Category Archives: Uncategorized
Preface to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication
Written on July 19, 2017 at 17:05, by Matthew Nisbet
July 19, 2017 — Because of the complexity and urgency of climate change, efforts to understand the problem’s social, cultural, and political dimensions must stretch beyond the environmental sciences and economics to be truly multi-disciplinary. To this end, over the past two decades, a growing community of scholars have focused on the factors that influence public Continue Reading »
The March for Science: Partisan protests put public trust in scientists at risk
Written on May 1, 2017 at 15:48, by Matthew Nisbet
May 1, 2017– On April 22, thousands of scientists and their supporters gathered in Washington, D.C., and at more than 600 other locations across the world to participate in the March for Science. Pegged to Earth Day, protesters voiced their opposition to proposed federal cuts to funding for scientific research and the planned rollback of Continue Reading »
Models of knowledge-based journalism: Brokering knowledge, dialogue, and policy ideas
Written on April 1, 2017 at 13:23, by Matthew Nisbet
April 1, 2017— In 2013’s Informing the News, the eminent journalism scholar Thomas Patterson comprehensively reviewed the evidence in support of the well-worn criticisms of our contemporary news system. Journalists too often: give equal weight to accurate representations and faulty facts and flawed opinions, focus on conflict and strategy over substance, and favor personalities, dramatic Continue Reading »
To survive the Trump years, scientists need to invest in social change strategies
Written on January 1, 2017 at 20:50, by Matthew Nisbet
January 1, 2017 —As newly elected president Donald Trump takes office, the scientific community faces the likelihood not only of unprecedented cuts in government funding for research, but also of bold new attacks on scientific expertise as a basis for policy making and decisions. Trump campaigned on a pledge to eliminate as much as $100 million Continue Reading »
The superbug crisis: False beliefs about antibiotics are a global threat
Written on January 1, 2017 at 15:21, by Matthew Nisbet
January 1, 2017 — As millions of Americans visit their health care providers this winter complaining of a cold, surveys suggest that one in four will be expecting their provider to prescribe them an antibiotic, falsely believing that the antibiotic will help them recover more quickly from the virus (Watkins et al. 2015). The demand Continue Reading »
Winning the Vaccine War: Focus on local communities and avoid denigrating parents
Written on November 1, 2016 at 15:32, by Matthew Nisbet
November 1, 2016 — Since the 1960s, high rates of childhood vaccination in the United States have led to dramatic declines in cases of polio; measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR); chicken pox; and other diseases. The benefits to society have been overwhelming. Over the past two decades alone, vaccines have prevented an estimated 322 million Continue Reading »