More than half of scientists (51%) claim to have suffered an attack after communicating about science in the media, a circumstance that occurs more frequently in women (57%) than in men (46%). These are data from a report made by the Science Media Center Spain (SMC) of the FECYT, in collaboration with the Gureiker research group, of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) in which 237 researchers have participated.
According to this work, which has analyzed the relationship with the media and social networks of experts from March 2022 to July 2024, social network X (formerly Twitter) is the most common scenario for attacks, ranging from insults ( 30.38%) to comments about their professional capacity (28.69%) and opinions about professional integrity (17.72%).
Several previous reports had focused on these types of experiences. A survey conducted by the magazine Nature among 300 experts, for example, indicated that around 60% of them received some type of harassment and abuse on social networks during the pandemic, while 38% of the scientists surveyed by the magazine Science They reported having been harassed for reporting on Covid-19.
We wanted to analyze the incidence and the different types of negative experiences, as well as know what type of consequences they have and the support they receive
Maider Eizmendi Iraola
— UPV/EHU researcher and scientific director of the survey
“The topic is relevant, even more so when there is more and more talk about misinformation and the need for expert sources to participate when preparing the news,” he says. Maider Eizmendi Iraolaresearcher at the UPV/EHU and scientific director of the survey. “We wanted to analyze the incidence and the different types of negative experiences, as well as know what type of consequences they have and the type of support they receive from the institutions in which they work,” he describes.
Gender stereotypes
Among the most worrying aspects, Eizmendi emphasizes, are gender differences, since the weight of sexist stereotypes is clearly observed when judging the work of experts. “Women suffer more comments about their physical appearance and also about their professional capacity,” she says. In this specific section, the difference between men and women is very striking, more than 10 points: 34% for women compared to 24% for men.
Men are assumed to have a scientific ability that is not yet recognized in women, which is why they receive more comments regarding their ability.
Maider Eizmendi Iraola
— UPV/EHU researcher and scientific director of the survey
“Men are assumed to have a scientific capacity that is not yet recognized in women and for this reason they receive more comments regarding their capacity,” highlights Eizmendi Iraola. “And in the case of men, since this scientific capacity is assumed, they are attacked more with respect to their professional integrity.”
The survey was mostly formulated through closed questions, but scientists had the opportunity to express their experience on certain issues. “I have felt worse when other professionals have criticized the lack of depth in the content disclosed, trying to diminish my capacity as a scientist,” says one of the researchers. “The most frequent negative comments were insults to my physique or my ability as a scientist,” says another.
The most frequent negative comments were insults to my physique or my ability as a scientist, says a researcher
“In my case I suffered an amazing attack, hatred and contempt when I contradicted him on Twitter a statement by Pablo Motos about the cerebral hemispheres“, remember Conchi Lilloa neuroscientist at the University of Salamanca (USAL) who did not participate in this report. “The way of attack was how was I going to know more than Motos about the brain.”
“They have even told me that I was where I was because I had slept with my thesis director,” he says. Clara Grimamathematician and popularizer from the University of Seville (US). “Another common attack when they gave me an award was to say that I was the female quota, which is something I keep hearing.”
They have even told me that I was a mathematician and that I was where I was because I had slept with my thesis director.
Clara Grima
— Mathematician and popularizer from the University of Seville (US)
The percentage of scientists who suffer from anxiety or other psychological problems or personal insecurity after these attacks is also significant, highlights the director of the SMC study, especially in the case of women (25% of them compared to 21% of men). they).
“Regarding the measures they adopt when they suffer any of these negative experiences, the majority choose to act when it comes to social networks, either by reporting or blocking accounts, deleting, making their profiles private or stopping reading the comments they receive. ”, he points out. “The percentage of researchers who ask for help is relatively low and women are, in this case, those who choose this option in a greater proportion.”
An opportunity with risks
In general terms, the majority of the scientists surveyed have a positive or very positive perception about their participation in the media (83.12%) and the main benefit it brings them is getting their message to society, along with the opportunity for their studies to have greater visibility and impact.
As for obstacles, scientists’ main fear of the media is the possibility that their message will be distorted. The greatest harassment is received by people who communicate about environmental and health issues: 74.19% of the people surveyed who communicated about covid-19 received attacks compared to 53.33% among those who communicated about climate change.
More support in science communication
The researchers surveyed consider that institutions should encourage and support their communication work and request training and information from institutions on science communication in order to avoid negative experiences. They also ask for protection mechanisms against attacks and the involvement of institutions or companies.
The authors of the report hope that the conclusions will be useful to generate support resources in science communication in the face of possible dissuasive experiences, especially at a time when the participation of research personnel in these communication activities is encouraged as part of their career.
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