Please read the following article from Smithsonian.com linked below. I have also linked a follow up article that may help with some background information. Questions below (a blog response).
Canadian Scientists Explain Exactly
How Their Government Silenced Science
What is the public's role in ensuring that correct and factual scientific information is available to the general public AND the governing bodies that set regulations and laws?
What is the public's role in holding governing bodies accountable in the use of current factual scientific data in making decisions?
You must be post a response/comment no later than Sunday 2/12 by 11:59 pm
The Issues of Muzzling Science
If any of you missed portions of the video, you can watch it here/link below
Super Battery Nova
Although I believe that science communication should befall on the scientists themselves, it is also up to the general public to make sure the scientists have the means to do so and are giving sound science. In the Canadian scientists' position, they did not have the means to engage in science communication. Things like public speaking, conferences, convections, and media are essential to the spread of scientific knowledge to the public. They were held back from attending conferences, and were censored if they did, could not easily communicate with reporters, were censored on media outlets, and even faced budget cuts. This is where the public needs to step in. Sending letters to your local congressmen, making and signing petitions, donating to organizations that deal with the issues, these are steps that the public can do. This is a reactive method, a proactive method would have been employing your power as an individual and voting for people that believe in science, support funding for it, and a free press to access their findings.
ReplyDeleteHaving information without the means to use it is useless. A government should make ample use of the scientific information they have accumulated from their funding, however, as is again the issue in Canada, the scientists were censored. Having elected officials that support the use of scientific findings is the easiest way about making sure science is used. When this doesn't happen, declaring ones opinion on the issues by sending your opinion in the form of calls, emails, letters to current officials, petitioning for scientific use and supporting science groups. The best way to make sure science is being used and the science is factual, is to be proactive. Vote for officials who back scientific funding, support scientific groups, read articles on science and show interest. Seemingly insignificant things add up when a whole population does them.
" it is also up to the general public to make sure the scientists have the means to do so and are giving sound science."
DeleteGreat point Nash. They must have the voice, the support, and be accountable.
Over the past decade, and especially over the past year-the media has become one of the quickest resources for information. However, that does not mean that it is always the most reliable. When it comes to the scientific process, people want to know the ultimate outcome. They are not interested in hearing about the process or constant updates. And so the media has sensationalized and summarized from the limited information they were given. A pattern that I believe was conditioned into their production habits, as a result of "muzzling" and a way to keep up their ratings. Fortunately though, we as the public can change such a mindset. Rather than seek out instant information we can choose to seek out accurate information. Information that has been repeated and remained unchanged-much like a witness testimony. Because the truth does not change. And it is also in our power to petition and vote for legislation that expands our freedom of press. A right we often forget we have.
ReplyDeleteThe best way to ensure that governing bodies are accountable for current scientific data is to simply elect people who care. Often times the people with the most power are people who have done nothing more than worked their way up the latter, only to be handed a subject or assignment that is no different than their last. Therefore, by electing officials who are higher up on the political food chain-we can enact change at a higher level.
The public's role in getting factual, accurate information for everyone is a change in habits. People need to seek out accurate, unbiased information that hasn't been changed or taken out of context. The public needs to seek out and donate to unbiased news sources and encourage accurate news. We can also start conversation about more accurate news and try to prompt government to stop muzzling by writing letters and donate to those helping our cause.
ReplyDeleteThe use of current, factual sources of information is crucial to making decisions. A governing body has to be properly informed from all perspectives so as to make the right choice. The public needs to keep closer watch on the government and it's decisions to determine if they are the best ones based on the information. The public should contact government officials if they believe that a choice was not in everyone's best interest and cite facts and sources that contribute to the argument. We can also elect more fair government officials by voting for the people who don't just try to appeal to emotion but use examples and policies to help their campaign.
Using factual evidence to support a claim facilitates sound science. Good job.
Delete"The public should contact government officials if they believe that a choice was not in everyone's best interest and cite facts and sources that contribute to the argument."
I feel the general public should do everything they can to make sure the correct, factual scientific information available to the general public. Our scientists are finding valuable facts about how our climate is changing. However, most of the general public don’t know how bad things are because they don’t have factual evidence. This comes from the fact that our scientists are so heavily censored. To try and quiet our scientist, the government defunds their programs in hopes of keeping the scientific facts a secret. I believe that as society, our role is to show support for the scientific programs geared towards environmental issues. To help with the budget cuts these programs are receiving from the government, citizens can make donations to help the programs stay alive and continue to find factual scientific information on our environment in hopes that soon they will be able to share their findings.
