Other

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

The Compass v2 Podcast

The Compass

Documentaries

Factual: Life Stories

With ideas too big for a single episode, The Compass presents mini-series about society

Surprising stories from unusual places. With ideas too big for a single episode, The Compass presents mini-series about the environment and politics, culture and society.

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

The Compass: The Public Misunderstanding of Science: Toxic debates

Factual

Toxic debates

20/10/2021 GMT

The Public Misunderstanding of Science

BBC World Service - The Compass, The Public Misunderstanding of Science, Toxic debates

How do conspiracy theories take root and what can be done to combat them?

Across Europe, activists fearful of 5G technology have attacked phone masts. Science journalist and former BBC Science correspondent Sue Nelson teams up with science reporter Hidde Boersma in the Netherlands to find out how conspiracy theories take root and what can be done to combat them. She also hears how scientists can improve their communication and what they have learnt from debates around climate change.

(Photo: Protesters march against 5G technology in 2019, The Hague, Netherlands. Credit: Michel Porro/Getty Images)

The Compass: The Public Misunderstanding of Science

Why have so many people given up on science?

Anti-vaxxers, flat Earthers, 5G arsonists and climate change deniers – why have so many people given up on science and where are governments, scientists and the media going wrong?

Although surveys reveal scientists are trusted – with many taking centre stage during the Covid-19 pandemic – science is often perceived as the domain of ‘experts’, the process of science is misunderstood, and scientific evidence is likened to belief.

To investigate how we can build a more scientifically literate planet – and why that might be a good idea – science journalist and former BBC Science Correspondent, Sue Nelson, teams-up with reporters in Sierra Leone, the Netherlands, and the United States.

We discover how drama and music are being used in the fight against Ebola, how space can help transform science education and why regret is a powerful weapon during vaccination campaigns. Sue also hears why science communication sometimes fails, how issues like climate change have become politicised, discovers how to reason with conspiracy theorists and why it’s perfectly okay to maintain a healthy scepticism about scientific and technological advance.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Compass

The Public Misunderstanding of Science

Toxic debates

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

About BBC World Service