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Session 23 - Astronomy Education: Current Developments & Trends.
Oral session, Monday, January 13
Harbour A,
There is a continuing demand for astronomical news, basic information, and imagery on the part of the entertainment and news media. The mass media thus represent a major channel by which students, colleagues, teachers, policy makers, and others are informally educated about space science and astronomy. We summarize the ways in which the AAS and other professional societies, as well as U.S. government agencies, transmit the results of astronomical research to the media, the criteria that media "gatekeepers" use to select what information actually reaches the public, and the considerations that astronomers should keep in mind when dealing with the press.
