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Alice Fleerackers (she/her)

@fleerackers.bsky.social
862 followers 503 following 403 posts

Writer, researcher, terrible social media user | Assistant Prof @uvahumanities.bsky.social & VP of @pcstnetwork.bsky.social | studying journalism, #scholcomm & #scicomm | she/her

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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
📣 📣 📣 The deadline for call for proposals for the 2027 @pcstnetwork.bsky.social conference is coming up! 📣 📣 📣 We welcome submissions from #scicomm scholars, practitioners, trainers, artists—anyone working to bridge science and society. Submit before Oct 19: www.pcst2027.com/pdfs/PCST202...
Screenshot of PCST 2027 call for submissions document. Includes conference title "Science Communication for a Shared Future: Engage, Empower, Enlighten".
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Happy #openscience week! Join me tonight for this important conversation about inequities, open science, and the global scholarly publishing landscape
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
How do science journalists amplify existing inequities in academia? And what can they do to counteract them? Join me for this free public event on #openscience and global inequities on sep 15 at @uva.nl (Roeterseiland). studentinitiativeopenscience.wordpress.com/2026/09/01/n... #scicomm #DEI
studentinitiativeopenscience.wordpress.com
National Open Science Week
Open Science Beyond Borders Join us for talks by academic researchers from UvA and abroad on global access, diversity, and inequalities in research, followed by a Q & A session. Darsha Indrajit…
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Reposted by Alice Fleerackers (she/her)
Juan Pablo Alperin @juancommander.scholcommlab.ca · 03/08/2026
1/ In 2024, I filed a false claims act lawsuit against Elsevier, Springer, Wiley & Informa alleging they systematically overcharged US federal grants for article processing. The gov declined to intervene and now it's public. Some thoughts on what this is, and what it isn't:
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Very excited about this new study! Through interviews with staff managing moderation at 10+ preprint surveys, we peel back the layers on who gets to contribute via preprints—and what gets considered "legitimate" science. #openscience #preprints
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Just a couple more weeks to fill in our survey! If you are a journalist covering science-related topics (even just occasionally) we'd love to hear from you. No knowledge or experience with (open) peer review required! All perspectives welcome.
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Such a pleasure to speak with INCT-CPCT about our latest research on how journalists can hold science to account in an age of research fraud, data fabrication, unethical AI use, and more. Check out the video (with Portuguese subs!) below 👇 Study with @hermida.bsky.social An Nguyen & Ivan Oransky
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Reposted by Alice Fleerackers (she/her)
Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 02/07/2026
Watchdog science journalism "has arguably never been more important, but also never more under threat." That's from a just-published paper by @fleerackers.bsky.social, An Nguyen, Alfred Hermida, and our Ivan Oransky.
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Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Brian Owens @scibri.com · 07/07/2026
@fleerackers.bsky.social and her colleagues are studying how open peer review can help science journalists in their work. If you are a journalist who covers science, health, or environmental issues you can help by completing their 5-minute survey here: uva.fra1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
uva.fra1.qualtrics.com
Science Journalism and Open Peer Review
Are you a journalist who reports on health, science, or climate/environmental issues? We welcome you to fill out this 5-min survey about your perceptions of peer review.
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Just out! Our paper on watchdog science journalism examines how journalists hold researchers to account in a world of fraud, plagiarism, paper mills, problematic GenAI use and more. Check out the article (open access) at the link below 👇👇👇 #scicomm #journalism
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
We are studying how open peer review can help science journalists in their work. If you cover health, science, or environmental issues (even occasionally) we invite you to complete this 5-minute survey: uva.fra1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... Please share widely! It's available in 10 languages 🌍💚📊
Are you a journalist who covers science, health, or environmental issues? We want to hear from you!
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Reposted by Alice Fleerackers (she/her)
Mario Malički @mariomalicki.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Are you a journalist who covers science, health, or environmental issues? We want to hear from you! We are researching how open peer review can help science journalists in their work. We invite you to complete our 5-minute survey here: uva.fra1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
We are studying how open peer review can help science journalists in their work. If you cover health, science, or environmental issues (even occasionally) we invite you to complete this 5-minute survey: uva.fra1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... Please share widely! It's available in 10 languages 🌍💚📊
Are you a journalist who covers science, health, or environmental issues? We want to hear from you!
