CONA press release is out – that means we’re officially GO!
With thanks to my colleagues at the NIWA Media Office we did our first project press release on Monday. You can check it out here . It was immediately picked up by Newstalk ZB and I’ve had interest from One News. This project officially exists and it’s too late to change our minds and scrap the whole idea. Our main media goal at this stage is to aid recruitment of participants to do our online survey and host instruments in the home (if you haven’t registered, just go to www.niwa.co.nz/CONA-Rangiora ). Press releases are nervous times for scientists. What generally happens next is that reporters and producers call me up and expect me to give a few sound-bites on the spot. I have to have a few key messages in mind and keep it simple. Unless it’s live I get the chance for a few do-overs if I stumble. The tricky bit is always the unanticipated question, and there always is one. With Newstalk ZB I was asked how much locals can buy the air quality sensors for. That threw me, because they ar...