You have no time to do the science if you’re talking to the media.

The remark captures a common tension in public-facing science: time spent explaining results to journalists, policymakers, or the public can directly reduce time available for research, analysis, and writing. Attributed to James Hansen—who became a prominent public figure after testifying on climate change and later engaging in advocacy—the line also hints at institutional and cultural pressures on scientists to stay “within the lab” rather than communicate. Implicitly, it critiques the expectation that researchers can both produce rigorous science and continuously manage media demands without additional support, and it raises questions about how scientific institutions value (or undervalue) public communication.