Alice Fleerackers (she/her)
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fleerackers.bsky.social
Alice Fleerackers (she/her)
@fleerackers.bsky.social
770 followers 440 following 380 posts
Writer, researcher, terrible social media user | Assistant Prof @uvahumanities.bsky.social & VP of @pcstnetwork.bsky.social | studying journalism, #scholcomm & #scicomm | she/her
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fleerackers.bsky.social
If you're in Amsterdam and interested in digital media (or just want to leave your house on Monday), come say hi at this FREE event.

@markdeuze.bsky.social , Toni Pape & I will be talking about the weird and sometimes wonderful nature of living life online.

voxpop.uva.nl/en/content/e...
Poster advertising "Pub Talk," including illustration of a face and a bunch of digital devices and phones and details of the event: Speakers: Prof Mark Deuze, Dr Alice Fleerackers, Dr Toni Pape When/where: Sep 30, 16:30-18:30, Vox-Pop
September 25, 2025 at 5:37 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
Reflecting on this thread, I am laughing at the extreme irony of the glaring capitalization error in the title of our paper 😂

Definitely a sign our research is not to be trusted.
Title of the paper "i'd like to think I'd be able to spot one": How journalists navigate predatory journals. The first "I'd" in the title is not capitalized.
September 4, 2025 at 10:00 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
That gut feeling hinged largely on markers of prestige, impact, and familiarity.

Some journalists, like this one, said they would never report on research from an unfamiliar journal:
Quote from journalist: "I vet research largely by the publication that it's in. So, if it's in a weird publication, I sort of don't know whether to trust it or not. I usually don't, because...I'm like, well it would be in a better publication if it were trustworthy."
September 4, 2025 at 9:51 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
Have you ever heard of predatory journals?

Our new study—published this week in Journalism Practice—suggests many science journalists haven't.

When they were familiar with predatory journals, most said they weren't worried, confident they'd "be able to spot one if they saw one."

Details in 🧵👇
Screenshot of journal article titled "I'd like to think I'd be able to spot one": How journalists navigate predatory journals Authors: Alice Fleerackers, Laura Moorhead, Juan Pablo Alperin
September 4, 2025 at 9:51 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
We also look at the qualities of those republishing outlets (e.g., Are they local, national, or international? Legacy journalism or nontraditional?) that predict whether republished versions of a story get amplified on Facebook.
Overview of pathways through which media stories published by The Conversation (TC) are amplified in a digital media landscape: Pathway A: TC stories are posted to Facebook B) those posts are engaged with by Facebook users C) TC stories are republished by other media outlets D) those republished stories are posted to Facebook E) those posts sharing republished stories are engaged with by Facebook users.
August 19, 2025 at 4:56 PM
fleerackers.bsky.social
New study — out today in Journalism Practice!

In it, we analyze the qualities of a news story (about climate-related emergencies) that predict whether/how much it is shared/engaged with on Facebook and republished by other media outlets.
Screenshot of journal article titled Amplifying the News: An Analysis of the Factors Driving Republication and Facebook Engagement with News.
August 19, 2025 at 4:56 PM
fleerackers.bsky.social
#PCST2025 folks interested in science journalism, investigative journalism, and/or research integrity, join us at 10:30 am in Conference Suite 2B for an international panel on "Watchdog Science Journalism"

Featuring the fabulous An Nguyen, @riedlinm.bsky.social & @gracidade.bsky.social !
Slide with a blue watchdog on it and the words "Watchdog science journalism: Tensions and opportunities for critical science engagement"
May 29, 2025 at 7:11 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
What does it take to make a #scicomm event inclusive—for the audience AND speakers?

