Science Ethics Ep. 3 -
Trust and Transparency
Host: Mittweida University of Applied Sciences
- Scientific Conversations, Student Sessions
- English
In this episode, students at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences explore the current state of science communication in relation to truth and transparency.
With Trump’s election and the Brexit referendum in 2016 the term ‘Post-truth’ became popularized. A concept, in which emotions and personal believe win over objective facts.
Our students discuss various reasons for post-truth behaviour, obstacles for science communicators and different dimensions to consider when communicating science nowadays. Eventually, David Kaldewey, Professor for Science Studies and Politics at University Bonn, reveals possible ways for science communication to be effective.
The podcast was produced by the students Tiziana Bohlinger, Leonie Buschmann, Lydia Klemm, Katsiaryna Piatrushkina and Luise Piotrowski.
Enjoy listening:
Sources:
- Bero, L. A. (2005). Tobacco Industry Manipulation of Research. Public Health Reports (1974-), 120(2), 200–208. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20056773
- Haynes, R. D. (2014). Whatever happened to the ‘mad, bad’ scientist? Overturning the stereotype. Public Understanding of Science, 25(1), 31-44. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662514535689
- Intemann, K. (2023). Science communication and public trust in science. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 48(2), 350–365. https://doi.org/10.1080/03080188.2022.2152244
- Intemann, K. (2024). Value transparency and promoting warranted trust in science communication. Synthese, 203(2), 42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-023-04471-1
- Kaldewey, D. (2025). Die Krise der Faktizität, revisited: Wissenschaftsskepsis und Wissenschaftskommunikation im Kontext der COVID-19-Pandemie. Österreichische Zeitschrift Für Soziologie, 50(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11614-025-00601-w
- Rousseau, J. (2021). Challenges to Science Communication in a Post-Truth World. Communication, 47(2), 122–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2021.1959363
- Van der Meer, T. G. L. A., & Hameleers, M. (2025). Science and the crisis of trust. Current Opinion in Psychology, 67, 102202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102202
- O’Callaghan (2020): Postpolitics and Post-Truth. International Encyclopedia of Human Geography (Second Editon), 339-345. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102295-5.10683-3
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