Sense about Science

📝Read the full letter here: bit.ly/4aQG2Te

"bowing to external pressure to avoid financial risk neglects their core purpose of generating and sharing knowledge. If Universities don't back their academics, who will?”

"The Libel Reform campaign secured a public interest defence and protections for peer-reviewed science that institutions should be using to challenge spurious lawsuits -"

As Professor Tracey Brown OBE, Director of Sense about Science, said: “Researchers should not be intimidated from publishing good data because they cannot afford to defend their work in court..."

📣Protecting research from legal intimidation.

We’ve co-signed a letter to Keir Starmer calling for universal Anti-#SLAPP protections in the 2026 King’s Speech.

Researchers should not be asked to withdraw sound work because it’s expensive to defend.

Public-good curators like H. Rich Milner IV use information from across disciplines to ensure that new research is high quality. Our new guide with @sagepub.com champions the role of information curators. #PublicGoodCuration
Download the guide bit.ly/3Kemcqn

They'll discuss success stories of public good curation and the pressures that curators currently face when combatting the rapid spread of online mis- and disinformation.

We look forward to sharing insights from the panel in the coming weeks. More info👇
t.co/DjTegXSdA7

Promo tile for "Curators on the front lines of the information wars", as part of AAAS Annual Meeting.

Tomorrow, we will be hosting a panel at the 2026 AAAS Annual Meeting in Phoenix. Our associate Leonor Sierra, will be joined by Michael Meth, Elisabeth Bik, and Rodrigo Pérez Ortega.
@aaas.org @elisabethbik.bsky.social @rpocisv.bsky.social

💡 We’re pleased to be partnering with @wellcometrust.bsky.social and @senseaboutsci.bsky.social to explore how research communication can remain effective amid rising polarisation and scepticism about expertise

Find out more ➡️ www.kcl.ac.uk/news/new-kin...

📢Free talk: Join Professor Michael Mainelli to hear why libraries and archives matter more than ever for trust and knowledge in an AI-driven world #PublicGoodCuration
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/legacy-wee...

2/ "...The good news in my experience is that people continue to want to be engaged and to help to create a better life for themselves and their community if and when asked. We ignore them at our peril." Simon Denegri, Chair of Sense about Science

Times letters: Peter Mandelson’s departure from the political stage Daniel Finkelstein is rightly unsparing about the gravity of Peter Mandelson’s entanglement with Jeffrey Epstein. Yet his article cannot resist a familiar drift

1/ "All eyes may be on the existential threats posed by bots and “strongmen” leaders but some of the wounds to our democracy are being self-inflicted..."
www.thetimes.com/article/d6b4...

Public-good curators like Ivan Oransky give us the whole, verified picture by properly contextualising new information. Our new guide with @sagepub.com champions the role of information curators. #PublicGoodCuration
Download the guide bit.ly/3Kemcqn

Free webinar How researchers can maintain the standards of good science in a world of misinformation The People's Case for Curators February 18, 2026 11am ET | 4pm GMT How to Do Research and Get Published

Join us and @senseaboutsci.bsky.social for a free webinar February 18 at 11 AM ET.

We'll highlight the people who work to the standards of good science, such as librarians and research professionals, and how to make those standards more visible.

Register here: sagepub.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Colorado’s AI Law Pause: What It Means for People Working in Data Science – Real World Data Science As AI regulation wobbles, this piece shows data scientists how today’s policy fights translate into concrete design choices—and how smarter systems can reduce risk while improving quality.

I wrote about Colorado’s AI law offering a look at how AI governance appears in technical workflows. @senseaboutsci.bsky.social's “Responsible Handover of AI” framework is one practical lens on this translation from policy to practice.

Read it here here:
realworlddatascience.net/the-pulse/po...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: How researchers can maintain the standards of good science in a world of misinformation: The People’s Case for Curators. After registering, you will receive... Do you benefit from the work done by information curators? Are you one yourself? Join us to hear more about the essential work done by curators in today’s complex information landscape. Concerns abou...

Do you benefit from information curators – or are you one?

Join a @sagepub.com webinar on Wednesday 18 February at 4pm (GMT), exploring the vital role of curators in today's complex information landscape.

