Beyond the Hype: the inside story of science’s biggest media controversies

2025-04-03

Recorded at the Battle of Ideas festival 2022 on Sunday 16 October at Church House, Westminster. ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION Over the past two decades, there have been enormous controversies around science issues. Genetically modified foods were described as ‘Frankenfoods’ in the press. The ‘Climategate’ email leak created a storm about the honesty and integrity of climate scientists. Then there was the time the government sacked its own science advisor, David Nutt, for challenging drug laws.

Recorded at the Battle of Ideas festival 2022 on Sunday 16 October at Church House, Westminster.

ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION

Over the past two decades, there have been enormous controversies around science issues. Genetically modified foods were described as ‘Frankenfoods’ in the press. The ‘Climategate’ email leak created a storm about the honesty and integrity of climate scientists. Then there was the time the government sacked its own science advisor, David Nutt, for challenging drug laws.

Fiona Fox has been at the centre of all of this. In 2001, she became the founding director of the Science Media Centre, Britain’s independent press office for science. Now she has now written a book, Beyond the Hype: the inside story of science’s biggest media controversies. Published in April 2022, the book is part memoir of the first 20 years of the SMC, part manifesto for change – particularly the urgent need to separate communication of scientific research from government communications.

What can we learn from these furores about science? Who is to blame when science is distorted? How can we foster a better understanding of science, particularly when science is at the centre of big political debates?

SPEAKER
Fiona Fox
chief executive and founding director, Science Media Centre; author, Beyond The Hype: the inside story on science's biggest controversies

CHAIR
Max Sanderson
editor of weekly podcasts, Guardian

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