Sharing Views on Nuclear Regulatory Organisations' (NROs) Communication

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) headquarters, Rockville, MD, USA

1 April 2015

Organised in collaboration with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC)

Objective

The workshop was an opportunity to bring together communication experts from nuclear regulatory organisations (NROs) and stakeholders. Its main purpose was to stimulate cooperation and improve NROs' communication by better understanding stakeholders' perceptions, needs and expectations (see details in the programme).

Workshop topics and format

The workshop lasted one day and was split into two half-day sessions. The morning session was dedicated to exchanges with journalists and experts in communication while the afternoon sessions were devoted to discussions with various stakeholders, including government officials, activist group leaders and industry representatives. The sessions were moderated by Mr Roger Hannah, an NRC staffer who is a former journalist.

For a regional perspective, the stakeholders came from North America.

Participants

Access to the workshop was reserved for communication experts from nuclear regulatory organisations, invited stakeholders, and NRC and CNSC staff. The maximum number of attendees allowed was 75.

Content

The panellists shared their experience based on specific national framework with NRO communicators from around the world.

Language of the workshop

The working language of the workshop was English.

Organising committee of the workshop

The organisation of the workshop was led by Mr Eliot Brenner (Public Affairs Director, US NRC/WGPC Chair) and wassupported by Ms Holly Harrington (US NRC), Ms Sunni Locatelli and Mr Aurele Gervais (CNSC, Canada), Ms Dagmar Zemanova (UJD, Slovak Republic/WGPC Vice Chair), Mr Emmanuel Bouchot (ASN, France) and Mr Risto Isaksson (STUK, Finland).

Proceedings of the workshop

The proceedings of the workshop was audio recorded and a summary made available in autumn 2015.

The conclusions and recommendations of the workshop were submitted to the CNRA for endorsement and were followed up by the WGPC.

Contact information

NRC contact	NEA contact
Ms Holly Harrington Senior Level Advisor US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 11555 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20878 USA Tel.: +1 301 415 8203 E-mail:	Ms Aurélie Lorin WGPC Technical Secreteriat OECD Nuclear Energy Agency 12, boulevard des Îles 92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux FRANCE Tel.: +33 1 45 24 10 57 E-mail:

Access

The workshop took place at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) headquarters.

One White Flint North
11555 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
goo.gl/maps/EmipH

The workshop took place at Two White Flint North.

Two White Flint North
11545 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
goo.gl/maps/fcIUw

Programme

PDF version of programme

08:30	Welcome from the NRC Chair
08:40	Welcome from NEA Director-General
08:50	WGPC Chair and moderator remarks
09:00	Public Opinion on Nuclear Power, Ann Bisconti, President of Bisconti Research, Inc.
Morning session: expectations of traditional and social media from NROs' communication
09:30	Panel session Moderator: Mr Roger Hannah, US NRC Panellists (subject to change): Mr Steve Dolley, Platts, USA Mr Matt Wald, New York Times, USA Mr Shawn McCarthy, Globe and Mail, Canada Mr Dan Yurman, Nuclear Blogger, USA This session of the workshop will specifically address the following issues: Expectations and concerns What does the media expect from NROs in terms of information? How can NROs provide them with that information? What are the media's concerns in covering radiological / nuclear events? What are the media's needs in terms of type, format, level of specification, rapidity and distribution methodology for information in both routine and crisis situations? How could NROs help the media to improve its knowledge of nuclear technical subjects? What education / information would be necessary for them to be better prepared to explain a nuclear incident? Relations How to build a positive relationship between journalists and NROs (the communication team, press officers in NROs) before an incident occurs? Translating risk How can NROs help accurately translate risk to the general public? How can NROs deal with the emotional nature of the issues they communicate about? Traditional / Social media How can NROs use social media to better communicate with the media and the public? How can NROs counteract rumours and misinformation transmitted via social media?
	Conclusions of the session (Mr Eliot Brenner, WGPC Chair)
12:15	Lunch at NRC's cafeteria
Afternoon session: expectations of Governmental, Industry and stakeholder groups from NROs' communication
13:45	Opening speech (Ms Sunni Locatelli, CNSC)
13:55	Panel session Moderator: Mr Roger Hannah, US NRC Panellists (subject to change): Mr Paul Gunter, Beyond Nuclear, USA Ms Jessica Wieder, US Environmental Protection Agency, USA Mr Scott Peterson, Nuclear Energy Institute, USA Ms Linda Thompson, former mayor, Port Hope, Ontario, Canada Mr Shawn-Patrick Stensil, Greenpeace, Canada This session of the workshop will address the following issues: Expectations and concerns What is the agency's / organisation's role in response to a nuclear facility accident? How does the agency / organisation communicate with the NROs involved in response? What does the agency / organisation expect from NROs in terms of information? What are the needs in terms of type, format, level of specification, rapidity and distribution methodology for information in both routine and crisis situations? What role is played by the agency / organisation in helping to explain the science behind a nuclear incident and its possible impact on the public? How do stakeholder groups deal with the information they receive from different sources (nuclear regulators, licensees and public authorities)? What are their policies and contributions to public information? What are their interactions with the public? Relations How to build a positive relationship between stakeholders and NROs (the communication team, press officers in NROs) before an incident occurs? Translating risk How can stakeholder groups help accurately translate risk to the general public? How can NROs deal with the emotional nature of the issues they communicate about? Traditional / Social media How can NROs counteract rumours and misinformation transmitted via social media? What role would stakeholder groups play in countering misinformation? Public involvement and risk culture How can the agency / organisation help enhance the participation of the public in nuclear topics (via public debates, consultations, working group, etc.)?
	Conclusions of the session (Mr Eliot Brenner, WGPC Chair)
16:55	Closure of the workshop by NRC's CNRA representative