Grading Government Transparency: Scientists’ Freedom to Speak (and Tweet) at Federal Agencies

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) evaluated 17 US federal agencies on their media and social media policies using a rubric focused on scientific openness and free speech. The analysis assigned letter grades based on criteria such as the 'personal-views exception' and the 'right of last review'. Results showed significant variance, with NOAA receiving the highest media policy grade (A) and the Department of Energy receiving an 'Incomplete' due to insufficient policy information. The report also includes qualitative survey data from 72 federal scientists describing their experiences with agency interference and the practical application of these policies.

• The Union of Concerned Scientists graded 17 federal agencies on two distinct scales: official media policies and official social media policies, using a curve to assign letter grades from A to D, or 'Inc' for incomplete.
• In the media policy assessment, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) achieved the highest score of 97 (Grade A), while the Department of Energy (DOE) was graded as 'Inc' with a score of 25 because its policy was deemed incomplete.
• In the social media policy assessment, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) received a perfect score of 100 (Grade A+), whereas the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received a score of 25 (Grade Inc).
• The media policy scoring rubric prioritizes the 'protection of fundamental scientific free speech' (30 points), which includes the 'personal-views exception' and the 'right of last review'.
• The social media policy rubric emphasizes the 'protection of scientific free speech' (40 points), specifically requiring a clear distinction between official and personal use and the freedom to identify one's employer when expressing personal views.
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests were used to uncover non-public policies; however, several agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Commerce (DOC), and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), provided no response within five months.
• A survey of 72 self-reported federal scientists provided qualitative evidence of policy implementation, with some respondents reporting that they are 'censured and warned' if they speak to the media independently at the USDA.
• Survey responses from USDA scientists indicated that certain topics, such as climate change, pesticides, and genetically modified crops, are subject to higher levels of oversight and potential suppression.

APA

Goldman, G., Bailin, D., Renaud, A., Rogerson, P., Kothari, Y., & Halpern, M. (2015). Grading Government Transparency: Scientists’ Freedom to Speak (and Tweet) at Federal Agencies. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/appendix-media-policy-scorecard-ucs-2015.pdf

Chicago

Goldman, Gretchen, Deborah Bailin, Alexander Renaud, Paul Rogerson, Yogin Kothari, and Michael Halpern. Grading Government Transparency: Scientists’ Freedom to Speak (and Tweet) at Federal Agencies. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2015. https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/appendix-media-policy-scorecard-ucs-2015.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Goldman |first1=Gretchen |last2=Bailin |first2=Deborah |last3=Renaud |first3=Alexander |last4=Rogerson |first4=Paul |last5=Kothari |first5=Yogin |last6=Halpern |first6=Michael |title=Grading Government Transparency: Scientists’ Freedom to Speak (and Tweet) at Federal Agencies |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=March 2015 |url=https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/appendix-media-policy-scorecard-ucs-2015.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{goldman2015grading, author = {Goldman, Gretchen and Bailin, Deborah and Renaud, Alexander and Rogerson, Paul and Kothari, Yogin and Halpern, Michael}, title = {{Grading Government Transparency: Scientists’ Freedom to Speak (and Tweet) at Federal Agencies}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/appendix-media-policy-scorecard-ucs-2015.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }