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Finally have time, after a crazy week, to tune in to #CSPC2020. This morning's session is off with a bang, discussing how COVID-19 has influenced the creation and spread of misinformation
My question going in: how can researchers who are tackling hard problems that might be considered conspiracy-adjacent (thinking of @Ayjchan's work on COVID's origins) ask legitimate questions, & communicate their work, without fanning the misinformation flames? #CSPC2020
@this_is_farah discussing the role of pre-prints. They're essential for open science, but (especially in times where science is moving at a rapid pace, like COVID) might include studies or draw conclusions that aren't robust, don't adhere to high standards of integrity #CSPC2020
Responsibility therefore falls on communicators & users of science (ie. public health officials, government agencies) to be circumspect with how they use pre-print information to respond to emergencies. Consider the source, & also engage critics #CSPC2020
COVID has shown how quickly science can change. Which erodes trust in public officials (eg. conflicting advice on masks). @CaulfieldTim suggests that trust in scientists themselves hasn't suffered in this way. #CSPC2020
Do we need therefore to be aggressively transparent, in what data we're basing recommendations on, on how we use new data & pre-prints? Also be clear to public that recommendations are always based on best *current* advice - don't act like we know everything? #CSPC2020
( @CaulfieldTim cut off midstream. The whole session is down. Just one of the pains of running a conference online. Or was he silenced for knowing too much?????)
Ok, we're back
How is Canada different to USA in misinformation? @gabriellelim says big difference is Trump; we don't have a similar senior public figure gaslighting the country. Scary thought that we're just one personality cult away from a similar scenario. No country is immune #CSPC2020
Also points out USA is much larger, with huge socio-political diversity. But Canada has its own enormous spread of diversity; we can't ignore that as we communicate science & information #CSPC2020
"Messaging" shouldn't be what scientists/public officials aim for. That is top down; we need to consider communication bottom-up, understanding the needs, concerns, & hopes of communities. These can be addressed through "dialogue" or "conversation", & be more effective #CSPC2020
Most people/communities are sceptical for good reason. See: indigenous populations & long history of abuse legitimised by colonial sciences. We gain nothing by ignoring *why* people may have fears/scepticism, & treating them all like conspiracy nuts #CSPC2020
