New NASA Policy: A Small Victory

NASA is to be commended for a new media policy easing up restrictions on scientist communications. Most importantly, scientists don't have to have little PR minders on their phone calls any more. Bravo. See here to learn more about the policy. NASA's move is entirely positive--it represents progress. Still, it's pretty scant progress in light of years and years of abuses against science perpetrated by the Bush administration, and the wide range of agencies where these problems have manifested. The great danger, now, is that NASA will be pointed to as a success story in order to neutralize further criticism, not unlike the president's own "pro-science" initiative to improve science education and international scientific competitiveness. But in fact, of course, we know that other agencies aren't taking NASA's lesson to heart. The Environmental Protection Agency, for instance, has stated that it will continue to screen all media requests for interviews ...