The STOA Bureau, for the first half of the next parliamentary term, will consist of Ewa Kopacz, Polish MEP, EPP member and European Parliament Vice-President responsible for STOA, Eva Kaili, Greek MEP and member of the S&D Group who will act as Chair, and Christian Ehler, a German MEP and member of EPP Group and Ivars Ijabs, Latvian MEP and member of the Renew Europe Group who will act as First Vice-Chair and Second Vice-Chair respectively.
The STOA panel acts as the European Parliament’s reference point for science-related advice, technology assessment, and scientific foresight. Its members are appointed by 9 Parliamentary committees.
The European Science-Media Hub (ESMH), one dimension of STOA, will be guided by the above-mentioned STOA Bureau, along with 21 other STOA Panel members to continue undertaking their goal of becoming a recognised hub for promoting evidence-based practices within science communication. Within the last two years, this has been achieved through establishing the ESMH as a key, authoritative platform for the convergence and interaction of policy-makers, journalists, researchers, and other science communicators. This reputation has been effectively projected through networking and training, particularly regarding new scientific and technological developments.
A main focus of the ESMH is improving the identification and dissemination of trustworthy sources of information, with use of media monitoring and media intelligence tools. This objective is particularly relevant in today’s world where ‘post-truth society’, ‘disinformation’ and ‘fake news’ have become all too well-known phrases. Examples of previous ESMH activities include the event ‘Communicating science via social media’, the workshop ‘How to win Elections: Reflections on the use and misuse of technology in electoral campaigns’, and the training ‘Tackling misinformation and disinformation in science’. This summer also saw the first edition of the European Youth & Science Media Days (EYSMD), a 3-day summer school for young journalists titled ‘AI and journalism’.
Media reviews covering a wide range of mainstream media topics are also published on the ESMH website biweekly as well as regular articles.
Elsewhere in STOA, highlights of work conducted outside and in concurrence with the ESMH include strategic foresight studies on robotics, precision agriculture, 3D bio-printing and assistive technologies, as well as technology assessment studies on topics linked to the information society, such as the General Data Protection Regulation, artificial intelligence, algorithms, disinformation, blockchain, harmful internet use, social polarisation, and the future of teaching and working.
Check one of the Scientific Foresight Projects realised during the 8th legislative term, here :
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