WHAT'S THE STORY? THE 1906 EARTHQUAKE CENTENNIAL

The centennial of the 1906 earthquake and fire was a major scientific, cultural, and historical event that captured local, national, and international media attention. This was not an accident, but the result of several years of concerted planning and community building through leadership of a non-profit group, the 1906 Earthquake Centennial Alliance. The Alliance consisted of over 250 member groups ranging from scientific and academic institutions, private businesses, museums, parks, public agencies and faith-based organizations-many of which sponsored events or activities.

Some lessons learned for effective communication of geoscience to the public: 1) Pitch the story with local and regional angles to make it relevant to many parts of the country—Describing the 1906 earthquake as the birth of modern earthquake science allowed us to describe what has been learned in the past century about earthquake hazard in different regions of the country. 2) Be prepared, take advantage of opportunities –Because we began planning for the centennial several years beforehand, new scientific results and hazard information were ready when Katrina struck. We had a receptive audience and hungry media looking for local angles. We also ran a one-day AGU media field trip on the 1906 earthquake 5 months before the centennial. A major portion of the media coverage grew out of that field trip. 3) The media feed off one another—if one outlet has the story, they all want to cover it. Use this to your advantage. 4) Present the science in its cultural and historical context for an enticing story. The search for cemetery headstones overturned by the 1906 earthquake was a colorful entrée into the discussion of variations in 1906 shaking intensity. 5) Cultivate friendships and allegiances with the chief spokespersons in the cultural and historical arenas--they will direct reporters to you and vice-versa. 6) Whenever possible, relate the scientific story to the media and the public's personal experience—we used comparisons to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. 7) Never underestimate the power of dramatic graphics and 3D animations and visualizations—we live in a visual world and these images can be the most lasting part of the story. 8) Have a sense of humor—Scientists often come across as sincere (good) but also intense and nit-picky (bad). Enjoy yourself!