A Dutch microbiologist tweeted a one-sentence summary of an antiviral drugs study hours after its release. Her tweet sparked a wide-ranging debate online
A Swiss-based researcher gives daily explanations on scientific research and says ‘dismantling nonsense takes 10 times more energy than spreading it’
Agence France-Presse Published 29 May, 2020
Scientists, academics and institutes aren’t just fighting the coronavirus – they’re fighting misinformation, too. Photo: AFP
With cat photos and sometimes scathing irony, Mathieu Rebeaud – a Swiss-based researcher in biochemistry – has nearly tripled his Twitter following since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Rebeaud, who now has more than 14,000 followers, posts almost daily explanations of the latest scientific research on the virus. In particular, he aims to fight misinformation that spreads as fast as the virus itself.
He is among a growing number of doctors, academics and institutions who in recent weeks have adapted their scientific messaging in hopes of countering what has been termed
an infodemic – a deluge of information, including widespread false claims, which experts say can pose a serious threat to public health.
To cut through the noise, however, it is vital to work quickly and maximise social media engagement to get simple prevention messages across to the public, according to researchers and specialists.
Mathieu Rebeaud is a Swiss-based researcher in biochemistry on Twitter. Photo: Mathieu M.J.E. Rebeaud @Damkyan_Omega
“In the case of the Covid-19 pandemic, conspiracy theories provide complete, simple, seemingly rationalistic and watertight explanations,” Kinga Polynczuk-Alenius, a University of Helsinki researcher, said.
“This is in stark contrast to the available scientific knowledge – complex, fragmented, changeable and contested – and to the actions of political decision-makers and state authorities, which appear haphazard and self-contradictory,” she added.
In February, British medical journal The Lancet warned that “the rapid dissemination of trustworthy information” was needed most during a period of uncertainty. This includes transparent identification of cases, data sharing and unhampered communication, as well as peer-reviewed research, it said.
Rigorous and time-heavy scientific studies and publications, however, compete with the immediacy of social media and a public often demanding firm, definitive answers.
“How do we communicate in this context of radical uncertainty?” asked Mikael Chambru, a scientific communication specialist at France’s University of Grenoble Alpes.
Kinga Polynczuk-Alenius is a University of Helsinki researcher.
Jean-Francois Chambon, a doctor and director of communications at the Pasteur Institute in Paris in France, said he had no choice but to forcefully deny a widely shared video in March accusing the institution of having “created” the new coronavirus.
“We must go to any lengths” to debunk the lies, he said. The institute created a web page dedicated to educating the public about the virus, he said. “We realised that there was a lot of ‘fake news’ on the subject.”
The Pasteur Institute currently has a combined 16,000 new subscribers a month on its social media networks, he said, compared with 4,000 before the pandemic.
Jean-Francois Chambon is a doctor and director of communications at the Pasteur Institute in Paris in France.
Jean-Gabriel Ganascia, chairman of the ethics committee at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research, agreed that the scientific community must counter-attack in such situations. “We don’t have a choice.”
Earlier this month, humanitarian organisation the Red Cross launched what it said was the first global network of social media influencers to battle misinformation and spread life-saving content about the pandemic.
The World Health Organisation, meanwhile, has entered into an agreement with Facebook to send information directly to users through personal message services.
Jean-Gabriel Ganascia is chairman of the ethics committee at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research.
But it is often individual doctors and researchers who can have a strong influence online.
Dutch microbiologist Elisabeth Bik tweeted a one-sentence summary of
a vast study on the effects of antiviral drugs chloroquine and
hydroxychloroquine last week, just hours after its release.
Her tweet – “Each drug combination was associated with *lower* survival and more ventricular arrhythmias.” – sparked a lively and wide-ranging debate online.
Scientists involved in the debate want to forge a “culture of science” among the public to help them understand what they hear and read, Chambru said.
Rather than simply imposing the view of a leading authority without any explanation, they aim to help people understand how science works – including the need for studies to abide by rules and standards, he added.
“The position of authority would be extremely unpopular with the public,” Ganascia agreed.
Elisabeth Bik is a Dutch microbiologist.
Rebeaud, the biochemistry researcher popular on Twitter, said he was much less present on social media before the pandemic but had felt drawn to defend science.
The battle feels unbalanced, said the researcher, who works at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.
“Dismantling nonsense takes 10 times more energy than spreading it,” he said, agreeing with the findings of a 2018 study by the magazine Science which noted that “lies spread faster than the truth”.
Some scientists have called for a review of science education so that the public is less permeable to false information.
Information campaigns “cannot be perceived as an exclusive antidote to fight fake news”, Italian communications researcher Mafalda Sandrini said.
Kinga Polynczuk-Alenius is a University of Helsinki researcher.
Jean-Francois Chambon, a doctor and director of communications at the Pasteur Institute in Paris in France, said he had no choice but to forcefully deny a widely shared video in March accusing the institution of having “created” the new coronavirus.
“We must go to any lengths” to debunk the lies, he said. The institute created a web page dedicated to educating the public about the virus, he said. “We realised that there was a lot of ‘fake news’ on the subject.”
The Pasteur Institute currently has a combined 16,000 new subscribers a month on its social media networks, he said, compared with 4,000 before the pandemic.
Jean-Francois Chambon is a doctor and director of communications at the Pasteur Institute in Paris in France.
Jean-Gabriel Ganascia, chairman of the ethics committee at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research, agreed that the scientific community must counter-attack in such situations. “We don’t have a choice.”
Earlier this month, humanitarian organisation the Red Cross launched what it said was the first global network of social media influencers to battle misinformation and spread life-saving content about the pandemic.
The World Health Organisation, meanwhile, has entered into an agreement with Facebook to send information directly to users through personal message services.
Jean-Gabriel Ganascia is chairman of the ethics committee at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research.
But it is often individual doctors and researchers who can have a strong influence online.
Dutch microbiologist Elisabeth Bik tweeted a one-sentence summary of
a vast study on the effects of antiviral drugs chloroquine and
hydroxychloroquine last week, just hours after its release.
Her tweet – “Each drug combination was associated with *lower* survival and more ventricular arrhythmias.” – sparked a lively and wide-ranging debate online.
Scientists involved in the debate want to forge a “culture of science” among the public to help them understand what they hear and read, Chambru said.
Rather than simply imposing the view of a leading authority without any explanation, they aim to help people understand how science works – including the need for studies to abide by rules and standards, he added.
“The position of authority would be extremely unpopular with the public,” Ganascia agreed.
Elisabeth Bik is a Dutch microbiologist.
Rebeaud, the biochemistry researcher popular on Twitter, said he was much less present on social media before the pandemic but had felt drawn to defend science.
The battle feels unbalanced, said the researcher, who works at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.
“Dismantling nonsense takes 10 times more energy than spreading it,” he said, agreeing with the findings of a 2018 study by the magazine Science which noted that “lies spread faster than the truth”.
Some scientists have called for a review of science education so that the public is less permeable to false information.
Information campaigns “cannot be perceived as an exclusive antidote to fight fake news”, Italian communications researcher Mafalda Sandrini said.
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