Talking about weather (and climate) Career options in wx/climate communication

1. Talking about weather(and climate)Career options in wx/climate communication Bob Henson UCAR Communications bhenson@ucar.edu ULW 2007 21 June 2007

2. Two interests – one career By combining atmospheric science with another field, you can • make yourself more marketable • build a more satisfying work life Weather and communication is a perfect example!

3. What can you pair with atmospheric science? • Speech, journalism, radio/TV: weathercasting, writing • Law, medicine:forensic meteorology • Sports:event-driven forecasting • Business:management, entrepreneurism • Public policy:consulting, think tanks

4. My own path . . . Oklahoma City, 1968 I was seven years old A weathercaster named Lola Hall said tornadoes were on the way. How did she know?

5. My own path . . . High school,mid-1970s: Watergate and Rolling Stonemagazine piqued my interest in journalism Worked on newspaper and yearbook

6. My own path . . . • Rice University (1977–83): designed my own major (meteorology/psychology) • University of Oklahoma (1983–87): started grad school in meteorology, then switched to journalism. Thesis dealt with severe weather warnings on Okla. City TV

7. What I do now • Work for UCAR Communications • Write & edit in-house & external newsletters • Edit UCAR Highlights (biennial report) • Assist with media (news releases, etc.) • Help with exhibits, other projects • Write for magazines • Scientific American, Sierra,Audubon, others • Serve as contributing editortoWeatherwisemagazine • Write books (when there’s time)

8. The changing world of journalism • Older and struggling • Newspapers • Evening news (as opposed to “Daily Show”)

9. The changing world of journalism • Older and struggling • Newspapers • Evening news (as opposed to “Daily Show”) • Newer and booming • Web articles • Podcasts • E-mail (RSS feeds)

10. The changing world of journalism • Older and struggling • Newspapers • Evening news (as opposed to “Daily Show”) • Newer and booming • Web articles • Podcasts • E-mail (RSS feeds) • Still strong, but evolving • Radio news • Specialty magazines

11. Our changing role in UCAR Communications 1989: • Send a news release by snail mail • Fax copies to a few key newspapers,TV and radio stations • Call reporters on land line (and if the line’s busy, call back)

12. Our changing role in UCAR Communications 1989: • Send a news release by snail mail • Fax copies to a few key newspapers,TV and radio stations • Call reporters on land line (and if the line’s busy, call back) 2007: • Send news releases by e-mail • Post copy to Web for everyone to see and use • Post visuals on the Web Many online sites use our releasesand illustrations as provided

13. What hasn’t changed . . . We still need to: • Present the science accurately • Translate complex ideas into accessible terms (simple language, metaphor, etc.) • Help guide reporters to the right expert

14. No writer is an island! These books couldn’t have been done without the support of friends and input from colleagues within and beyond UCAR. In my spare time: books Television Weathercasting: A History(McFarland, 1990)—first book-length study of the field The Rough Guide to Weather(Penguin, 2002; 2nd edition 2007)—half travel guide,half weather primer The Rough Guide to Climate Change(Penguin, 2006; 2nd edition 2008)

15. What did RGCC involve? • Getting the green light from UCAR • Reading hundreds of scientific papers • Writing about 110,000 words (four months of half-time work, plus many nights/weekends) • Incorporating comments from about 70 experts • Utter, complete exhaustion!(for a few days)

16. What’s in it for the author? • Satisfaction of completing the book • Excitement (book tours, interviews) • A stepping stone to other opportunities (invited talks, articles) • If you’re lucky, a bit of income

17. The strategy for this book • Follow the Rough Guides approach:accessible yet comprehensive • Include lots of up-to-date research • Avoid preaching to the choirs (skeptics and activists alike) • Emphasize the points of agreementas well as uncertainties • Accommodate both US and UKaudiences (tricky!) • Emphasize serious situation,but keep hope alive • Turn it around quickly!

18. Some common questions • Isn’t the science uncertain? • Weren’t they worried about global cooling in the 1970s? • If they can’t forecast the weather next week, how can they predict the climate in 2050?

19. Some common questions • It’s cooling in Antarctica. • We can’t afford to do anything about globalwarming, even if it’s real.

20. Some tips • Consider devising your own degree to get where you want to be. It takes extra time and thought, but the results can be well worth it. • Listen to yourself. Be aware if you’re discontented, and try to figure out why. • Volunteer! It can provide you with useful skills while helping others.

21. In short . . . • Join professional organizations as soon as you can. They’re great networking tools and give you credentials. • Hone your people skills. Atmospheric science is still a relatively small community. Thoughtfulness, diligence, tact, and good humor make a difference.

22. In short . . . • Keep the media in mind.Servingas an expert for reporters helps train you to think and communicate clearly, and it’s a service to society. • Have fun!