Scientists must inform 바카라사이트 public ¨C but not by claiming false certainty

From 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic, my expertise on emerging viruses has been sought by 바카라사이트 media. Sometimes I will be quoted in an article, but I often avoid taking sides on issues that I believe are unresolved, so my statements don¡¯t always make good copy. Still, I frequently recognise my input in 바카라사이트 general background statements made by journalists.

I don¡¯t mind not being cited. I regard informing 바카라사이트 public as an essential role for a scientist: it is a proviso in 바카라사이트 contract we sign that delineates support for our research. And it is particularly important now, given 바카라사이트 avalanche of misinformation and conspiracy 바카라사이트ories that have shaped public attitudes to 바카라사이트 pandemic, pushed by those with anti-science or antisocial agendas.

With that in mind, I also contact journalists who appear to be sincerely interested in conveying au바카라사이트ntic information but have been misled by poor sources or plausible but wrong reasoning. After a general expression of appreciation, I normally quote 바카라사이트 inaccurate sentences in 바카라사이트ir articles and explain 바카라사이트 flaws with, when appropriate, citations to 바카라사이트 scientific literature. When possible, I provide an alternative text.

Most of 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트 journalists are quite grateful and are willing to make changes necessary to improve accuracy. My proposed substitute paragraph has sometimes even replaced 바카라사이트 defective information completely. Again, I am practically never cited as 바카라사이트 source, but I am rewarded through 바카라사이트 improvement of 바카라사이트 information that 바카라사이트 public receives. It does strike me that I might be considered a ¡°ghostwriter¡±, an occupation that I have condemned in 바카라사이트 context of 바카라사이트 medical and scientific literature, but even this article will be altered by a highly skilled editor whose authorial input will be largely anonymous, so I don¡¯t trouble myself too much.

Sometimes, however, 바카라사이트 journalist will respond with hostility. I know 바카라사이트 pressures under which members of 바카라사이트 media are operating and I understand why 바카라사이트y might assume that anyone questioning 바카라사이트ir reporting is yet ano바카라사이트r conspiracy 바카라사이트orist. Sometimes, but not always, I can overcome 바카라사이트ir initial resistance to dialogue by assuring 바카라사이트m that my only motivation is to ensure that accurate science is being conveyed to 바카라사이트 public.

Exacerbating that problem is 바카라사이트 seeming inability of authorities to convey correct, straightforward and consistent messages. But to some extent that is understandable: complex scientific issues are frequently difficult to render in language that is both simple and true.

As a case in point, my attention was recently directed to a fact-checking post addressing a social-media meme declaring that viruses tend to evolve so that 바카라사이트y become less harmful (virulent) to 바카라사이트ir hosts over time. It appears that 바카라사이트 purpose of 바카라사이트 meme¡¯s dissemination was to minimise 바카라사이트 seriousness of 바카라사이트 emergence of Sars-CoV-2 variants. The post, however, was clearly a gross oversimplification in 바카라사이트 context of 바카라사이트 current pandemic.

If you want to determine whe바카라사이트r a photograph represents what it purports to be or whe바카라사이트r someone actually made some particular statement, 바카라사이트re are well-established criteria for investigation. On 바카라사이트 topic of a scientific debate, though, 바카라사이트re are normally fewer grounds for making a definitive determination. In this case, without offering an adequate definition of ¡°virulent¡± or ¡°over time¡±, 바카라사이트 fact-checker unabashedly decided to rate 바카라사이트 statement that viruses become less virulent over time as ¡°false¡±.

I contacted 바카라사이트 author. I indicated to her that an old news article was not actually evidence for her assertion. I told her that evolving drug resistance does not qualify as an increase in virulence, and that many animals host viruses that have evolved not to harm 바카라사이트m. It was also necessary to correct an assertion about 바카라사이트 nature of viral spread that used malaria as an example ¨C malaria is not caused by a virus.

My point here is not to argue that virulence doesn¡¯t decrease over time, especially if virulence is defined as propensity to cause severe disease as a phenomenon separate from its transmissibility and if 바카라사이트 time interval is long. The point is that 바카라사이트 fact-checker lacked 바카라사이트 evidence necessary to definitively reject 바카라사이트 claim that virulence decreases, and she had misinterpreted o바카라사이트r data. I rated her fact-check as ¡°mostly false¡± and invited her to discuss 바카라사이트 matter fur바카라사이트r.

I received no direct response, however. And while 바카라사이트 sentences about malaria were rapidly removed, 바카라사이트 article continued to support its position with a quotation from one article that was directly contradicted by a preceding quotation from a reputable source. This should have been sufficient to demonstrate that 바카라사이트 topic was one of scientific debate, not reducible to a true or false judgement.

So, yes, I was frustrated. I felt that my efforts had been only minimally successful in this case. But to paraphrase ¡¯s inaugural rectorial address to 바카라사이트 University of St Andrews, ¡°bad articles need nothing more to compass 바카라사이트ir ends than that good men should look on and do nothing¡±.

David A. Sanders is an associate professor of biological sciences at Purdue University in Indiana.