Science Communication in the Era of “Alternative Facts”

Science is at the heart of democracy; it provides the basis for an informed citizenry that can make decisions for the common good. However, confidence in science has waned in some segments of the population, and scientific findings on many pressing societal issues clash with public perception, political agendas, and policy initiatives from both conservative and liberal groups. These discrepancies have been fueled by the rise of social media, which provides a stage for the rapid proliferation of misinformation generated by dubious entities with ulterior motives. In addition, we live in a time of increased polarization and partisan bias, where affirmation of people’s identity and beliefs can supersede rational evaluation of evidence. These troubling developments present challenges for scientists and academic institutions: How do we bolster the trust that diverse publics put into science? How do we best communicate science, especially those that have been exposed to campaigns of misleading information? And, how do we prepare scientists, so they can effectively engage broader audiences to communicate complex concepts and their relevance to everyday life? Tobler reflects on existing grass-roots efforts at K-State that have made progress to advance science communication. These efforts have provided new platforms for interactions between scientists and the public and implemented innovative approaches to infuse science communication skills into the continued education of undergraduates, graduate students, staff, and faculty. He also advocates for K-State to play a leadership role in the development and implementation of novel models that promote science communication. Our country is in desperate need for concentrated efforts to learn from best-practices in science communication that happen at a local scale and develop novel models that effectively address misconceptions about science in mass and social media, especially considering the rapid propagation of “alternative facts”. This should be a priority for K-State in light of its land-grant mission.