Why SciComm is a relentless storm & why it's always been raging

Disclaimers

First time have spoken on topic of SciComm

55, white, male 👴

(so no worries about privilege there)

Did I mention I’m 55?

1. The Set-Up 🔨🔧

2. The Sting(s) 🐝

- vaccination 💉

- quackademics 🎓

3. Moving forward 🔭

The Set Up

The credibility problem of science

Civilization demands & is dependent upon scientific progress

so why are we surrounded by so much pseudoscience?

Is pseudoscience so bad anyway? Why should we trust

science?

The outsider view:

Science is a shelf in a toy store or a Whiz Bang TV show

Scientists are elites/inaccessible/in pocket of big XYZ 👑💰

Scientists speak an obscure dialect of Klingon 👹

Science is hugely expensive 💰💰

Scientists disagree with one another and cheat 💔🎭

Scientific dogma changes all the time 🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

The Education Gap

Trivialization of science (gee whiz)

Dropped from curriculum early

Oversimplified/exaggerated in MSM

Sound bite journalism (aiming at grade 10)

Didactic teaching rather than experience

But, it’s not all bad.

In fact…

Everything is awesome!

We are the Enemy (in part)

There is much scientific outreach in various forms but most

is driven by need for publicity - fund-raising 💰

As a consequence, we use language that competes for

attention (1st of media, then often amplified for public)📰🎥

Is this ethical? Does coating science in hype associate it in

the publics mind with skeptism and doubt? 😱

Word cloud based on four recent press releases for

pancreatic cancer research

Co-association, Distrust & Fatigue

GMOs - Monsanto is evil therefore GMOs are evil

They put DNA in food!😈

There is fraud in science!🙈

Fund-raising for the Cure 🚑

We can’t afford science

Priorities - tough economic times💰

Return on investment 💵

Changing what science is done - we know enough,

just translate

Why are we studying the sex habits of worms? 🐛❤️🐛

🔍 Science is Never Settled

A major problem for communication of science is that science

is a means or method, not an end. The fact that science is a

process that constantly hacks down its own ideas is often

exploited. 🔪

Despite massive volumes of evidence for a model, it can be

dissolved by a single new compelling discovery. 🔬💡

But, not all science is created equal & burden of

veracity is not quantitative, but qualitative.

Vulnerable to false balance, misinterpretation of

meaning of expert criticism; easily subverted by

pseudoscience that lacks structural rigour.

Case Study 1 - Complications of Vaccination

40% of Canadians believe science behind vaccinations

is unclear (Nat Post).

The Toronto Star piece was a major investigative piece by

some of the reporters who reported on Rob Ford, as well as

other health controversies. In this case, they blew it.

The story made the cardinal sin of correlation = causation

A series of heart-rending examples of children being

seriously ill or dying within a few weeks of being immunized

for HPV (Gardasil).

Coupled to survey of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting

System (VAERS)

The story was sprinkled with sentences pointing out no

direct cause had been established but this was buried

within the dramatic reporting.

The Star report was quickly condemned by researchers &

healthcare professionals but damage had been done.

https://storify.com/karengeier/when-teaching-yourself-statistics-is-no-

match-for

https://storify.com/dawnbazely/transcending-the-polarization-of-the-

vaccination-c

The Star public editor spoke against the story & the EiC

admitted it was flawed. Other staff were not convinced.

The Star retracted the article & withdrew it from its

website 15 days after publication (Feb 5 to Feb 20)

This is a remarkable, albeit necessary response, given

newspapers rarely retract stories (even with threat of litigation)

So why was the story retracted?

Canada already lags in HPV vaccinations among girls compared to other

developed countries (50-75%).

The vaccine has been given over 4 million times (that have been studied)

& side-effects are equivalent to placebo.

HPV causes cervical, anal, penile, laryngeal cancers & genital warts (a

new version of the vaccine covers 9 HPV strains, Gardasil and Cervarix

cover the most comon 4).

Reduction in coverage due to erroneous linkage with adverse events

would lead to increased, preventable incidence. The Star realised.

Case Study 2 - Quackademics

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/pseudoscience

-north-whats-happening-to-the-university-of-toronto/

Beth Landau-Halpern - a Toronto homeopath recently caught on camera by the CBC television show

Marketplace selling homepathic “nosodes” to a mother as a substitute for a real vaccine.

Jennifer Yun - naturopath: Drawing upon the disciplines of Traditional Chinese acupuncture,

sacred geometry, the qabbalastic tree of life, the ayurvedic nadi system, and high Qi nutrition,

esoteric acupuncture brings the subtle and finer aspects of Qi (vital energy) into balance.

Bryce Wylde - homeopath and self-described “alternative medicine expert, philanthropist,

television host” who certainly gets significant television exposure, whether it’s his own show or

guest appearances on The Dr. Oz Show.

