Theme lead: Mathieu Isidro, SKA Organisation
Chair: Robert Massey, Royal Astronomical Society
Parallel Session 2: Tuesday 9 April 14:45 - 16:30
Overview
Fake news has become part of our daily speak. But it isn’t a new phenomenon, before it was called misinformation or conspiracy theories. However, what was once in the fringe of public debate has now become normalised and entered the realm of mainstream politics and the news cycle. Science isn’t spared. As it becomes increasingly politicised, dealing with fake news increasingly becomes part of our job as science communicators.
From climate change to vaccines, GMO, nuclear research and whether NASA has really been to the Moon, "alternative facts” spread as people have “had enough of experts” and get their news from new media such as social media, blogs & websites. How do we tackle fake news? Can facts prevail over beliefs? Do we have a duty as science communicators to combat misinformation?
Under this theme we will explore these questions and discuss what tools are available to us to effectively counteract the spread of misinformation.
Contributers:
