Scientific Dissent is an online news platform for specialist investigative journalism, and curated content, on dissent in science.
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Scientific Dissent was born of necessity, in response to critical gaps in news coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a clear need for medical investigative journalism, written for a public audience, that scrutinised the practice of medicine from a clinical perspective, rather than the business of medicine from a general perspective. There was no appetite for the former among news editors, while the latter was well covered. But if there was ever a time for probing questions that are informed by a deep understanding of the science, research and practice of medicine, it is when millions of people are gravely ill with a novel disease. The cost of getting it wrong has never been higher, and, in the chaos of a pandemic, getting it wrong has never been more likely.
And why stop at medicine? Science is central to more than one global crisis. There is important dissent among climate change experts too – as there is in most fields of science. Scientific Dissent investigates credible arguments and plausible hypotheses that challenge the prevailing view. In an era awash with denialism, pseudoscience, and conspiracy theories on the one hand, and polemics, vested interests, and politicised debate on the other hand, there needs to be a home for dissenting expert opinion – that is accessible to the public.
UNESCO defines investigative journalism as: “The unveiling of matters that are concealed either deliberately by someone in a position of power, or accidentally, behind a chaotic mass of facts and circumstances – and the analysis and exposure of all relevant facts to the public.” Scientific Dissent aims to order the chaos of the news media’s too hard basket. The current website is a humble beginning, but from little things big things grow.
Would you like to support our work? Every little bit helps, and we’ve made it quick and easy for you. We currently have no funding: all efforts thus far have been volunteer, in service of the public’s right to know. Click below to help us along.