Communication from Board Polarstern
The PS-App is the central communications tool for reporting. There are +/- 3 posts per week, each consisting of a photo and a short text. A few weeks before the start of the expedition, there will be a briefing by the AWI online team, probably Marlena Witte, who will contact the chief scientist, other people interested in communications can be invited, too. Content from the app may be additionally used on AWI’s social media channels listed below.
The AWI has established social media guidelines (AWI intranet link only) that also apply to expeditions, because expedition participants are increasingly seen as ambassadors of the AWI and their statements are seen in connection with the AWI. Important points in the guidelines are: No content may be posted that could be damaging to the AWI's reputation and/or contain sensitive data. The chief scientist as well as the captain must be informed about social media activities at the beginning of the cruise and permission must be sought in case of doubt. Please refer to the AWI channels in your posts (bluesky, mastodon, Linkedin, facebook (German), facebook (English), Instagram, youtube). The Social Media Guidelines are to be accepted in EIS.
In EIS there is also a form on personal rights for images. We naturally do not force anybody to sign this. If people do not want to be depicted, this should be clarified on board in the spirit of collegial cooperation. Please discuss this with all participants in the beginning and point out that both film makers / photographers as well as the people pictured should actively address the issue if there are sensitive situations.
If you are external to AWI and plan communications about the expedition, please nominate a responsible person in your communications department with whom we can discuss plans in advance (+/-2 months). This is because the approval procedure mentioned before also applies to other planned public communication from on board - i.e. everything that ends up on the www. If there is to be institutional communication, we can discuss communication plans in order to be able to clarify the effort for the chief scientist and the captain. You can reach the responsible AWI communicators at media@awi.de or call press officer Folke Mehrtens: +49 471 4831-2007.
Expedition-interested journalists, artists etc.
Journalists, photographers, artists or film crews may only take part in an expedition after contacting the AWI department for communication and media at an early stage.
Interested persons have to contact the AWI department for communication and media for evaluation of their concept of work before a firm commitment for participation can be released. The department then signs an agreement with the applicant about the obligations of participations and utilization rights for the obtained material.
The chief scientist has to inform journalists etc. that media information have to name Alfred Wegener Institute as operator of RV Polarstern and other institutions that may take part in the expedition.
Alfred Wegener Institute welcomes contacts of expedition participants with press and reporting about the work by journalists.
All press and media contacts of the participants have to be agreed by the chief scientist.
