Public education
Public education is one of the keys to overcoming the LNT model problem that exists today since governments would hesitate to take the right actions if there is no public support. The overwhelming majority of the public has come to believe that the LNT model is valid because
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The public obtains information on radiation effects mainly from popular media
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There is large publicity in popular media to publications that claim increased cancer risk from low-dose radiation, since such publications present sensational "news"
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When criticism of such articles are published, they receive no coverage in popular media
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There is little publicity to publications that claim no harm or beneficial effects from low levels of radiation
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Hence, misinformation on low-dose radiation health effects is rampant among the public
The correct information, that low-dose radiation reduces cancers, needs to be publicized
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We need to reach millions of people, not hundreds, to overcome the misinformation.
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This is the most important task facing us.
Among the major channels to be considered for the public education campaign:
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Public service messages in popular media
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Op-Ed Articles in Newspapers
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Articles in Magazines
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Debates in popular media
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Celebrity endorsements
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Endorsements by Opinion Leaders
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Press Coverage
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Responses in popular media to misleading articles
Approaches that have proven to be ineffective (since they have reached hundreds or thousands, but not millions) are:
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Social Media
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Websites, Blogs
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Newsletters
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Webinars
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Speeches at Conferences, Public Meetings
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Responses to misleading articles in journals
To be effective with these approaches, we need to attract coverage by major channels in order to reach millions.
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