+- Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum (https://www.scivillage.com)
+-- Forum: Science (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-61.html)
+--- Forum: Ergonomics, Statistics & Logistics (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-78.html)
+--- Thread: Research Suffered attacks: More than half of researchers who communicate science in the media (/thread-16993.html)
Suffered attacks: More than half of researchers who communicate science in the media - C C - Dec 11, 2024
More than half of researchers who communicate science in the media in Spain say they suffered attacks, according to a FECYT survey
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1067914
EXCERPTS: The report "Experiences of researchers who interact with the media and social networks in Spain" collects and analyses data from a survey—the first survey of its kind in Spain—which aims to analyse the experiences of scientists who spoke to the media about science in the last five years.
The report, carried out by FECYT's Science Media Centre Spain (SMC) in collaboration with the Gureiker research group at the University of the Basque Country, examines the habits of scientists when it comes to engagement with the media, as well as the benefits and obstacles they perceive. It also analyses the personal and professional consequences of negative experiences; the coping mechanisms scientists use and the response they say they receive from their institutions.
[...] One of the study’s main takeaways is that, overall, scientists have a positive or very positive perception of their participation in the media (83.12%). Getting their message across is the main benefit for them, and the opportunity for their studies to have greater visibility and impact is also a motivating factor for more than half of those surveyed.
In terms of obstacles, fear of misrepresentation of their message is the main barrier cited by scientists. Respondents say they have mainly been involved in the production of news content, and less so in talk shows, where opinion plays a big role. 79.71% of respondents have participated in videos for websites and social networks in the last five years; and 66.50% in podcast interviews, two formats that are gaining importance.
However, the results show that scientists involved in science communication activities also face a hostile reality. 51.05% of survey respondents say they suffered an attack after communicating science. The incidence is higher for women: 56.86% of female scientists surveyed report having suffered such attacks compared to 46.21% of male scientists.
Insults (30.38%), comments about their professional capacity (28.69%) and opinions about their professional integrity (17.72%) are the most frequent attacks suffered by researchers who communicate about science. They are followed by comments about researchers’ origin, ethnicity, ideology, religion or beliefs (13.50%), intense and repetitive contact (10.97%), comments about their physical appearance (4.64%), publication of personal data (2.95%) and comments about their sexual orientation or gender identity (2.53%). Some also report being threatened with physical and sexual violence (2.11%), as well as death threats (1.69%).
The data show different patterns according to gender. For example, more than one in three female researchers (34.31%) say they have received comments about their scientific ability, with a difference of more than 10 percentage points compared to men (24.24%). Meanwhile, men receive significantly more comments on their professional integrity.
The most frequently harassed respondents are those who communicate about environmental and health issues... (MORE - missing details, no ads)