QUOTE (Phil Stooke @ Feb 2 2006, 02:46 AM)
I've never seen this taping statement before at LPSC.
Personally, I think the journals are afraid that their very reason for existence is threatened.
Not to beat the issue to death (nor to hijack Jason's thread) but another possible (perhaps likely) explanation for the LPI policy, which might fall under Bruce's "sadist" theory, is that some conference participants may have complained. I know many scientists who don't want their pre-publication musings and speculations recorded for the "uneducated masses" only to blow up in their faces later.
Indeed, even "closed" science meetings are eschewing taping. For example, the Cassini TOST/SOST telecons (or, as a few wags have said, "telethons") that occur before each targeted encounter were intially recorded. I have a few of these multi-hour extravaganzas on my iPod (
e.g., TOST T6/T7/T8 and SOST E1), and they are unusually open and candid. However, the recording of these telecons has tapered off due to, from what I understand, objections from some of the teams in having their presentations taped, notwithstanding the fact that these telecons are restricted to Project personnel, who, presumably, aren't laypersons who don't understand the "sausage making" aspect of science.
Having said that, I find it puzzling that LPI would allow non-participants to attend LPSC, including the press, and not allow them to tape. I would have thought that, at the very least, for the sake of accurate reporting that recording would be desired.