Fighting fake news: identifying and addressing scientific misinformation

As digital and social formats of media continue to dominate the way many access information, we are becoming more and more aware of the way that this amplifies the potential for false or intentionally manipulated data to influence conversation, especially in the realm of science-policy. Digital media not only increases the number of people who can be impacted by scientific misinformation, but also hastens the production and dissemination of this misinformation, which can lead to an erosion of trust in public institutions, governments and the scientific community. This has the potential to delay progress, and heighten uncertainty whilst polarising opinion, in both public and decision making spheres. Challenging misinformation can feel like a daunting task, but, as the producers of the original knowledge, scientists are in a unique position to contribute to this effort.

This webinar will be presented by Hendrik Bruns, policy analyst at the European Commission Joint Research Centre, and Guy Pe’er, ecologist and commentator on agricultural policy German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). In this webinar, the presenters will outline what constitutes misinformation, how it is generated, and how it spreads. Using the recent example of the EU Commission’s proposed Nature Restoration Law, the webinar will provide real-word examples of how misinformation was used during a decision-making process, and provide tips on how to debunk such information.

The webinar will last for one hour, with time for audience questions and answers at the end.

Please register using the link below.

Speakers:

Hendrik Bruns – Policy Analyst, European Commission Joint Research Centre. Hendrik’s work at the JRC primarily deals with aspects of the European Green Deal, especially individual behaviour relating to climate, energy, and the environment.

Guy Pe’er – Biological scientist and researcher of ecosystem services at German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, and UFZ – Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Dept. Ecosystem Services. Guy researches the relationship between human activity and biodiversity, with a focuse on how the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) affects both nature and humans.

You can view the webinar here (Youtube).

If you have any questions about the ‘Fighting fake news: identifying and addressing scientific misinformation’ webinar, please contact us via webinars@egu.eu.