How to counteract disinformation and increase the authority of science: conclusions of the online dialog “Navigating the infodemic: science in the post-truth era” (longread)
On September 30, the Aspen Institute Kyiv and the Science & Society Program of the Aspen Institute (USA) held an online dialogue titled “Navigating the infodemic: Science in the post-truth era.”
Leading Ukrainian and international experts discussed the current state of the fight against science denial, propaganda, and infodemic as it is in Ukraine. The speakers also discussed ways to popularize science in the global context.
Aaron Mertz, Director of the Aspen Institute Science & Society Program at the Aspen Institute (USA), welcomed the participants. He spoke about the launch of the Ukrainian-language version of the documentary series on science and disinformation in the world, created by the Aspen Institute’s Science & Society Program.
“Although we created this documentary series during the pandemic, its themes remain relevant today: disinformation, paranormal phenomena, natural disasters, and climate change. We have recently started translating the series from English into other languages to expand the project’s audience. We are proud that the first language we translated the series into was Ukrainian”.
Yuliya Tychkivska, Executive Director of The Aspen Institute Kyiv, underlined the importance of the dialogue, as professional representatives of the scientific field attended it.
“I believe that science is the basis for the development of every country. We are pleased to invite scientists, journalists, educators, and the public to talk about the role of science in building a society where truth prevails over lies and disinformation. Such a discussion will help launch new initiatives and collaborations.
Nataliya Shulga, Senior Manager of Global Science, Science & Society Program at the Aspen Institute (USA), moderated the conversation. She emphasized the importance of scientific credibility and critical thinking in modern society.
“Each of us faces manipulations, myths, fabrications, and information fakes daily. An ordinary person can feel confused in this stream of lies, losing connection with reality.
What is the place of science in such conditions? How can we develop and apply critical thinking? What can scientists and journalists do? How do we search for the truth, and who is responsible for creating an environment in which the truth prevails over lies? Today, we must discuss these issues to build a society based on reliable information and science”.
Countering disinformation as part of the fight for truth
Yevhen Fedchenko, former Director and now Associate Professor at the Mohyla School of Journalism and editor-in-chief at StopFake, said: “Since 2014, Ukraine has begun to use fact-checking and verification tools to counter disinformation widely.” Yevhen emphasizes that these actions helped Ukrainian society become more resilient to information attacks eight years before the full-scale invasion.
“For us, one of the key tasks was to draw attention to the problem of disinformation at the global level, as well as to help Ukrainians recognize fake news and fight it. Educational initiatives have begun to shape a culture of critical thinking and media literacy.”
One of the main components of Russian disinformation was historical fakes that justified the war against Ukraine. Since 2014, the Russian leadership has been actively spreading distorted facts about Ukrainian history to legitimize the attack on our country.
“Russian propaganda is aimed at reducing support for Ukraine from the international community, especially in countries that are our allies. It is also actively spreading in Africa and Asia, where Russian fakes are used to influence local political decisions,” noted Yevhen Fedchenko.
According to Yevhen, one of the biggest challenges is the impact of disinformation on young people, who are less aware of fact-checking and, therefore, more vulnerable to manipulation.
Lack of trust in science in times of pandemic: challenges and opportunities
The coronavirus pandemic has affected many aspects of life, including the perception of science. According to Olesia Pavlyshyn, Editor-in-Chief at Kunsht Sci Media, research shows that trust in scientific institutions in Ukraine remains low. The issue of science, in general, is often out of the public eye. This creates serious challenges for Ukrainian scientists working in an already complex environment.
“The influence of Russian propaganda, lack of funding for science, and other factors lead to the fact that the problem of distrust in science in Ukraine is deeper than in the Western world. Therefore, one of the key ways to restore this trust is to popularize scientific knowledge through the media. Popular science publications and platforms can play an important role in educating citizens by demonstrating that Ukrainian scientists are doing important work and that their achievements are recognized internationally. We need to give people the feeling that science in a post-truth society is a foundation to rely on,” underlines Olesia.
In addition to projects that popularize science, science media are actively working to increase media literacy among the population. In particular, they are implementing various educational initiatives to teach citizens how to navigate the modern information space.
One of the biggest challenges for media experts was rejecting the idea that Telegram is dangerous. Olesia says that people are used to the convenience of this messenger and, despite the security threats, find it difficult to stop using it.
Disinformation in Western media: causes and consequences
Ilona Sologoub, VoxUkraine Editor, emphasized that in Western countries, news about Ukraine can sometimes be presented from the Russian point of view. To investigate the reasons for this shifted focus, analysts analyzed “Slavic studies” courses at leading American universities. The programs had a considerable bias towards Russian studies, especially in the field of literature.
“There are several explanations for this phenomenon. First, funding: for many years, Russia has invested heavily in education abroad, allowing it to support research programs that represent its interests. Secondly, inertia: educational institutions are often not ready to change established views or revise programs that have existed for decades. Finally, ideology: some teachers may still see the USSR as a “lost communist paradise.”
According to Ilona, since 2022, the situation has begun to change: the number of courses about Ukraine in American universities has increased.
“There is a growing interest in Ukrainian history and culture, and more and more universities are introducing studies on Ukraine. This is partly due to the understanding of the role of Russian propaganda in distorting reality,” Ilona summarized.
Popularizing science and evidence-based medicine among young people: how to talk about complex topics in an easy way
Anna Orekhova, co-founder and project coordinator of the InScience platform, said that the platform implements scientific and popular science projects aimed at engaging different segments of the population, including young people, in the world of science.
“We strive to work with young people to shape their understanding of the world through science from a young age and develop critical thinking. We need scientists to become “rock stars” for young people to look up to,” says Anna.
Anna Orekhova emphasizes the importance of looking for proactive people in different sectors, establishing cooperation, and building horizontal connections.
“We know there are various examples of cooperation between scientists and businesses or the government. Such cooperation can be a key condition for creating an ecosystem that will promote the development of science and its popularization in Ukraine. We need to reinforce each other because there are not enough scientific projects,” says the co-founder of InScience.
The Crisis of Metanarratives and the Challenges of Modern Science
Roman Kobets, Сandidate of Philosophical Sciences and Research Fellow at the H. S. Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, draws attention to the crisis of metanarratives. Romans says that for centuries, science has been the primary source of explanation of processes in the world, and now, it is becoming a “hostage to its success.” Technological progress and access to information have made other sources competitive.
“The decentralization of information sources and the emergence of social media have changed how society thinks about the authority of knowledge. Science, which until recently enjoyed unquestioned authority, now seems to many to be complicated and even uninteresting against the background of simple, emotional content. Adapting science to the TikTok era is a big challenge,” highlights Roman Kobets.
According to Roman Kobets, one of the key ways to preserve the influence of science is to form a pool of scientific speakers who can explain complex phenomena in simple language and make them understandable to the public. Another important step towards preserving the influence of science is the development of critical thinking.
“Critical thinking should be taught at the school or university level. Nowadays, people begin to check information and take a critical view of it only when it needs to be refuted,” he says.
The dialogue participants pointed to a general trend of declining trust in science amid the crisis of meta-narratives, the prevalence of fakes, and growing competition with simple, emotionally charged sources of information, such as social media. The problems of disinformation, insufficient development of critical thinking, and limited government support pose serious challenges. However, popularizing science, engaging young people, developing critical thinking skills, and creating a pool of scientist speakers who can communicate scientific achievements in simple language will help solve this problem. Horizontal cooperation between science, business, and the state is also essential, as it will make science an integral part of public life.
