Stopping Misinformation: Scientists and Medical Professionals are Important Players in Communicating Reliable Information
In a highly complex information ecosystem, news travels fast. Whether it’s dispersed through traditional news publications, social media, or fringe outlets, the news can get warped. That’s why communicators are trying to find the best ways to share their messaging accurately and promptly.
“A lot of communication of risk is about communicating uncertainty. All knowledge is partial knowledge, and all science is tentative,” says K. “Vish” Viswanath, Program Director of Applied Risk Communication for the 21st Century and Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “But how do you communicate that to different publics when you want them to take specific actions?”
In a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Viswanath looks at the origins and impacts of misinformation and explains why scientists and medical professionals are important players in communicating reliable information.
What Types of Science Knowledge are We Trying to Share When we Communicate Risk?
Viswanath notes that there are two kinds of scientific knowledge. The first is settled science, which is composed of well-established knowledge. The type of messaging around settled science is stable and changes slowly over time.
“For example, we know lead in water pipes or windows in houses can be dangerous and could potentially lead to adverse cognitive impacts on children,” Viswanath explains.
The second is unsettled science, which applies to situations like COVID-19, where the knowledge is relatively new. The causes and risk factors may change, and the accompanying recommendations also shift.
“That knowledge is evolving,” says Viswanath. “At that point, communicating certain risks becomes a little bit more challenging.”
As a result, unsettled science can lead to significant frustration among people who question why authority figures are frequently changing their ideas about risk factors and the recommendations on how to deal with the disease. While these changes are due to the rapid way science changes, they can leave the public feeling disillusioned.
Why Has Risk Communication Become More Challenging in this Contemporary Information Ecosystem?
It’s not just social media that plays a role in the delicate ecosystem of information. Viswanath notes that popular culture is an important factor in the interpretation of science and risk and has a significant impact. And with the constant onslaught of information that people face, it’s likely overwhelming. When you consider the diverse range of sources of information, which can include everything from movies and celebrities to faith-based organizations and family members, the situation is even more complex.
Viswanath’s research also identifies a large number of reasons misinformation spreads, as well as some potential intervention points regarding how to properly intervene.
Who Needs to Further Their Knowledge?
Specifically designed for professionals who are hoping to gain a greater knowledge of when to intervene to promote more accurate risk information and the diverse ways of going about it, Applied Risk Communication for the 21st Century pulls from diverse career paths.
“The organizations are a very wide range, but the commonality is that they’re all broadly in the risk communication area,” says Viswanath.
Some of these career paths include:
- Professionals who already practice risk communications
- Center for Disease Control employees
- Federal agency employees
- Food and Drug Administration employees
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission employees
- State Health Commission employees involved in regulatory risk communication
- Policymakers
- Senior executives
Viswanath notes that while some professionals who sign up for the course are already practicing risk communication, others simply feel they should be informed about risk communication because they work in a leadership position and know they should have a greater understanding of communicating risk.
“Where do you intervene to promote more accurate risk information?” Vish notes. “And what are some ways of doing it?”
Individuals in trusted professional roles need to be equipped with the proper training and education to manage risk communication. However, with the proper training, these professionals have the skills to design effective risk communication messages and increase trust in their organization.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health offers Applied Risk Communication for the 21st Century, which provides state-of-the-art knowledge on designing effective risk communication messages to improve communication, increase trust in your organization, reduce public anxiety about an issue, and help key stakeholders make better decisions.