There are other sources attempting to dispell

myths, especially those propagated by

celebrities

What is wrong with discussing integrative care?

Actually, nothing, but processes/procedures that have no scientific basis

should discussed in the same realm as personal beliefs, etc., not

medicine. ⛪️

Conventional medicine leaves much to be desired, but any attempt to

build on it must be subject to the same standards. Key elements of

holistic care are already incorporated into conventional medicine

(vaccines, social assistance, well being, etc) but are only allowed/paid

for on evidential basis.

When health clashes with faith. Extremely difficult & sensitive topic -

e.g. aboriginal girl with leukaemia - treated at a Florida clinic with no

credentials; Gordie Howe’s miraculous stem cell treatment for stroke.

Education plus standards will help, but we’re fooling ourselves if we think

most vulnerable will not seek alternatives when desperate. 🙏 Hope is

powerful & easily exploited by unscrupulous or misguided.

What about academic freedom? 🎓

Universities should be vessels for discussion and debate without restriction*.

However, the playing field must be fair & appropriate for the “sport”.

Must maintain line between fact (🔬 ) & fiction (🎅) (or content & advertising).

Diversity of opinion is essential but cannot give equal time to views of unequal

rigour.

Must remember that providing unvetted forums confers legitimacy. Very easy

to hide under veil of Freedom of Expression.

*Limits for abuse, incitement, etc.

Moving Forward

What can we do? What are best practices in SciComm?

The internet has been a major factor in enabling quackery and false

information. It is also a powerful tool for neutrilizing.

We often behave as though we’re knights in shining armour. looking/dumbing

down. Don’t patronize! Risk of alienation.

Start young & carry on. Science is inherently interesting. Heck, it’s 😈

amazing (compared to 2 🐺🐺).

Social Media & Science

Inspired by @alexis_Verger:

https://aninfinityofhypotheses.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/a-scientists-account-to-twitter/

Twitter:

To discover (other science) - e.g. TOCs

To promote your science (& that of others)

To connect with others (editors, journalists)

To seize the zeitgeist

To perceive other points of view (essential)

To build a record (diary) - I also use a clip filer

To virtually attend conferences

To sense what is going on (but trends ⧣ importance)

To have fun (no right or wrong way)

Dangers:

Dip in but don’t linger (inherent echoes). Don’t obsess #followers

FWIOTI

Content increasingly polarized - don’t get too comfortable

Don’t post if you can’t drive

Some Science Tweeters

@picardonhealth - Andre Picard

@carlyweeks - Carly Weeks

@juliaoftoronto - Julia Belluz

@katecallen - Kate Allen

@theresaboyle - Theresa Boyle

@helenbranswell - Helen Branswell

@margaretmunroe - Margaret Munroe

@edyong209 - Ed Yong

@ivanoransky - Retraction Watch

@cswa - Canadian Science Writers Association

@badsciencewatch

@evidencenetwork

Journalists/writers Scientists

@mbeisen - Michael Eisen

@dawnbazely - You know who

@timcaulfield - Tom Caulfield

@leonidkruglyak - Leonid Kruglyak

@m_m_campbell Malcolm Campell

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/health-journalism-symposium-tickets-15841563543

Re-Normalize Science

There isn’t a time or place. Communicate constantly. As scientists,

there is no better investment of your time. If you cannot effectively

communicate what you do & why, you should not be a scientist.

We run an outreach program for K-12 which works with 5,000 kids a

year. Main benefit, providing our own trainees with communications

skills.

We fund-raise by asking trainees to present their work to donors - like

Dragons Den (without O’Leary). Winners are usually those with ability

to effectively explain their work.

https://student.societyforscience.org/article/mice-can-teach-us-about-human-

disease

Glossary

Readability

Fun!

This was a taboo topic on mice

in research. Made our comms

people nervous. But if we don’t

educate, the conversation will

be dominated by special

interests (e.g. PETA)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-science-is-so-hard-to-

believe/2015/02/12/2ff8f064-b0a0-11e4-886b-c22184f27c35_story.html

http://tumblr.benlillie.com/post/111131925807/what-gets-called-science-communication

http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/02/13/forty-per-cent-of-canadians-believe-science-

behind-vaccinations-isnt-clear-poll/

http://policyoptions.irpp.org/2015/02/24/homeopathy-and-the-ethics-of-researching-magic/

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/why-dont-people-trust-science

https://aninfinityofhypotheses.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/a-scientists-account-to-twitter/

https://storify.com/karengeier/when-teaching-yourself-statistics-is-no-match-for

https://storify.com/dawnbazely/transcending-the-polarization-of-the-vaccination-c

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/pseudoscience-north-whats-happening-to-the-

university-of-toronto/

https://student.societyforscience.org/article/mice-can-teach-us-about-human-disease

https://drjengunter.wordpress.com

Link Fest