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
"Astrology makes you feel like everything’s okay, that you are in the right place in the right time" Almost 10 years ago, I wrote a story on the role of horoscopes in our lives. If you share my shameless love of astrology, you can now check out the piece online here: www.sadmag.ca/blog/2026/5/...
sadmag.ca
SAD Again: Star Struck — SAD Mag
If you have ever looked to the stars for advice— perhaps even watched one too many ‘this is what your star sign says about you’ videos, like me– you are bound to take something from Alice Fleerackers’...
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Pleasure to share our research on public desire to learn about preliminary science at #FOR2026 Check out the slides: www.canva.com/design/DAHH2... #openscience #scicomm #scholcomm
Janise and Alice stand in front of their slide titled "Open Research and Public Engagement: What Citizens want to know about preliminary and evolving science"
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Big thanks to @jacksonwryan.com for writing this thoughtful, reflective piece on how #preprint servers are balancing principles of integrity and inclusion in moderation practices. Research led by @nataschachtena.bsky.social Story: www.nature.com/articles/d41... #openscience #scholcomm
Screenshot of news story with title "Why preprint servers are increasing moderation — and what that means for researchers"
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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Preprint Moderators "Moderation is neither a neutral checkpoint nor a simplified version of peer review, but a site where epistemic and institutional judgments converge in shaping what becomes admissible as early-stage scientific communication" doi.org/10.31222/osf...
As preprint servers proliferate across scientific fields, moderation has emerged as a lightly structured form of gatekeeping that precedes—or bypasses—peer review. This article examines moderation as a site of precautionary valuation and boundary-making in the early circulation of research. Drawing on interviews with 14 individuals responsible for screening and oversight across 13 preprint servers, we analyze both the evaluative logics that organize moderation and the ways moderators themselves understand and frame their work. We find that credibility is enacted through precaution-driven threshold judgments—centering harm, trust, and community expectations—which determine whether a submission can responsibly circulate as scholarship. While moderators often reject the label of “gatekeeper,” our findings show that their work performs a subtle but consequential filtering that shapes what and who enters the scholarly record—even as servers work to distance these decisions from the domain of peer review. By tracing how precautionary judgments and boundary-making structure decisions about what enters circulation at the preprint stage, we contribute to STS debates on valuation, peer review, and the governance of scholarly communication in open science.
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The Open Notebook @theopennotebook.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Journalists can’t control the narratives others spin from their stories, but they can ensure their reporting provides an accurate picture of the issue at hand. A guide from @cathleenogrady.bsky.social, with @richvn.bsky.social, @manuelansede.bsky.social, @fleerackers.bsky.social and others. 🧪
theopennotebook.com
Reporting on Flaws in Science in an Era of Mistrust - The Open Notebook
Science journalism that reports on flaws in the scientific process operates in a fraught environment, with attacks on science and scientists worldwide and increasing concern about public mistrust in s...
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Home is not just a place, it is also a process. In my latest for @nautil.us, I dig into the psychology of one of our most basic needs: feeling at home. What does "home" really mean? How do we build that sense of belonging? And how does it impact our wellbeing? Read it: nautil.us/home-really-...
nautil.us
Home Really Is Where the Heart Is
Home Really Is Where the Heart Is: It’s an idea we create over time that gets imprinted in the brain
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Pleasure to be a part of this important story — a must read for critical science journalists.
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Please help spread the word! We are looking for freelancers to participate in an interview for our research project "Engaging citizens with sustainable solutions." If you fit the bill, or know someone who does, please read on (details in 🧵👇) #envirocomm #scicomm
Poster with the University of Amsterdam logo and the text "Are you a freelance journalist who covers climate change in the Netherlands? We'd love to hear from you"
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Call for presentations: If you're planning to be at #ICA2026 and are interested in #scicomm, please join us for this exciting preconference! Details below 👇👇👇
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Only a week to go before our webinar on "watchdog science journalism"! Will we see you there?
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Come join us for a discussion of how science journalists can act as watchdogs of the research sphere! #scicomm #journalism
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Such a pleasure to speak with INCT-CPCT about our recent research on how science journalists navigate predatory publishing study w/ @juancommander.scholcommlab.ca & @lauramoorhead.bsky.social available here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
“I’d Like to Think I’d Be Able to Spot One”: How Journalists Navigate Predatory Journals
Predatory journals—or journals that prioritize profits over editorial and publication best practices—are becoming more common, raising concerns about the integrity of the scholarly record. Such jou...
