[reckoner99]

Scientists should in general tread carefully on "hot" political questions or they risk being cast as political actors rather than guardians of evidence. Science is strongest when it stands apart from activism; once researchers are seen as tailoring their findings to politics, trust erodes rapidly. We saw this during COVID-19, when some justified different distancing rules for the George Floyd protests—an inconsistency that did lasting damage to credibility. Few things are more harmful than the perception that evidence shifts with ideology. If science becomes just another partisan tool, its authority collapses. The challenge now is defending truth without becoming political combatants.

[like_any_other]

> We saw this during COVID-19, when some justified different distancing rules for the George Floyd protests

Source:

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-ed...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tarahaelle/2020/06/19/risking-t...

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/0...