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Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 19h

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Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 21h

By "behind" here I simply mean there's a pretty pervasive tendency by ostensibly "public-facing" institutions to ignore, or even actively discourage, efforts by their members to adapt to the rapidly changing environment. In doing so, they are essentially ceding the space & thus their influence.

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Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 21h

I find myself (to borrow a term other communities have used for years) "context switching" all the time now. It is, increasingly literally, two different languages. I do think it's entirely possible to be eloquent and effective both formally and colloquially, but institutions are way behind.

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Reposted by Daniel Swain

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

"Institutions should embrace collective storytelling between those who hold deep knowledge and those with the cultural fluency and media reach to deliver it effectively." Amen to that!

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

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Reposted by Daniel Swain

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

"Institutions frequently drop content onto a platform rather than opening a conversation with their audience or understanding what a platform’s algorithm will reward."

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

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Reposted by Daniel Swain

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

"Audience members are not just consuming—they are contributing. Members of these communities believe information because they are cocreating it."

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

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Reposted by Daniel Swain

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

"The requirements to succeed on new media platforms are almost precisely the opposite of what successful experts have trained themselves to do: maintain an institutional tone of formal detachment and stay ruthlessly on-message at all times."

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

1 4 36

Reposted by Daniel Swain

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

"Public intellectuals and experts who publish only through legacy media outlets are engaging a narrow, affluent, and educated demographic that is increasingly talking to itself."

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

1 5 26

Reposted by Daniel Swain

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

"Institutions working on issues that depend on mass public support must adapt to today’s media environment—or risk irrelevance."

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

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Reposted by Daniel Swain

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

I found myself nodding vigorously with almost every paragraph based on my own experience as a climate scientist-communicator. I've experienced this rapid and profound shift in the media landscape firsthand, and can confirm that most institutions are woefully behind the curve.

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

1 6 37

Reposted by Daniel Swain

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

I want to highlight this excellent piece by @noupside.bsky.social and @rachelkleinfeld.bsky.social on the rapidly shifting information & media landscape. Domain experts and the institutions that support them must rapidly change tactics to meet the moment.

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

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Reposted by Daniel Swain

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

Next week is looking quite active in CA as a high-amplitude flow pattern develops over North Pacific in downstream response to perturbation of jet stream by West Pacific #TyphoonHalong. NorCal looks quite wet & stormy (rain & iso. tstms/mtn snow); SoCal impacts TBD. #CAwx #CAfire

Snapshot from ECMWF ensemble of an unseasonably deep low pressure system centered just west of San Francisco by early next week. It will likely bring widespread rain, isolated thunderstorms, some mountain snowfall, and possibly some gusty winds though exact path and impacts remain TBD.

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Reposted by Daniel Swain

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

There is a risk of significant flash flooding in parts of interior SW today as deep tropical moisture associated w/remnants of East Pacific #HurricanePriscilla interacts w/jet streak associated w/an incoming trough. Risk will be highest central/northern AZ and SW UT. #AZwx #UTwx

Excessive precipitation (i.e., flash flood risk) outlook from NOAA's WPC for today (10/6/2025) as visualized on pivotalweather.com. It shows a broad region of slight risk over the interior U.S. Southwest, and a two substantial lobes of moderate risk (i.e., second-highest tier) over northern Arizona and southern Utah, respecitvely.

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Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

More than a few folks sure seem to think that I do, though... 👀

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Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

Next week is looking quite active in CA as a high-amplitude flow pattern develops over North Pacific in downstream response to perturbation of jet stream by West Pacific #TyphoonHalong. NorCal looks quite wet & stormy (rain & iso. tstms/mtn snow); SoCal impacts TBD. #CAwx #CAfire

1 24 88

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

There is a risk of significant flash flooding in parts of interior SW today as deep tropical moisture associated w/remnants of East Pacific #HurricanePriscilla interacts w/jet streak associated w/an incoming trough. Risk will be highest central/northern AZ and SW UT. #AZwx #UTwx

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Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

Impressive!

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Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

Where is that??

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Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

"Institutions should embrace collective storytelling between those who hold deep knowledge and those with the cultural fluency and media reach to deliver it effectively." Amen to that!

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

18 67

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

"Institutions frequently drop content onto a platform rather than opening a conversation with their audience or understanding what a platform’s algorithm will reward."

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

1 5 41

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

"Audience members are not just consuming—they are contributing. Members of these communities believe information because they are cocreating it."

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

1 4 23

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

"The requirements to succeed on new media platforms are almost precisely the opposite of what successful experts have trained themselves to do: maintain an institutional tone of formal detachment and stay ruthlessly on-message at all times."

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

1 4 36

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

"Public intellectuals and experts who publish only through legacy media outlets are engaging a narrow, affluent, and educated demographic that is increasingly talking to itself."

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

1 5 26

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

"Institutions working on issues that depend on mass public support must adapt to today’s media environment—or risk irrelevance."

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.

carnegieendowment.org

1 3 21

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 2d

I'd very strongly encourage public-facing domain experts, practitioners, communicators, and (in particular) those with an institutional leadership role to read this piece it its entirety. But, in keeping with the spirit of its contents, I'm offering some "TL;DR" pull quotes below:

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