Scientists under attack

This week it's been reported that University of Auckland scientists Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles and Professor Sean Hendy have taken a case to the Employment Relations Authority. They're claiming that their employer - the university - hasn't done enough to protect them from attack by people upset with their science communication and public comment on COVID-related issues. They describe their attackers as “a small but venomous sector of the public”.

The authority has agreed to expedite their cases, which seems sensible given the potential danger they face.

Wiles and Hendy have argued that part of their roles is to publicise their work, for which we should be thankful. Their work has directly influenced the government response to the pandemic.

The university has argued that they should address safety concerns by keeping public comment to a minimum. This seems unreasonable and a bit of a cop-out. The university has previously asked them to comment publicly in their role as employees and for the Prime Minister's Office. It would seem that the university is happy to receive the positive benefits of the publicity without having to be responsible for any undesirable outcomes.

Siouxsie's written up her experience in The Guardian.

Siouxsie and Sean aren't alone. Professor Michael Baker, from the University of Otago, has also reported abuse, as detailed in the Otago Daily Times (thanks to David Crook for providing the article).

An interesting point in that article is that scientists and academics who've chosen to limit their comment to only their areas of academic expertise have been subject to less abuse - sort of limiting the attack surface, so to speak. But still, that article makes the point that the abuse has a chilling effect - that previously communicative scientists and academics are withdrawing from public comment - something which is pretty scary given our collective dependence on scientific literacy.

Commenting publicly is something we all benefit from and academics should be able to do this without suffering abuse or having to be worried for their personal safety.