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Reposted by Alice Fleerackers (she/her)
CWTS | Leiden University @cwts.nl · 08/10/2025
🗣️Join our colleagues @loubezuidenhout.bsky.social & @kathleen-gregory.bsky.social for an 'unconferenced style' workshop on strengthening #OpenScience against geopolitical pressures. 📅Thursday 6 November 2025 09:00-18:30 (CET) 📌Leiden NL (in person only) 👉 www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/20...
universiteitleiden.nl
Resilience in times of crisis: Strengthening Open Science against geopolitical pressures
The success of the Open Science movement relies on research products and infrastructures being open, accessible and sustainably curated. Recent global events, however, have illustrated the vulnerabili...
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Great opportunity to work with a vibrant and international team, and to make a difference for #openscience and public knowledge.
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Curious about our new study on journalists and predatory publishing, but don't want to read a 15 page academic paper? @journoresource.bsky.social just wrote a great little summary and what the findings mean for #scolcomm, #openscience & journalism journalistsresource.org/home/study-s...
journalistsresource.org
Study sheds light on journalists’ knowledge of predatory journals - The Journalist's Resource
In-depth interviews with health and science journalists reveal that most believed predatory journals are a problem for their peers, or a problem in theory, but not a problem they would ever fall for t...
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
If you're in Amsterdam and interested in digital media (or just want to leave your house on Monday), come say hi at this FREE event. @markdeuze.bsky.social , Toni Pape & I will be talking about the weird and sometimes wonderful nature of living life online. voxpop.uva.nl/en/content/e...
Poster advertising "Pub Talk," including illustration of a face and a bunch of digital devices and phones and details of the event: Speakers: Prof Mark Deuze, Dr Alice Fleerackers, Dr Toni Pape When/where: Sep 30, 16:30-18:30, Vox-Pop
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
🐕 🐕 🐕 REMINDER 🐕 🐕 🐕 The deadline to submit an abstract to our special issue on "Journalism as a Science Watchdog" is just a couple of weeks away (October 15). We are really looking forward to reading your submissions!
lnkd.in
Next Issues | Media and Communication | Alice Fleerackers
⭐⭐⭐ Call for Abstracts: Journalism as a Science Watchdog: Theories, Practices, and Implications ⭐⭐⭐ Hi everyone! If you are studying investigative #journalism, #scicomm, or a related field, we would...
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Interested in researching how journalists experience and grapple with emotions? And how nature retreats might help them better manage the impacts of covering evolving crises? Come work at the @uvahumanities.bsky.social with the wonderful @johana.bsky.social 👇👇👇
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Reflecting on this thread, I am laughing at the extreme irony of the glaring capitalization error in the title of our paper 😂 Definitely a sign our research is not to be trusted.
Title of the paper "i'd like to think I'd be able to spot one": How journalists navigate predatory journals. The first "I'd" in the title is not capitalized.
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Have you ever heard of predatory journals? Our new study—published this week in Journalism Practice—suggests many science journalists haven't. When they were familiar with predatory journals, most said they weren't worried, confident they'd "be able to spot one if they saw one." Details in 🧵👇
Screenshot of journal article titled "I'd like to think I'd be able to spot one": How journalists navigate predatory journals

Authors: Alice Fleerackers, Laura Moorhead, Juan Pablo Alperin
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
Grateful to see our work on Watchdog Science Journalism featured in @epstoa.bsky.social Reminder if you're a researcher interested in this space, our special issue for Media and Communication is accepting submissions till October 1! www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcomm...
cogitatiopress.com
Future Issues | Media and Communication
Media and Communication is an international peer-reviewed open access journal dedicated to a wide variety of basic and applied research in communication and its related fields.
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
New study — out today in Journalism Practice! In it, we analyze the qualities of a news story (about climate-related emergencies) that predict whether/how much it is shared/engaged with on Facebook and republished by other media outlets.
Screenshot of journal article titled Amplifying the News: An Analysis of the Factors Driving Republication and Facebook Engagement with News.
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
#PCST2025 folks interested in science journalism, investigative journalism, and/or research integrity, join us at 10:30 am in Conference Suite 2B for an international panel on "Watchdog Science Journalism" Featuring the fabulous An Nguyen, @riedlinm.bsky.social & @gracidade.bsky.social !
Slide with a blue watchdog on it and the words "Watchdog science journalism: Tensions and opportunities for critical science engagement"
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Reposted by Alice Fleerackers (she/her)
Global Investigative Journalism Network @gijn.org · 02/05/2025
💻 Gathering Evidence & Documents in Conflict & War Zones: A #MENA Case Study 🗓️ May 6 ⌚️10 AM EDT In this GIJN webinar, an expert panel will explore how investigative journalists can document human rights abuses in war zones, with a focus on methods. twp.ai/9PR9qG
twp.ai
gijn.org
GIJN Webinar: Gathering Evidence and Documents in Conflict and War Zones — A MENA Case Study
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Esteban Morales @estebanmorales.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
An incredibly important resource for scholars studying violence and harms, among many other critical topics. Thanks to @alicetiara.bsky.social for leading this effort.
