FROM THE EDITOR:
Let's get your research voice out there

T

here are a lot of opinions flying around in the digital public discourse domain. From fearmongers to doom prophets to agent provocateurs distributing misinformation and disinformation while snuggling in the safe confines of their echo chambers.

It's a mess out there, and information consumers are struggling to separate fact from fiction. Artificial intelligence is used to distort and manipulate. Decisions are made and opinions are formed based on algorithms catering to our worst impulses.

Let's look at the traditional media picture. Legacy media numbers are dwindling at an alarming rate, and the known and respected gatekeepers of credible information are being replaced by influencers who value clicks over credibility.

How do we address this? Can we address this?

Our experience at Corporate Communication through our extensive collaboration with the media and our monitoring systems clearly shows that research from reputable institutions like ours at the NWU, that is peer-reviewed and substantiated by facts, is in demand. The general public and media outlets crave it. With every new discovery, with every avenue that research uncovers, the world changes a little bit. It gets a bit bigger, a bit more interesting.

The same applies to opinions of our experts here at the university. There is an inherent public trust in the name 'North-West University', a trust that serves as leverage against those who thrive on disinformation. These expert voices as well as research are powerful voices that help to shift imbalances in public discourse back to the centre.

As a public university it can also be argued that there is a responsibility to use these voices, as they serve a public interest.

The NWU's communication policy supports this and there are dedicated personnel and channels that serve to facilitate interaction between you and the media.

It's a bit of a cliché, but I think in this context the following adage rings true: If a tree falls in a forest and there is nobody there to hear it, did the tree fall?

Research shouldn't be confined to a niche audience, and expert voices mean little if they go unheard.

I want to implore our researchers and all experts at the NWU to reach out to us as we set ourselves the task of restoring public trust in evidence. We need to make the falling trees heard.

Your research voice matters. Now to make the world listen.

Bertie Jacobs, editor of Research@NWU