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<p><strong>A Global Leader in the Movement for Change</strong> <br/><br/>At the <em>Bulletin</em>, we focus on three main areas: nuclear risk, climate change, and new disruptive technologies. What connects these topics is a driving belief that because humans created them, we can control them. Building on the vision of our founders such as Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer, the 21st century <em>Bulletin</em> is a focused on the most urgent man-made threats to civilization. <br/><br/>When nuclear threats increase, the climate worsens, or new pathogens arise, audiences around the world turn to the <em>Bulletin</em> for trusted expert analysis, investigative reporting, and interactive programming. Over the past five years, the <em>Bulletin’s</em> audience has skyrocketed from 1.8 million unique views in 2018 to 4.4 million in 2020 and 6.2 million unique views (12 million plus page views) through 2023 and is on pace to match or exceed that total in 2024. Throughout this significant growth, the <em>Bulletin</em> has maintained a coveted demographic: nearly half our audience is younger than 35, and 50 percent comes from outside the United States. Our gender demographic has shifted from 25 to 35 percent female. Our newsletter, which had 20,000 subscribers in 2015, is now delivered to more than 130,000 in-boxes twice weekly. Our social media audience grew 27% over the previous 12 months, and our subscription magazine is available in 7,500 libraries worldwide. <br/><br/>The <em>Bulletin</em> is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. The <em>Bulletin</em> is determined to improve diversity along the lines of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression. We are committed to moving intentionally toward greater diversity so that we may better represent our growing audience and more powerfully reflect and advance our mission that affects all humanity. <br/><br/><strong>Reporting on climate change</strong> <br/><br/>The <em>Bulletin</em> has an established reputation for covering the changing climate. In her March 2020 article “Panic Time,” science journalist Tammy Kim writes that “the <em>Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists</em> may be the only outlet whose approach to climate change is explicitly existential.” Our coverage began in the early 1960s, and by 1978 we featured a cover story that mankind was indeed changing the climate. The <em>Bulletin</em> added climate change to its iconic Doomsday Clock in 2007. More recently the <em>Bulletin</em> has brought on a second climate editor and has established partnerships with the Climate Desk and other climate outlets. <br/><br/>In addition to its regular coverage, the <em>Bulletin</em> commissions long-form multimedia pieces when a topic requires graphical interpretations and funding is available. For example, in 2021 the <em>Bulletin</em> partnered with journalist Tristan Baurick and MIT data scientists who mapped flood risk at the local level of the Huston Ship Channel to produce “Gathering storm: The industrial infrastructure catastrophe looming over America’s Gulf coast.” The piece showed how current climate investments in America’s energy infrastructure remain insufficient to combat rising sea levels. The piece received over 12,000 page views in its first few days of publication. <br/><br/>John Morales, an atmospheric and environmental scientist and a fellow of the American Meteorological Society, and hurricane specialist NBC6-TV in Miami, is a former <em>Bulletin</em> Fellow and has been publishing with the <em>Bulletin</em> since 2020. His recent coverage of Hurricane Helene in the <em>Bulletin</em> garnered over 100,000 pageviews and was referenced repeatedly in outlets like the <em>New York Times</em>. Morales made national news himself in his emotional on-air coverage as he realized how immense the hurricane had become, and how perilous the potential if it struck land at that intensity. <br/><br/>Other recent articles have included: <br/><br/>• "Breakbone fever: Dengue will soon pose a “major threat” to US, the WHO says,"(October 2023). This piece examined the WHO's warning that higher global temperatures promise to make dengue a major threat in the southern United States, southern Europe and new areas of Africa within this decade. <br/><br/>• "El Niño increases global health threats that require a One Health response,"(July 2023) takes its lead from NOAA and other leading experts, but translates this intensive data into a compelling feature that tells the story in a relatable and urgent way. The <em>Bulletin</em> constantly strives to eliminate the barriers in the way of understanding the impact of what science is telling us, and to fight against the mis- and disinformation that often swirls around difficult issues. <br/><br/>• "‘Silent killer’: A series on surviving the extremely hot future (July 2022). A series of feature stories by our climate writers and editors that answer some of the basic – sometimes alarming in their suggestion – questions that can help us better understand and appreciate the urgency of slowing, and one day reversing, the effects of climate change. <br/><br/>Funding from the The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation will support our efforts to expand our readership on climate and other issues in the next year that include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Strengthening Content and Communications</li>