ReplyDeleteGovernment officials need to use current factual scientific data to help form decision regarding things like environment. Climate change is a very prevalent problem, yet many officials aren’t doing anything to help slow the changes. Through different scientific projects, scientists have found ways to lessen our impact on the climate. Instead of using this scientific data, many government officials believe it isn’t real. Society’s role is helping this scientific data be used is by electing effective government officials. Citizens need to choose officials who won’t ignore factual scientific evidence. By choosing officials who don’t silence scientific findings and embrace the data found, decisions would be made based off facts not opinions.
With the rise in popularity of the media as a “legitimate” news source, people have become quick to assume most everything they see in the media is factual information. What we see from media is often just part of a whole. In order to ensure that correct and factual scientific information is available to the general public, we need to seek out information from reliable news sources, question everything we see in the media, and commend news sources that put out legitimate stories, and not just segments of those stories, but the whole story. To ensure that correct and factual information is available to our governing bodies, we need to make sure that organizations have the funding necessary to carry out scientific research. We also need to make sure to elect officials who will be honest about scientific findings and share them with the public, not just dismiss them as “hoaxes”.
ReplyDeleteThe public's role in holding governing bodies accountable in the use of current factual scientific data in making decisions is incredibly important. One of the most pressing problems we face today is climate change, yet many of our elected officials are dismissive of the problem, even with the excessive amount of scientific data available to prove that without action, there will be serious problems. The public needs to elect officials that will make environmental issues a priority, and if our elected officials aren’t doing enough, we need to express our disdain to them in the form of letters, calls, in-person visits, etc. Supporting environmental research organizations by making donations and volunteering is also very important in holding governing bodies accountable.
The general public is not fully aware of the climate changes that are currently happening around the world, that is why the government including the scientists doing the research need to announce and share the information that they have gathered to have a population that iss well informed on how we are affecting the climate etc. Media is a very popular source that can be used to spread this information, but the only problem is that there are some biased views that can cause the general public to see information that is false and believe it, that is why there must be valid and authorized information that is easily understood and found by the public so there will be change because people's opinions will be expressed. One problem is that the government partially doesn’t want the public to be too informed about these climate issues so they are defunding scientists and not doing anything to make their work conditions more tolerable, but if the general public became more aware of this they/we will be able to donate more money and demand for more freedom of press.
ReplyDeleteThe public’s role is to elect governing bodies that are aware of the issues that our scientists are discovering and care enough to do something about it and to put our tax money to good use. Therefore the public should educate themselves on the issues at hand as well so they can be able to voice their opinions to the government as well as making sure the science behind the information is factual. Without the public there would be no real change involving this prevailing and detrimental climate issue, and that is why citizens need to be able to read about all of the scientific findings in able to improve these environmental issues.
Since media is one of the biggest sources for the public to receive information about what they want, information that isn't bias or inaccurate. The public find the accurate information to disperse to others who seek the same factual info. Signing petitions or sending letters proposing the cause to the congressmen to help stop muzzling.
ReplyDeleteThe public's role in holding governing bodies accountable in the use of current factual scientific data in making decisions is having government officials that pay attention to facts and sources that contribute to accurate scientific data and findings. The public can also reach government officials if they support that a choice was not in favor for everyone else.
In order to ensure that the latest and most accurate scientific information is being published by a credible source, the public must demand it. The information can’t and won’t show up out of its own free will, there needs to be some public desire that pushes the research. The public can also have a role in ensuring that the scientific community has the utmost support and backing they are able to receive from their government. This can be done by staying politically active on a local and federal level. Voting for and financially supporting candidates that have an interest in environmental protection and scientific research are two steps that can be taken by the public to ensure that this sort of information is being published. If the elected office seems to be going against their wills they may go a step further by calling representative and encouraging them to vote in favor of bills supporting the scientific community and against those that have the potential to harm them. The same steps can be applied to ensure that the data collected by the scientific community is used responsibly.
ReplyDeleteThe public’s role in making scientific information available is to actively pursue it. Why would any government agency or independent scientific group ensure their scientific information is available to the public if nobody wanted to see it? By wanting to have information available and to continue to encourage factual information to be accessible, the public is able to play an effective role in continuing scientifically sound practices. As we saw in the article about Canada, the public clearly showed their desire for public information by either holding protests about muzzling scientists and having the simple conversation about why scientists should be able to publicly state findings. The public’s desire for information led to action and restoring scientist’s ability to speak freely about factual information. This information is critical to governing bodies that set regulations and law, because those types of policies are often based on scientific data. For example; without factual scientific data how are public officials supposed to set regulations on carbon emissions. When governing bodies use data as a foundation of policy making it is the job of the public to ensure that this data is correct. A public official who is knowingly using false information is not going to call himself out and say he’s lying. That is why it is the role of the general public and non-government affiliated scientific organizations to speak up when false information is presented as the basis of policy making. This can lead to finding those who choose not to use factual information and through the process of reelection will hopefully remove them from their position in the government and replace them with someone who understands the importance of using authentic scientific data.
