From Columbia Journalism Review: What’s Healthy? Don’t ask scientists, or the press either.

Communicating Risk is a website developed by the European Journalism Centre with the support of the European Commission DG Research.

From today’s The Guardian: Draw line under MMR scare, plead top doctors:

A group of Britain’s leading paediatricians and childhood vaccination experts has warned that more children will die unless a line is drawn under the autism and MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine controversy.
In an open letter, 30 scientists, including some of the country’s most eminent child health experts, say that an overwhelming body of evidence shows the vaccine is safe. They add that urgent immunisations are necessary to prevent potentially devastating outbreaks among schoolchildren.
The warning comes as England faces its biggest measles outbreak in 20 years, fuelled by the refusal of some parents to have their children immunised because of now discredited claims linking the MMR jab and autism.

Nanotechnology: assessing the risks
Andrew D. Maynard
in Nanotoday, May 2006

Nanotechnology is seen as a transformative technology, which has the potential to stimulate scientific innovation while greatly benefiting society. However, the enthusiasm with which the scientific and technical communities are embracing the technology is being tempered by concerns over possible downsides, including risks to human health. “Are these concerns valid?” is a question being asked by many, but frequently from differing perspectives. Given the increasingly complex interface between nanotechnology and society, relevant answers will be built on solid science and framed within a societal context.

From AlphaGalileo: Food safety experts accuse the media of creating food scares

SAFE FOODS: project and study.

Training course on Risk Communication: a future challenge in a globalised world, Brussels, July 28 – July 30, 2006.

The seminar is aimed at journalists and other media professionals, government and International organisations officials, decision-makers as well as scholars in media and Communication Studies.

From the Journal of Health Communication – Defining Moments in Risk Communication Research: 1996–2005.

WHITE PAPER ON A EUROPEAN COMMUNICATION POLICY
Brussels, 1.2.2006, COM(2006) 35 final

From the Social Market Foundation: Science, Risk and the Media: Do the front pages reflect reality?

From ScienceMedia Center, Communicating risk in a soundbite and Communicating uncertainty in a soundbite.

Society today in most developed countries has become overly risk-sensitive as the rights of individuals have taken centre stage to the detriment of potentially positive scientific innovations.
That is the conclusion of The Importance of Politics to Nuclear New Build, a new report by Malcolm Grimston, published by by Chatham House.

The World Health Organization is going to launch the World Health Editors Network.

Here’s a huge bibliography on health risk communication.