Credit: Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
As misinformation surges through social media platforms and fake news websites, topics such as covid-19 vaccinations and the climate crisis continue to be widely spread with false stories and of conspiracy theories. Fueled by misguided individuals and conspiracy theorists, they perpetuate misinformation as truth, generating content that creates significant engagement and reach. In fact, a study conducted last year by New York University and Université Grenoble Alpes found that misinformation on Facebook receives six times more attention than factual posts.
Additionally, recent coverage of prominent artists Neil Young and Joni Mitchell boycotting Spotify in protest at its streaming of the controversial Joe Rogan podcast, criticized for spreading anti-vaccination messages, also reminds us of how influential misinformation has become. .
Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to tackle it, but different industries are coming together to do their part, from artists taking a public stand against partisan influencers, from social media companies removing fake content from their platforms to journalists and academics collaborating on news reporting. make it clearer, more factual and impartial.
But, while removing misleading content is key to reducing reach and engagement, amplifying the truth to counter it has never been more important.
Importance of collaborating with academics
Although misinformation is hitting journalism hard, eroding trust in traditional reporting and undermining the credibility of journalists, the industry is seeing a slight increase in trust. This is partly due to increased collaborations with the academic community.
59% of global consumers think academic experts are the most credible spokespersons, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer. Search by The conversation shows that when it comes to climate change, the majority of UK consumers (67%) trust academics as a source of information.
While universities and scholars are at the heart of the UK’s thriving research sector, journalists benefit from regular dialogue with academics, both for expert analysis and stories straight from the research. .
Together, journalists and scholars create a powerful partnership that amplifies the truth by making news reporting insightful, factual and unbiased.
Build a strong partnership
Often the challenge of getting journalists to work with academics is that they speak different languages and operate on different time scales. Journalists now want clear and unambiguous answers. Academics want to be specific, nuanced, and wait for the data to be ready and peer-reviewed.
But there are a few simple steps they can take to build a strong partnership:
- Before deciding who to approach, journalists and academics should start by doing their homework to see who is writing or researching in their field. What content, viewpoints or research resonate with them?
- Successful collaboration is also more than just one-time interaction. Journalists and scholars need to invest time in building trust and respect in order to build a strong relationship and collaborate on multiple stories.
- But more importantly, both must understand and respect each other’s roles, skills, and ways of working. While a journalist brings a spirit of quick storytelling and investigation, academics have deep subject knowledge and expertise with an analytical mind, preferring a slower, more in-depth approach.
Amplifying the truth about net zero
The conversation recently collaborated with academics James Dyke (University of Exeter), Wolfgang Knorr (University of Lund) and Robert Watson (University of East Anglia) to publish the article: Climatologists: the concept of net zero is a dangerous trap.
This story clearly and devastatingly explains the problems inherent in the idea of net zero and why it is an actively dangerous concept. It was released on Earth Day 2021 in partnership with Apple News and ran their app homepage on day one of their “Earth Day Every Day” series for over 12 hours. The article has been read over 500,000 times on Apple News, over 250,000 times on The conversation and continues to receive hundreds of views every day. This has created significant debate over the idea that net zero might be dangerous, while dispelling any net zero myths. The story has been picked up by countless news outlets and social media influencers around the world. Greta Thunberg also retweeted the article.
It is one of the most important and informative texts I have ever read on the climate and ecological crises. It’s quite long, but worth every second of reading. Please repost and share as much as possible.
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) April 24, 2021
Overall, these are strong, clear, and reliable partnerships between journalists and scholars that create insightful, fact-based reporting with an unbiased perspective. These are all essential ingredients for truthful storytelling. By focusing our efforts on building more successful partnerships, we can strengthen our approach to news reporting and significantly increase our amplification of truth.
Only then will we have a chance to drown out enough false stories and misleading messages to start winning the fight against misinformation.
Chris Waiting is the Managing Director of The conversation. He previously held senior positions at the BBC and more recently at the Associated Press. He holds an MA from Cambridge University and an MBA from London Business School.
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