SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 7 (Reuters) – The lead U.S. government agency for climate and weather research unveiled a new policy that will allow its scientists to speak freely to the media and the public about their research without prior permission, the agency's administrator said on Wednesday.
"This policy is really about fostering an environment where science is encouraged, nurtured, respected, rewarded and protected," Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco.
With its so-called Scientific Integrity Policy, NOAA becomes the first federal agency to implement a directive laid out by President Barack Obama shortly after he took office.
A new aspect of the policy states that NOAA scientists may freely speak to the media and the public about their work without having to request permission from public affairs officers at the agency, Lubchenco said.
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