Public understanding of science: Communicating in the midst of a pandemic

Abstract

While Covid-19 created unprecedented transparency with real-time reporting across the globe, the pandemic’s politically charged environment made public communication of scientific information particularly challenging. Scientists, as authoritative voices, were thrust into the public eye to explain the evidence amid uncertainty, a changing virus, distrust in government and concerns about their self-interest and hidden agendas. Honest communication that provides the public with enough easy-to-understand information to make up their own minds is essential during the pandemic; the public deserves nothing less.