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
"public engagement and participation are predominantly framed as a way to build public trust—and thus maintain science’s cultural power and authority—rather than incorporate citizens’ unique perspectives" Our new study examines how policies address #EDI and public #scicomm in #openscience 👇👇👇
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Hannes Cools @hannescools.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Als ik dan vraag wat die bot ervaren maakt, antwoordt die: "Als Dr. Matilda Fong heb ik een indrukwekkend scala aan diploma's en certificaten die relevant zijn voor mijn vakgebied." 🫠🆘 Ik kan me dus voorstellen dat mensen (bv ook met lagere geletterdheid) hier wel makkelijk in meegaan #drGoogle
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Great opportunity to work with an amazing group of scholars on an important project. Feel free to ping me if you have questions about the lab's work (but note I have nothing to do with this project). #openscience #scholcomm #peerreview
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
What does it take to make a #scicomm event inclusive—for the audience AND speakers? In next week's @pcstnetwork.bsky.social webinar, @riedlinm.bsky.social @nicbennett.bsky.social Luz Helena & Thilina Heenatigala @nepologia.bsky.social will share their tips! www.pcst.network/webinars/upc...
On a light purple background, flyer for: Inclusive event facilitation: challenges, best practices, and opportunities April 28, 2025 8 - 9pm EST
From webinars and panels, to workshops and festivals-effective science communication often involves facilitating conversations with diverse individuals. But how do you ensure those conversations are welcoming and accessible to both speakers and participants?
In this PCST webinar, four international panelists will share opportunities and best practices for inclusive science communication event facilitation. Moderator: Ana Claudia Nepote (she/her), Member of the PCST Network's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
Committee and Associate Professor at National Autonomous University of Mexico Panellists: - Luz Helena Oviedo Villegas (she/her), Head of Community Engagement at Parque Explora - Thilina Heenatigala (he/him), Assistant Professor and Director of
Communications, Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) -Nic Bennet (they/them), Postdoctoral Researcher with the Scicomm Identities Project at Michigan State University - Michelle Riedlinger (she/her), Associate Professor, Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland
University of Technology Link to register in post
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NeFCA @nefca.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
🚀 Postdoctoral Job Opportunities within our community! 🚀 🔎 University of Antwerp: AI, media, and society. More info: shorturl.at/4mA2k 📆 Deadline: April 22, 2025 🔎 University of Amsterdam: Bias in AI face classification models. More info: shorturl.at/0tipG 📆 Deadline: April 14, 2025
shorturl.at
Post-doctoral candidate AI, media and society | Universiteit Antwerpen
YUFE vacature
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Ugh.
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Niels G. Mede @nielsmede.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Open #postdoc position in #science #communication at @ikmz.bsky.social – one that I fully and genuinely recommend. I've worked 6+ years in this team, and it's these very colleagues, NB @mss7676.bsky.social, and the exceptional research conditions that make me sad to leave #IKMZ soon 🙏 ➡️ t.uzh.ch/1PM
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 07/04/2025
thank you Elon and DOGE! what the world definitely needs is unchecked drug resistant gonorrhea
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Interesting. But is shifting academic reward systems away from citation metrics to "AI-driven analytics" as metrics of #openscience the answer? More and different metrics is not the answer to our obsession with metrics. Even (& maybe especially) when those metrics are controlled by AI. #scolcomm
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
PCST is an amazing organization and being part of the scientific committee these past few years has been incredibly rewarding, professionally and personally (because the people are great!). If you want to get more involved in #scicomm, consider nominating yourself! Details 👇👇👇
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
⭐ CfP: Journalism as a Science Watchdog ⭐ If you are studying investigative #journalism, #scicomm, or a related field, we would love to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue for Media and Communication on “Journalism as a Science Watchdog" Details: www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcomm...
cogitatiopress.com
Next Issues | Media and Communication
Media and Communication is an international peer-reviewed open access journal dedicated to a wide variety of basic and applied research in communication and its related fields.
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Alice Fleerackers (she/her) @fleerackers.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
Happening today at 11 am (Amsterdam time)! Join me in talking about using #openscience to support #scicomm Details 👇👇👇
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