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The Pitfalls and Perils of Communicating Science (page 22-23)
Hank Campbell


First Paragraph
It’s hard to say when scientists realised that policy makers were not always going to make the best decisions regarding science funding, but a safe bet would be somewhere before 3000 BC. In the intervening 5000 years, not a lot has changed in how well scientists,
politicians and the public really understand each other. A week doesn’t go by when there isn’t an article lamenting that one project or another doesn’t get funding, or that one government bureau is over-zealous or too conservative. Scientists learned early that the best way to get the message across to the people who can truly influence policy makers was to consult them directly. In past ages it was advisers to kings. Later it became the voters themselves.