Science Friday’s Promise
Many of us are living in a different world than the one we were preparing for a week ago; leaving us saddened, uncertain, and disjointed. But hopefully motivated.
I was just reflecting with Ira about how eight years ago we found ourselves in a similar position — where climate change was being called into question, science and education were not being prioritized, and research funding was being threatened. In fact, at that same time, Science Friday was facing our own funding concerns as we struggled to find our future.
However, eight years ago many of our longtime supporters, and some new friends, came to our aid and rallied on our behalf. They were motivated to fight for what was important to them and secure our mission to make science fun and accessible. Today, Science Friday boasts its biggest audience in the program’s history, and we are producing more quality content than ever before.
For 25 years, Science Friday has presented the public with rigorously fact-checked information in a way that is clear and easy to understand. And we’ll continue to do so. We’ll work our tails off to make science a part of our national discourse by providing the public with an understanding of the science that shapes our communities, our health, and our economy. More than that, we promise to uphold our efforts to give women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups a regular voice in our programming, and we’ll work even harder to provide free educational activities that both educators and parents can use to create a new generation of science enthusiasts.
I recognize that we also have work to do. We are not blind to the fact that many people feel their needs and concerns are not being reflected in national media coverage, and that information is not being presented in an unbiased and relatable way. The purpose of public media is to provide everyone with access to relevant and accurate information to create an informed, educated, and engaged society. Science Friday is committed to that same mission — we want everyone to see science as universal, approachable, and valuable. Perhaps more importantly, we want people to have fun with/love/enjoy science as much as we do. As such, Science Friday will make a new commitment to reach the public with more local issues, to listen to our audience, and give them a louder voice in determining the science that interests them. Even if you you’re not a listener — especially if you’re not a listener — we want you to tell us what is important to you and about the science you want to discover. The door is open; tell us what you want to know.
We make this commitment to our audience and to the public. But we ask for your help in return. We need everyone to get involved — to defend science, the environment, and research funding at the local, state, and national levels, but also to be a champion among your peers. Extend our reach and share science, information, and learning with people around you. We all have our part to play in continuing to protect science and make it accessible.
And consider a donation to Science Friday because we can’t do this without you.
