Education can help against conspiracy theories
This interview to Michael Butter analyses how conspiracy theories are relevant to infodemic and COVID-19 related disinformation. Read more [...]
Tag Archives: misinformation
Media literacy to counteract misinformation and disinformation: a challenge we should be taking on
Circulation of fake information has become one of the leading problems we are facing in the digital environment. Watchdogs are fighting back with solutions. Read more [...]
Misinformation in science : how false medical news on social media miseducates our society
Social media platforms have taken a leading role in our everyday lives and have changed the way we obtain health information online. The most recent topic fueling disinformation is the novel Coronavirus. However, it is not the only one. Read more [...]
Media in the age of Artificial Intelligence
On 21st November 2017, the European Parliament Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) office hosted its annual lecture, chaired by Eva KAILI, MEP and STOA Chair and introduced by Carlos MOEDAS, European Commissioner for Research, Science & Innovation. The Keynote Lecture: How AI and algorithms manage flows of information was delivered by Nello Cristianini, professor of Artificial Intelligence, at the University of Bristol, UK. Read more [...]
Fake news: unobservant audiences are easily swayed
Fake news is everywhere. Science-related pseudo facts have taken over the gossip sites and social media. And we are only at the beginning of an uphill battle to set the record straight. In this contribution, Melissa Hoover, shares her investigation on how people's response to fake news makes it easier for such inaccurate stories to propagate at a rate that is way more important than fact-based news. And here is why... Read more [...]
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ECSJ2017: Science Communication 5.0
EuroScientist is delighted to be able to share some of the discussions which took part during the 4th European Conference for Science Journalists in Copenhagen between 26th and 30th June 2017. They touched upon the evolving nature of science communication, how scientists are engaging with the public and issues related to evidence-based policy making. We would like to invite you to comment on individual articles using the dialogue box below each of the articles to continue the conversation. Read more [...]
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Combating fake news in science
“Dandelion root benefits can boost your immune system and cure cancer,” “Lead developer of HPV vaccines comes clean, warns parents & young girls it’s all a giant deadly scam,” "Asteroid Warning: Govt Preps Underground Bases" — These are just three of a multitude of fake science headlines circulating on social media recently. They may all be debunked, but will they have a lasting effect on society? The impacts of fake news and the post-truth era are the subject of discussions at the 4th European Conference for Science Journalists (ECSJ2017) on 26–30 June in Copenhagen, Denmark. Read more [...]
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Unbiased reporting can help call time on pseudoscience
In July 2013, a 21-year-old man died of leukaemia in the Spanish city of Valencia. Mario chose to dismiss his doctor’s advice, turned to a so-called expert in 'natural and orthomolecular medicine' and abandoned chemotherapy, choosing instead to fight his illness with alternative medicine. Mario was not, as some might conclude, an uneducated young man who did not know better. He was studying to become a physicist, but even this background did not prevent his believing a charlatan's claims. Tragedies like this beg the question: What can journalism do to better encourage trust in scientific evidence? The 4th European Conference for Science Journalists held on 26 to 30 June 2017 aimed to answer such questions in a series of sessions that examine the roles of policymakers, citizens, scientists, and science journalists in making scientific facts great again. Read more [...]
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Holding on to lies! Unlocking the cognitive mechanism behind misinformation
Five years ago, the World Economic Forum declared that the spread of misinformation through social media was one of the greatest global risks to our future and prosperity. At that time, the future scale of the threat was still unclear, even to media experts. However, for anybody with the slightest doubt about how rapidly social networks are changing news consumption and its effects, last year was eye-opening and overwhelming. Misinformation and fake news have influenced every major voting process and strengthened science-denial movements — consider how ubiquitous anti-vaccine and climate change scepticism propaganda is. But what are the consequences and the remedies to this? On the 29th of June, this and other questions are the subject of discussion in the 'Science journalism in a post-truth world’ session of the 4th European Conference for Science Journalists (ECSJ2017). Read more [...]
The greater evil
This title is inspired by the words of Dr. Susan McCouch. She refers to the willing of people to change mindsets in the face of greater evil, that often seem so far away that only in its proximity they re-consider beliefs. The topic treated in this discussion Read more [...]
2012 – The end of the world and scientific misinformation
Each year, predictions of major discoveries, new developments and breathtaking scientific breakthroughs are published in scientific journals across the world. More than in previous years, previews of 2012 are dominated by pseudo-scientific predictions and conspiracy theories about the end of the world. Read more [...]
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