Speaker
Description
Public trust in science is fracturing along partisan lines—a gap that has widened dramatically over the past two decades. This polarization is not simply a misinformation problem to be solved by better fact-checking. Algorithmically curated platforms sort audiences by ideology, reinforce existing beliefs, and undermine shared deliberation. Drawing on recent research, this talk examines why traditional deficit-model approaches to science communication are failing in these new information ecologies, and outlines an evidence-based agenda for engaging diverse publics that acknowledges the role of values and meets audiences where they are.
About:
Dietram A. Scheufele is an Investigator and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the Morgridge Institute for Research and a Distinguished Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center. His most recent work has focused on mis- and disinformation, open science, and the societal impacts of emerging technologies like AI and human brain organoids.
He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the German National Academy of Science and Engineering, and a fellow of the American Academy of Political & Social Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the International Communication Association.