In next week's @pcstnetwork.bsky.social webinar, @riedlinm.bsky.social @nicbennett.bsky.social Luz Helena & Thilina Heenatigala @nepologia.bsky.social will share their tips!

www.pcst.network/webinars/upc...
On a light purple background, flyer for: Inclusive event facilitation: challenges, best practices, and opportunities April 28, 2025 8 - 9pm EST From webinars and panels, to workshops and festivals-effective science communication often involves facilitating conversations with diverse individuals. But how do you ensure those conversations are welcoming and accessible to both speakers and participants? In this PCST webinar, four international panelists will share opportunities and best practices for inclusive science communication event facilitation. Moderator: Ana Claudia Nepote (she/her), Member of the PCST Network's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee and Associate Professor at National Autonomous University of Mexico Panellists: - Luz Helena Oviedo Villegas (she/her), Head of Community Engagement at Parque Explora - Thilina Heenatigala (he/him), Assistant Professor and Director of Communications, Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) -Nic Bennet (they/them), Postdoctoral Researcher with the Scicomm Identities Project at Michigan State University - Michelle Riedlinger (she/her), Associate Professor, Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology Link to register in post
April 23, 2025 at 5:47 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
⭐New publication alert!⭐

Out now in Canadian Journal of Communication, our commentary argues for more research at the intersection of #opendata and #datajournalism (🧵)

w/ @nataschachtena.bsky.social Monique Oliveira
@idorsch.bsky.social @juancommander.scholcommlab.ca @stephenpinfield.bsky.social
Screenshot of journal article in Canadian Journal of Communication, displaying the following bibliographic information: Fleerackers, A.*, Chtena, N., Oliveira, M., Dorsch, I., Alperin, J. P., & Pinfield, S. (2025). Open data in data journalism: Opportunities and future directions. Canadian Journal of Communication, 50(1), 145–161. DOI: 10.3138/cjc-2023-0040 [Peer-reviewed Commentary]
March 20, 2025 at 7:28 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
On March 17, I will join colleagues at the @uvahumanities.bsky.social to protest the Dutch government's plan to cut more than 1 billion euros in higher education funding.

These cuts will impact our ability to offer high quality education and pursue meaningful research.

www.fnv.nl/cao-sector/o...
Red banner reading "Stop budget cuts higher education. Strike UvA: March 17"
March 13, 2025 at 11:35 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
Join me on March 24 at 10 am (UK time) to talk about using #openscience to support #scicomm!

This FREE talk is just one of many events happening at #OUOpenResearchWeek2025.

Find out more & sign up at: research.open.ac.uk/events/open-...
Flyer for Alice Fleerackers' talk "Making research knowledge public: Using open science to support science communication" taking place at 10-10:45 am on March 24 2025 Overview of activities for Open Research Week 2025: Day 1: The fundamentals of open research: decisions around data Day 2: Collaboration and AI and open education resources Day 3: Citizen science showcase Day 4: Open publishing pathways Day 5: Accessing data
March 11, 2025 at 1:43 PM
fleerackers.bsky.social
Recent developments around #equity & #diversity are threatening our ability to advance inclusive & participatory #scicomm

@pcstnetwork.bsky.social invites members to come together to discuss what this means for our field & how to move forward

Details/registration: www.pcst.network/supporting-i...
A flyer describing key details for this member forum titled "Supporting inclusive and participatory science communication in the face of challenges". It takes place on March 19 2025 at 9 am PST and is facilitated by Alice Fleerackers, Vice President of PCST Network.
March 6, 2025 at 9:28 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
📣 💚 📣 Heads Up: New #scicomm Award 📣 💚 📣

Today, @pcstnetwork.bsky.social announced a new award that recognizes contributions to the field that are often hidden from view, like support for professional development or infrastructure.

Apply or nominate by Mar 3!

www.pcst.network/pcst-network...
Graphic titled "PCST Award for the Advancement of Science Communication as a Professional Field." It summarizes award information that can be found at the URL in my post.
February 7, 2025 at 11:57 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
Have others seen this?

Page 3 of "Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics" is... this amazing ode to all the cats who have ever sat on it.

New appreciation for "you can't judge a book by its cover"
Pictures of cats sitting on the book Cover of Andy Field's Discovering Statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics
February 5, 2025 at 6:46 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
"at least 400,000 papers published between 2000 and 2022 show the hallmarks of having been produced by paper mills....Yet only 55,000 were retracted or corrected in the same period"

Concerning, but unfortunately not shocking, new stats on the paper mill problem.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Graph showing the dramatic rise in the proportion of research articles that appear to be paper mill products since 2000.... a shift from close to 0% to more than 1.7% today
January 31, 2025 at 8:22 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
How do academic controversies impact science journalism?

