The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed new rules for federal employees regarding the use of social media. Specifically, social media posts, press releases and other communications with the media have to come from top officials.

  • Controversy began with tweet from Badlands National Park
  • Tweet reportedly sent by former Parks employee
  • Rules change affects EPA, Depts of Interior, Transportation, and Agriculture

The controversy started with a climate-related tweet from the Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

"Today, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher than at any time in the last 650,000 years. #climate," read the tweet sent out last week.

This tweet sent by the Badlands National Park Service Twitter account has since been deleted.

Rangers at the park said a former employee posted the tweet without their knowledge and they deleted it. But the incident led to the stricter rules by the administration about who can send media communiques.

According to a leaked memo reviewed by the Associated Press, the agencies affected are EPA, Departments of Interior, Transportation and Agriculture.

"Incoming media requests will be carefully screened,” read one of the directives. “Only send out critical messages, as messages can be shared broadly and end up in the press."

It's no surprise that a new administration brings new rules. Political Analyst Chris Ingram said this is standard practice with a transition of government.
 
"I think it's completely fine for the president acting as the CEO to initiate a directive that says, 'this is how you operate with the media or with folks on Capitol Hill,'” said Ingram. “There are certain channels with directed spokespersons and people who know how to deal with the media, and we should leave communications with those folks."

Ingram went on argue the new rules are all part of President Trump's CEO approach to running the government.

"He's setting a standard of expectation early on that these folks are going to be expected to live up to,” said Ingram.  “And by doing it early and by saying we made it very clear up front so that if people do wrong and they're out the door, then they'll understand."
 
Members of the science community, however, think the new rules lean towards censorship. That belief was further fueled when the USDA’s Agriculture Research Service also received directives to send all research material to top brass for vetting before any sort of publication.
 
Dr. Andrew Rosenberg from Director of the Center for Science and Democracy from the Union of Concerned Scientists told us the administration’s recent directives are troubling.

"Everybody recognizes the administration will make their policies decisions, but we want them to be made with the best available science," said Dr. Rosenberg. "The statement that came from a member of the transition team was that we want to review on a case by case basis that the information coming out agrees with the administration position,” explained Dr. Rosenberg.  “Well, that's fine on policy, but not on science."
 
In fact, the EPA has not posted any news releases since Inauguration Day because of a media blackout. The communications director for President Trump's transition team at the EPA said he expects the communications ban to be lifted by the end of this week.
 
The new directives do not seem to apply to every science-focused federal agency. For example, two of the most important science agencies — the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA have not received new directives.