Covid Scientists In Media Suffer ‘Disturbing' Abuse

More than a fifth of scientists who have spoken publicly in the media about Covid-19 have been subjected to physical and sexually violent threats, according to new research.

- Samuel Lovett

Of 321 experts surveyed by the journal Nature, some 15 per cent said they had experienced death threats, while more than one-quarter of the respondents said they “always” or “usually” received comments from trolls or personal attacks after speaking about Covid.

Scientists said the abuse has made their work “exceptionally challenging” and impacted on their mental health. More than 40 per cent said they had experienced emotional or psychological distress as a result of the threats.

Respondents who reported most frequently being trolled online or receiving personal attacks were also most likely to say that their experiences had greatly affected their willingness to speak to the media in the future.

Some said that they were hesitant to speak about certain topics because they saw the abuse that others faced.