Because of this “mushroom cloud effect,” in which reports exaggerate the magnitude of a problem, it’s vital for those impacted to get the scientific-based facts out to the public as quickly as possible, before the story takes on a life of its own.
“Stories begin to feed on themselves ... and once the basic cast of a story is set, it will be extremely difficult to get in there and reshape the message and get the truth out,” Linda O’Dierno, outreach specialist with the National Aquaculture Association, said last week at the World Aquaculture Society conference in California.
“There
