The Science Media Centre (SMC) is implementing stricter standards for the expert comments it provides to journalists. The organisation states it will now require scientists to engage directly with specific studies or stories, focus on evidence, and avoid general advice or opinions.
Comments will be sought from scientists at postdoc level or above, who are preferably research-active and commenting within their own field. If a comment does not meet these criteria, the SMC will request a rewrite.
This move is part of the SMC's response to challenges such as misinformation and a perceived decline in public trust in science. The Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Angela McClean, reportedly expressed concern about declining public trust in science at a recent Royal Society discussion.
The SMC believes that providing unbiased, accurate, and measured information gathered through rigorous scientific methods is a powerful response to misinformation. The organisation highlighted its past role in refuting misleading claims, such as those linking the MMR vaccine to autism.