Beyond the hype

Do you remember the 'Climategate' email leak? Or the 'Frankenfoods'- style headlines about the perils of GM foods? What about the time the government sacked its own science advisor for challenging drug laws? We rely on the media to help us make sense of complicated scientific developments that could transform our world. Yet in the past, media coverage was often less fact than fiction, while scientists frequently either avoided engaging with the press or were actively prevented from doing so. The result? Media hype, political spin and misinformation from those with vested interests. The Science Media Centre was set up by scientists to change this, encouraging openness and accuracy in science communication. Founding director Fiona Fox has had a front row seat at the major scientific media controversies of the past twenty years and takes us through each crisis, from Climategate to Covid, showing us what happened, how things have changed and why we still need to defend openness as a crucial principle. With interest in public health at an all-time high, these gripping dispatches from the frontlines of science are essential reading for everyone.