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In dealing with the press, openness is key

29 Apr 2013 - Michel Claessens, ITER Head of Communication
EUSJA_2a_small.jpg
The two-day program included a visit of the worksite and presentations on the status of the project, plasma physics, tritium cycle, etc. Here, civil engineer Mahaboob Basha Syed gives a tour of the Poloidal Field Coils Winding Facility.
On 22 and 23 April, the ITER Organization welcomed 19 science journalists from the European Union's Science Journalist Association (EUSJA). This was the result of an initiative taken jointly by the Russian journalist Viola Egikova, vice-president of EUSJA, and ITER Communication to present ITER and the project's underlying fusion science and technology to a group of selected science journalists.
 
The two-day program included a visit of the worksite and presentations by several ITER scientists and engineers on status of the project, plasma physics, the chemistry of tritium, etc. Interviews were also organized at the requests of the journalists.
 
As Head of Communications, I believe it is essential to work with the press and to handle their requests as swiftly as possible, as there is still a huge information gap and major communication needs relative to ITER and fusion. In my opinion, the aim is not so much the information that you deliver but the openness and the dialogue that you establish (or make visible) ... and  the respect for journalistic work.
 
"Indeed, I was pleased to see the openness of the ITER Communication team," said Amanda Verdonck, a free-lance Dutch journalist who participated in the EUSJA visit. "But I was really impressed by the scale of the project and the sophisticated scientific knowledge that has gone into the machine. And I will be further impressed to see all this functioning! Like your videoconference system — quite impressive to me!"
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