Words Matter: Reflective Science Communication and Tradeoffs in Environmental Health Research

Scientists who communicate societally relevant information face challenging contexts in which misinformation, disinformation, hype, and spin are prevalent. As a result, they often face difficult decisions about how to frame their work in a socially responsible manner.

Drawing from the literature on science communication and framing, we identify tradeoffs that environmental health scientists face when deciding how to communicate their work, and we propose strategies for handling these tradeoffs. We use research on the human health effects of environmental endocrine disruptors as a case study to illustrate these challenges and strategies.

We examine four major frames (i.e., ways of packaging information that draw attention to facets of an issue or topic) in discussions of the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on sexual and neural development and obesity. We show how these frames can be beneficial (e.g., focusing public attention on environmental health threats and promoting actions to address environmental pollution) while simultaneously having harmful effects (e.g., contributing to stigmatization of particular groups or the promotion of harmful political ideologies).

Researchers who seek to responsibly communicate societally relevant work can employ several strategies to mitigate difficult tradeoffs, including a) striving for sensitivity to the social context and its relationship to their framing choices, b) choosing to avoid some frames, c) employing frames that alleviate ethical tensions, d) fostering education to alleviate harms, e) developing interdisciplinary and community collaborations, and f) working with institutions like scientific societies and journals to develop guidance on responsible communication practices. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP14527.