For our report Grading Government Transparency, we assessed the media and social media policies of 17 federal agencies, evaluating their current status and their progress since our 2008 media policy scorecard.
For those who want a closer look at the policy documents that the report's assessments were based on, we have provided links below. Most policies are available on agency websites, but some were obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
Bureau of Land Management (Department of the Interior)
Census Bureau (Department of Commerce)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Department of Health and Human Services)
- CDC Clearance of Information Products Disseminated Outside CDC for Public Use
- CDC Guidelines for Ensuring the Quality of Information Disseminated to the Public
- CDC Guidance on Scientific Integrity
- CDC Social Media Tools, Guidelines and Best Practices
- CDC Enterprise Social Media Policy
Consumer Product Safety Commission
- CPSC Clearance Procedures for Providing Information to the Public
- No Fear Act Notice
- CPSC Social Media and Employee Use Directive
Department of Energy
Environmental Protection Agency
Food and Drug Administration (Department of Health and Human Services)
- FDA Scientific Integrity Policy
- Review of FDA-Related Articles and Speeches
- Scientific Dispute Resolution
- HHS Policy for Social Media Technologies
United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- NASA Release of Information to News and Information Media
- NASA Social Media Guidelines
- NASA Scientific Integrity Policy
- NASA Whistleblower Protection Plan
- NASA Requirements for Documentation, Approval, and Dissemination of NASA Scientific and Technical Information
National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services)
- NIH Scientific, Technical, and Other Professional Information Presented by NIH Employees: Review, Approval, and Distribution
- NIH Social and New Media Policy
- HHS Policy for Social Media Technologies
National Institute of Standards and Technology (Department of Commerce)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Department of Commerce)
- NOAA Scientific Integrity Policy
- NOAA Guidelines for Misconduct Allegations
- DOC Public Communications Policy
- DOC Scientific Integrity Policy
- DOC Social Media Web 2.0 Policy
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- NRC Interim Guidance on the Use of Social Media
- NRC Legal and Ethical Guidelines: Reporting Suspected Wrongdoing
- NRC Management Directive 2.7: Personal Use of Information Technology
- NRC Management Directive 3.4: Release of Information to the Public
- NRC Management Directive 5.5: Public Affairs Program
- NRC Management Directive 7.3: Participation in Professional Organizations
National Science Foundation
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Department of Labor)
- DOL Media Guidelines (rescinded in October 2012)
- DOL Scientific Integrity Policy
- DOL Social Media Policy (via FOIA request)
United States Geological Survey (Department of the Interior)
- USGS Manual, section 500.25: Scientific Integrity
- USGS Manual, section 500.5: News Release and Media Relations Policy
- USGS Information Quality Guidelines
- USGS Manual, section 502.3 Fundamental Science Practices: Peer Review
- USGS Manual, section 502.4: Fundamental Science Practices: Review, Approval, and Release of Information Products
- USGS Easy Guidelines for Employee Use of Social Media
- DOI Social Media Policy
United States Department of Agriculture
Related resources
Feature
UCS and the Coronavirus
The Union of Concerned Scientists is actively monitoring the coronavirus pandemic and its implications for scientific integrity.
Feature
Election 2020 Resource Hub
The election is over, but the crises are all still here. We're arming the new administration with facts, evidence, and science.
Feature
Attacks on Science
Our running list of attacks on science—disappearing data, silenced scientists, and other assaults on scientific integrity and science-based policy—provides a representative sample of threats to the federal scientific enterprise.
Explainer
Vote-By-Mail and the 2020 Election
More voters than ever before will cast their ballots by mail this year. How do we know it's reliable, and how it will make this year's election different?