The Dark Side of Political Technology

Ellwanger JH and Ziliotto M

Published on: 2023-11-02

Abstract

This article reviews the institutional difficulties which science mediators may encounter in their professional activities within the field of public communication of science and technology. Focusing on the international ITER project on nuclear fusion, the analysis shows how political decisions, public affairs, management pressures and scientific misconduct may undermine communication and the course of scientific research in a public project. The case also shows that science communication is a good indicator of the “healthiness” of a research project. Although some of these issues specifically stem from the fact that ITER supports a “political technology,” they broadly reflect, perhaps in a caricature mode, pathologies which most research organisations and public science projects may suffer from. Clearly, these problems have implications that go well beyond science communication. Scientific research today is carried out in organisations which have policy-related, strategic, and even political objectives. Furthermore, science and technology are today highly competitive fields, inching increasingly closer to business and politics. Last but not least, scientific fraud is, stricto sensu, commonplace within the scientific community. This situation may encourage managers to act in a way that is far removed from the level of integrity we have come to expect in the scientific world. Therefore, vigilance is key. Better oversight by the public and the press is needed. But this is not enough: professional integrity, not just scientific integrity, must be explicitly covered by the code of conduct of scientific organisations and public research projects in order to protect the integrity of science as a whole.