science is just the start. All of us need to take the next step to spread the work of these writers. If you read local news sources, help to elevate stories about the value of science through your social media, and through conversations with neighbors and friends. We can all be defenders of the science that makes our lives better. As the Science Homecoming project reminds us, “science comes from every town, belongs to everyone in the country, and is critical to our nation’s success.” We can all share this message.