Nature Marsilius Visiting Professor Lecture: Why Scientists Should Seek Dialogue with the Media
Press Release No. 65/2024
13 June 2024
Event with Fiona Fox, Nature Marsilius Visiting Professor for Science Communication at Heidelberg University
The role and engagement of scientists in the media is the topic Fiona Fox will explore in a lecture at Ruperto Carola. In this summer semester, the founding director of the Science Media Centre in London (United Kingdom) is the Nature Marsilius Visiting Professor for Science Communication – a joint initiative of Holtzbrinck Berlin, the Klaus Tschira Foundation and Heidelberg University. Fiona Fox argues for using scientific expertise to contribute to a balanced, fact-based media coverage. The lecture, entitled “Toxic Public Debates? Why We Need Scientists to Engage in News More Than Ever” is taking place on Wednesday, 19 June 2024, in the Great Hall of the Old University, starting at 7 p.m.
Fiona Fox emphasis that scientists should be prepared to enter media debates on science even if the subjects have become polarised and toxic. In fact, she will argue that it is more important to hear from scientists when topics have become controversial as has happened on climate change, vaccines, the coronavirus pandemic and AI. In her lecture the current holder of the Nature Marsilius Visiting Professorship will describe how the culture of science has changed for the better over the last 20 years. However Fiona Fox will also warn that this progress must be defended against new obstacles to open communication.
Fiona Fox is the manager and founding director of the Science Media Centre, which since its establishment in 2002 has become an important resource for science journalists in the United Kingdom. She has a degree in journalism and worked for several years in media relations for well-known British organisations, such as the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. For her services to science communication she has received several awards, including the Order of the British Empire. 2022 saw the publication of her book “Beyond the Hype: Inside Science’s Biggest Media Scandals from Climategate to Covid”.
The Nature Marsilius Visiting Professorship for Science Communication is a joint initiative of Holtzbrinck Berlin, the Klaus Tschira Foundation and Heidelberg University. In the context of the professorship, notable experts are invited to the university to hold their own courses at the Marsilius Kolleg on what makes for quality reporting about scientific work and research findings. At the same time, the visiting professors are expected to spark a broad-based discussion about new forms of exchange between academia and the public. The most recent holders of the visiting professorship include Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim, Michele Catanzaro und Martin Enserink.