<li>Growing and engaging a global audience advocating for a safer and more secure planet</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Strengthening Content and Communications</em> <br/><br/>The <em>Bulletin</em> is consistently on the leading edge of reporting on issues of global risks. Our authors – leading researchers and experts in their fields and award-winning investigative journalists covering science and technology – are proactive in responding to the discoveries and events that affect the safety and security of the planet. Our writers see the big picture, translate difficult science into relatable stories, and provide our readers with fact-based information for advocacy and action. Bulletin stories are regularly cited, referenced, and directly quoted in media outlets around the world. <br/><br/>The <em>Bulletin</em> has been experiencing unprecedented success in its editorial recognition through reach, size, shares, awards, public mentions, and other industry defining metrics as described above in greater detail. <br/><br/>With lead editors focused on our priority issues, our global connections to the leading experts in all these fields, a communications team ensuring we maintain these metrics, and a full support staff and leadership guiding the organization, we will continue this success. <br/><br/>The exceptional work of our editors and support staff ensure the <em>Bulletin</em> is required reading for global practitioners. The strength of our editorial and communications staff is instrumental in handling fast-breaking news and events, learning how to pace its coverage and communication efforts – toggling from staff generated coverage, to expert analysis, and back to staff generated reporting while maintaining a consistent push to reach audience and share content across media platforms and outlets. <br/><br/><em>Growing and engaging a global audience advocating for a safer and more secure planet</em> <br/><br/>One of the <em>Bulletin’s</em> most distinctive contributions is its global reach. In the fast-changing world of media and content delivery platforms, innovation and experimentation reign supreme. The <em>Bulletin’s</em> newsletter is the most effective way to engage with our global audience, sharing new research and content twice a week. <br/><br/>We’ve also focused on an improved SEO, experimented with messaging and headlines through A/B testing, increased the speed of our site, conducted Facebook look-alike campaigns, and surveyed our audience. And now, as Twitter’s stumbles, we are building on previous successes on YouTube, and responding to the changing platform algorithms. <br/><br/>As a result of consultations with other media organizations, the <em>Bulletin’s</em> communications team is in the process of refining its metrics, investing in video production, and better understanding our user experience. We have codified internal brand guidelines and created corresponding templates to make for a more cohesive experience for audiences across platforms. This will assist with creating a similar look and feel when promoting editorial features and events on all social networks and help deepen audience connection and familiarity with the <em>Bulletin</em>. We are increasingly using video, especially short video, as a way to increase our discoverability and expand our audience funnel. <br/><br/>We are experimenting with short run "pop-up" newsletters that can capture new audiences interested in particular subtopics. Trial runs during last summer’s Oppenheimer movie blockbuster, and the Doomsday Clock Announcement generated 1,700 new email signups. Finally, we're looking to increase our earned media footprint through brand visibility effort including media profiles of individual editors through interviews in related niche outlets, such as podcasts, whose dedicated audiences are more likely to follow that editor's reporting, and the Bulletin, after exposure. <br/><br/>These efforts will continue to support and grow our global audience, especially those advocates around the world seeking change locally and globally. <br/><br/><strong>Transition to new leadership</strong> <br/><br/>As the Foundation is aware, Rachel Bronson, President & CEO of the<em> Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,</em> announced in early May that she will step down at the end of 2024, after ten years of service. The <em>Bulletin’s</em> leadership first learned of her intentions in late January 2024, and has appreciated the ability to put in place a well-considered transition plan. This spring, the Board retained Koya partners, a search firm that has conducted previous searches for the Bulletin, and is deeply committed to diversity and equity. Koya brings significant expertise in recruiting leaders in media, not-for-profit organization, and policy centers. Having established an internal selection committee, the Board is now well into their process and is optimistic about the candidates they are reviewing. <br/><br/>A smooth transition is enabled by time, and the strong leadership team that is currently in place at the <em>Bulletin</em>. Editor-in-chief John Mecklin has been with the <em>Bulletin</em> for more than a decade, and plans to continue in his role. The rest of the senior staff has been carefully selected for their depth of experience and ability to work together effectively as a team. In partnership with the new President, this highly-functioning leadership team will continue the <em>Bulletin’s</em> momentum and help carve a new future. <br/><br/>The Foundation's support is even more important during this transition. At the board and staff level, the <em>Bulletin</em> is optimistic about what more it can accomplish. Reliable and sustained funding is essential to support this optimism. Transitions can be difficult if long-standing funders waiver. We ask that the Foundation continue supporting the <em>Bulletin</em> as it has in past years, to ensure that the <em>Bulletin</em> continues to raise its visibility and impact, and continues operating at a high level.</p> |