ReplyDelete"A public official who is knowingly using false information is not going to call himself out and say he’s lying. That is why it is the role of the general public and non-government affiliated scientific organizations to speak up when false information is presented as the basis of policy making."
DeleteI like the idea of putting the ownership on the public, but how do we make sure the public understands or has the correct information. How do we make sure that the non government affiliated organizations are using the data correctly?
The best way for the public to ensure accurate scientific information is by simply expressing the importance of it. This requires the public to push for an unchanged, unbiased, and honest narrative. Through means of activism, local and state-wide, the people can have a strong impact on the way the government performs. This activism can be informational, by spreading their voice in the form of letters to local congressmen, or by inviting others to keep the government accountable. As far as media goes, the public should support those who bring accurate reporting forward.
ReplyDeleteIn order to hold the government accountable, the public must make their position known. They need to make sure that the government knows how important these issues are to the public, as well as the importance of an unbiased narrative. By showing that they are active and aware, the government is pushed to take action. Again, these issues can be pushed through to the government by being involved in the process. It all starts with those who are in office, so the public must voice their opinion through their vote. Once in office, it is the public's responsibility to maintain communication with those elected. If the public fails to make their concerns known, we have no way of maintaining the use of factual and transparent scientific evidence.
It is my opinion that as citizens, we have the responsibility to seek out honest, reliable, accountable, and unbiased news sources, and express our desire for the most current and credible information. It is important that when such outlets are found, we openly support and commend them, share them with peers, and continue to patronize them. If we don’t express our desire and show our support for such news sources, they won’t exist. It’s also crucial to make sure that our press has all of the freedom that it is constitutionally promised and we need to work toward continually expanding that freedom so that accurate information can continue to be provided to the public as well as to the governing bodies that help to set regulations and laws. It’s also important that we make sure that organizations conducting groundbreaking scientific research have the resources and finances they need to continue making new discoveries and studying the effects of our civilization on the environment. We can do this by donating, voting, or even expressing our concerns by writing letters to government officials.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of holding governing bodies accountable in using current and factual scientific evidence in the decision making process, the public simply needs to express the importance of the media, specifically unbiased, accurate, and up to date reporting. The only way that the government will take any steps forward in increasing access to reliable news media outlets is if the public pushes for it. If we all just sit back and pretend like we don’t care, nothing is going to be accomplished because no one will be holding the government accountable. On the other hand, if we all support unbiased and truthful outlets, in ways big or small, it will be noticed, and governing bodies will be compelled to comply with this relatively simple request of the general public.
Throughout the years, the media has become the main source of easy, accessible knowledge. Therefore, the media companies compose their articles to appeal to their specific audience because the readers of a particular news source basically pay the salaries of the news companies. Thus, as the public, we must ensure that we are constantly demanding accurate and truthful accounts of scientific information. As long as there is a demand for honest scientific work, the media will find a way to provide it to the people. The public’s tax dollars pays for the federal scientists therefore their work must not be lost or unaccounted for.
ReplyDeleteTo make governing bodies accountable in the use of current factual scientific data, we must ensure that we elect governing bodies that represent educated ideals. We must work diligently to ensure that elected officials do not have monetary ties to fossil fuels or other dangers of climate change because they will never vote or advocate to end climate change because they make money off of the suffering of others and the environment.
"we must ensure that we elect governing bodies that represent educated ideals."
DeleteI like this. It is hard to fit bias in to educated ideals.
Ensuring that correct and factual information is available to the public and the governing bodies that need it starts with how we consume our information. As people who take in mass amounts of information from media outlets, we have to try to find out which ones are the most truthful and least bias. We have to be able to see all sides of arguments regarding scientific areas of study to stray away from diametric thinking. By doing this, we can support which information is truthful and actually beneficial for the public as a whole, and the government agencies that can use this information to improve the environment.
ReplyDeleteAs for holding governing bodies responsible, it requires nearly the same process. Currently in America, we don't have an administration that stands for the ideals we look for in terms of sound science. That's why it is so important for people, especially those in a democracy where they are active participants in the government, to make their opinions known. We must make sure that the government in Washington has the best ideals that represent us, so it is very important for us to be more active in the government.
We, the public must stress the importance of accurate information and then actively pursue it. We are flooded with the extremes, both good and bad. Our job is to figure out what media sources are the most correct and factual, not just broadcasting the extremes but also everything in between. Often the information we are seeking is not the information that we agree with, but this search requires us to use diametric thinking, looking at both sides of an issue. Without acknowledging the other side we cannot accurately locate the factual information we are seeking. We have freedom of press, we can use that, petition and vote to make sure we receive the data from the governing bodies.
