ScienceUpFirst is a Canadian initiative launched to counter misinformation online, especially about COVID-19. Launched January 25, 2021, it brings together independent scientists, health care providers and science communicators.

Goals and history

The initiative is the result of conversations between Senator

Stan Kutcher Stan Kutcher is a Canadian Senator and Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada on December 12, 2018. Before his appointment, Dr. Kutcher was Department Head of Psychiatry at Dalhou ...

and Timothy Caulfield, who were discussing ways to counter misinformation about COVID-19. In April 2021, the Government of Canada announced $2.25 million in funding for two new projects to increase uptake of

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...

s, one of which was ScienceUpFirst. The initiative received $2,590,682 in new funding through the Canadian Association of Science Centres from the Public Health Agency of Canada's Immunization Partnership Fund. The groups aims at disseminating information created by its members or selected from credible sources. Starting in March 2021, it also plans to track misinformation online and post science-based content to oppose it. In addition to recruiting athletes and celebrities, it's building a network of volunteers to increase the distribution of the selected information. The initiative will be especially active against misinformation about COVID-19 vaccination, which threatens to have an impact on vaccination rates. Caulfield commented that the amount of disinformation circulating in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in unlike anything experienced in decades. He hopes the campaign can get information to people looking online for reliable information. The campaign is active on Twitter, Facebook and

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. It tries to apply best practices on fighting misinformation that were identified by various studies on science communication and public opinion.

Organization

ScienceUpFirst is organized around the Canadian Association of Sciences Centres, COVID-19 Resources Canada and the University of Alberta's Health Law Institute. Institutional partners of the initiative include the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

(AAAS), British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Royal Canadian Institute, along with a variety of community partners including 19 to Zero.

References

{{COVID-19 pandemic in Canada Awareness activism Science communication COVID-19 pandemic in Canada Organizations established in 2021 2021 establishments in Canada