The workshop for practitioners of science communication will explore a real-life case of how SAPEA communicated the absence of evidence of risk from microplastics to human health after an evidence review report. The case was followed by an academic debate on how to balance reflection and sensation in science communication with a correspondence exchange in the journal Environmental International. Researchers and communicators debated the fine line between raising concerns and not being alarmist, and also on how to communicate absence of evidence, in a context of different audiences and different risks competing for attention.
In an open debate with participants, this workshop will bring together perspectives from researchers and communicators to examine the various criteria, principles and practices that communicators and scientists should consider when communicating risk.
The Future of Science Communication Conference brings together European actors from research and practice of science communication. It is co-organised by Wissenschaft im Dialog, the organization for science communication in Germany, and ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities.