ReplyDeleteThe best way that the public can hold governing bodies accountable is to be active and knowledgeable when voting for a person or a piece of legislation. We would want to vote for someone who cares for the environment and values sound science. We must make our voices heard through he people that represent us in office.
With the growing popularity of social media as a news outlet, the public's role is to ensure that the information that they are reading is true, not what they want to believe is true. Many people have a tendency to look for information that agrees with what they believe, rather than what is actually true. This is a habit that people need to break in order to ensure that everyone is receiving reliable information.
ReplyDeleteThe governing bodies' roles are to set regulations and laws that are best for the environment, while also being economically smart about their choice. While there are many options to fix the environmental issues that the world is facing, many of these solutions are very costly. If the government is to keep scientific findings to themselves, it is the public's responsibility to have trust that the government will do the right thing in dealing with the information.
The public's role in holding governing bodies accountable in the use of current factual scientific data in making decisions is to pay attention to the choices that governments are making. Also, we have the ability to elect our government officials, which means we have the power to elect people who we know will make the best choices with the information they are given.
"Because we live in a democracy we have the right to tell politicians and congressmen and women that if they are not using accurate and modern scientific data to influence their decisions or we believe them to be muzzling scientists, then we have the right to remind them with the reality of their situation, that if you won’t sate our needs, we will vote for somebody else next term that will comply with them."
DeleteGood straight-forward insight.
It is the public's natural duty to actively pursue and explore "real news". The popular activity that people are partaking in nowadays is to believe everything you read-without question. It is important for the public to weed out biased sources and to find news establishments that are committed to spreading the truth rather than political agendas. I think a serious challenge that our nation is going to have to face is the legitimacy of facts that are given to the public. We are accustomed to assuming that what we read is exactly true or exaggerated and it makes it difficult to ascertain what is real and what is fiction. It is also the public's duty to voice who they want to see represent them in government. It is the government who makes laws and regulations that interact with the environment and of course the people, so it's important for the public to voice who they want on their side.
ReplyDeleteI think that government records that contain facts and figures regarding the environment should be open and transparent to the public. The apparent 'muzzle' on scientists should be lifted and the public should have the right to have uncensored information that comes directly from the scientists- not filtered amongst government agencies.
The public must seek out factual scientific information by widening their view of the world. We’ve gotten especially comfortable reading news that we want to hear instead of actively seeking out alternative sources that show an opposing viewpoint, even if it’s the truth. If we don’t use diametric thinking when seeking out information and keep blatantly disagreeing with any opinion that differs from our own we will never truly change. As long as we have the first amendment to ensure freedom of the press, then we can make change and hold our elected officials accountable when they ignore the public majority.
ReplyDeleteIf the public truly wants to hold the government accountable for making decisions based on sound science, then we have to start caring just as much as the people we elect. Too often it seems that we elect officials that we trust to make the right decision, and then leave them unchecked to do what they want. Once elected, we need to keep in constant contact with the people in our government so that we can make our opinions heard. Even the officials we trust the most can make decisions we don’t like.
In an ideal world, the government would not have the power to decide what government scientists can and cannot convey to the general public. Unfortunately, political motivation results in far to much restriction over scientific research. That is why freedom of the press, and the promotion of sound science are more important now then before. The public must have the ability to recognize fact from fiction when reading an article, or watching a news program. Since the public cannot trust the government to release proper information regarding scientific research, it's up to the public to actively seek out and promote accurate and factual scientific information, through means such as using reliable news sources, and protesting censorship of media, a clear violation of free speech.
ReplyDeleteThe people must hold the government accountable when the government tries to decide whether sound science is released. Large, non-violent protests, are a great way to raise media awareness about an issue such as this. Another way to hold the government accountable, is to ensure that the officials you elected to represent you, are actively advocating on your behalf.
I do believe that a big part of science and the process of relaying information is up to the scientists themselves, because the general public didn't discover the findings, they did. We can't really be sure what is correct. I do believe that the public should challenge everything. All information given to us should be challenged, and I don't mean challenged by reacting negatively towards the information, but challenged as in asking how and why. When a study comes out, people should be asking how the study was done, what they think of the results, why those results happened, why they conducted the study, etc. It is the public's job because everything the government does is in theory for the public. They need the approval of the people. If the people don't want something, it won't happen. So if the people of America question and learn, then they can help sway what scientific studies are done and how accurate the results given to us are.
ReplyDeleteThe government's role in giving us sound science is more important, because more can be done. In my opinion, the government should attempt to regulate what is said on television and the media and general. Too many people in the media are able to just blatantly lie, a great example is our PRESIDENT. The government's role in all of this is to stop people from lying or bending data. People should only be allowed to speak the truth otherwise they should be thrown in jail. Having a middleman blatantly trimming data to help politics is ridiculous. I understand that this is a hard thing to do, but it is necessarry.