VICE News | June 17, 2021
Even though the letter was meant to spark discussion among the scientific community, the discourse quickly spread to the general public. This outcome should have been foreseen, said Matthew Kavanagh, a global health professor and the director of the Global Health Policy and Politics Initiative at Georgetown University. Moreover, claims that it’s possible for this conversation to take place in an apolitical vacuum are “naive to an extent that’s dangerous,” he said.
“Scientists need to act with a level of political sophistication that is not necessary in most of their communications with each other, and that’s really hard and not what science communication is equipped for,” he said