Register here 🔽
bit.ly/49WX5CC

@smclondon.bsky.social @cambridgemaths.bsky.social @alexandrafreeman.bsky.social @mja-uk.bsky.social @absw.bsky.social

🚨Reminder that nominations for the Harding Prize for Trustworthy Communication close on 15 February

Submit your best article, post, video, podcast, website, leaflet, report, or speech of 2025 to enter at:
hardingprize.com

Two prizes of £3,141.59 up for grabs!

Two screenshots from https://aaas.confex.com/aaas/2026/meetingapp.cgi/Session/36582 showing the organizers (left screenshot) and the three panelists (right). left: Curators on the Front Lines of the Information Wars Friday, February 13, 2026 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM MST West 106 - A (Phoenix Convention Center) Registration Type Deluxe Registrant - Live event only Newsroom Registrant - Live event only Organizer H Alfie Hoar Sense about Science, London, United Kingdom Co-Organizer P Nita Pillai Sense about Science, London, United Kingdom Moderator Leonor Sierra Sense about Science, London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom Right: Panelists Librarians As Guides to Good Information Michael Meth, College of Information, Data and Society, San Jose State University, San José, CA West 106 - A (Phoenix Convention Center) Cleaning up Peer Reviewed Information Elisabeth Bik, Harbers Bik LLC, San Francisco, CA West 106 - A (Phoenix Convention Center) Specialist Journalists in the Age of Misinformation Rodrigo Pérez Ortega, Knight Science Journalism Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA West 106 - A (Phoenix Convention Center)

In two weeks, I will be giving a talk at the @aaas.org meeting in Phoenix, AZ, in the session 'Curators on the Front Lines of the Information Wars', organized by @senseaboutsci.bsky.social

With Michael Meth and @rpocisv.bsky.social

aaas.confex.com/aaas/2026/me...

I hope to see you in Phoenix!

See the results of our latest transparency reviews and why missing evidence matters 👇
t.co/AvbGjgMgYr

A political culture where it is the norm that the evidence for any claim or policy be transparently shared when they are announced would be a strong start #ShowYourWorkings

Risk Know-How is exhibiting at the Lloyd's Register building! Come and learn about the initiative, hear from our practitioners and see the future of Risk Know-How; open 9-5 on weekdays from 29 January-3 February. bit.ly/4bgFUwU @lr-foundation.bsky.social

Public-good curators like Megan Janicki remind us that access to information is important, but understanding it is vital. Our new guide with @sagepub.com champions the role of information curators. #PublicGoodCuration
Download the guide bit.ly/3Kemcqn

We all need trustworthy information that isn’t trying to persuade us but to help us make up our own minds.

It’s amazing how rare this is: communication done for the audience’s sake rather than for the communicators’ own purposes.

If you’ve seen a good recent example - nominate it!

Screenshot of an article from The Telegraph with the heading "Police officers were not trained in AI used to ban Maccabi fans"

This story emphasises the urgent need for the Responsible Handover of AI across all public services: it helps non-experts use AI products while being aware of its limitations.

Find out more 👉 senseaboutscience.org/responsible-...

@smclondon.bsky.social @cambridgemaths.bsky.social @mja-uk.bsky.social @absw.bsky.social

📣 Nominations are now open for the #HardingPrize for Trustworthy Communication! 🏆

We’re looking for clear, balanced evidence-based communications that help people make informed
decisions.

Submit your article, video, podcast or post by 15 Feb 2026!
t.co/8iec0BZDcE

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: How researchers can maintain the standards of good science in a world of misinformation: The People’s Case for Curators. After registering, you will receive... Do you benefit from the work done by information curators? Are you one yourself? Join us to hear more about the essential work done by curators in today’s complex information landscape. Concerns abou...

Do you benefit from the work done by information curators? Are you one yourself?

Join a webinar on Wednesday 18 February at 4pm (GMT) to hear more about the essential work done by curators in today’s complex information landscape.

Register here: sagepub.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Ask for Evidence - Sense about Science Ask for Evidence helps you ask the right questions to find out what evidence lies behind health claims, news stories, ads and policies

Remember to #AskForEvidence whenever you encounter health information - online or off.
senseaboutscience.org/ask-for-evid...

Google AI Overviews put people at risk of harm with misleading health advice Exclusive: Inaccurate information presented in summaries, Guardian investigation finds

Misleading medical advice and oversimplifications from AI overviews risk real harm.

🔎Always check trusted, evidence-based sources.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...