We explore this question in a new paper, published yesterday in @plosone.org with Laura Moorhead, @juancommander.scholcommlab.ca, @riedlinm.bsky.social & Lauren Maggio.

#openscience #scicomm #journalism

journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Screenshot of article in PLOS ONE titled "From impact metrics and open science to communicating research: Journalists' awareness of academic controversies"
January 28, 2025 at 8:06 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
Are you a journalist who reports on research integrity issues for a Canadian or UK outlet? If so, we want to hear from you!

🚨Note: X is a public space, so engaging with this thread will publicly associate you with this study—even if you don’t participate.🚨
Graphic with UBC logo and the text "seeking journalists for a study on watchdog science journalism"
January 21, 2025 at 10:15 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
I have mostly been a social media ghost the last months (sorry), but I have exciting news:

This week I started a new job as an Assistant Prof @uvahumanities.bsky.social — in a beautiful (but very windy!!!) city 🙃

If you're in the Netherlands (or planning to be), please say hi! (of "hallo"?)
The centre of Amsterdam, looking glam in the last bit of evening sun. Alice bundled against the Amsterdam wind
January 7, 2025 at 3:47 PM
fleerackers.bsky.social
I was at a conference recently and a presenter alerted us that Microsoft products (e.g., Word) use your data to power the company's #AI, without asking permission.

When a user asked Microsoft how to opt out of this data use, here's what Microsoft said:
Screenshot of text that reads: Hi TechLawyer, Thank you for reaching Microsoft Community. We appreciate for sharing your concern to us. I recognize your interest in learning How to opt out of unauthorized artificial intelligence installations. According to my study, Microsoft Office updates will automatically add the new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Host to every Windows system. I recognize that you don't want this functionality, however, the option to decline this is unavailable since this is part of the Office updates. We recommend sending your concerns through feedback so that our engineers are aware of your difficulties.
December 14, 2024 at 4:09 PM
fleerackers.bsky.social
Only @inesengelmann.bsky.social can make a complex theoretical paper engaging on a Friday afternoon.

How do we actually define democracy? And what role does journalism play in advancing/defending it? The best presentations raise as many questions as they give answers.

#JEERA2024
Ines Engelmann presents her work at JEERA Slide with the word "Democracy" on it Ines presents a slide about the significance of her theoretical framework.
November 29, 2024 at 3:41 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
Thanks to everyone who joined us for our panel on watchdog journalism at #JEERA2024.

It was such a gift to share the stage with @silmonn.bsky.social & Aljosha Karim Schapals.

I was left w/ so many new questions about what it means to hold the powerful to account in a changing media environment
November 29, 2024 at 3:33 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
Okay, the #JEERA2024 science journalism session was getting a bit too optimistic.

Next up, Tara Ross finds that science coverage in ANZ is shrinking... and almost never includes perspectives from Maori experts or Mātauranga (Maori knowledge).

#scicomm #decolonize #journalism
Tara Ross presents a slide showing shrinking proportions of science news stories published between 2018 and 2024 (in terms of both the number of stories and length of stories)
November 28, 2024 at 3:11 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
Framing climate change news in terms of human, social values generates more audience engagement than other common frames.

Here's the rub...those comments don't necessarily represent real, productive debate.

Loved this talk by @kathaesa.bsky.social at #JEEERA2024

#scicomm #climatechange
Katharina Esau presents a slide titled "Mediated conflict on climate action: the potential of news frames to (de-)polarise online public debates"
November 28, 2024 at 3:01 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
Great presentation at #JEERA2024 by Suzannah Lyons on trust in science & impacts for journalism

TLDR:
People don't (dis)trust SCIENCE, but specific scientists or findings.
Covid has helped sci journos establish their importance in the newsroom
Science stories are also human stories

#scicomm
November 28, 2024 at 2:53 AM
fleerackers.bsky.social
I'm excited to present a panel on watchdog journalism with @silmonn.bsky.social & Aljosha Karim Schapals at #JEERA2024 conference this Friday.

If you're there, come say hi! Would love to hear your thoughts.

#journalism #academicchatter #scicomm
Slide deck with the text "Monitoring the Powerful: Perspectives on Watchdog Journalism from Around the World"
November 26, 2024 at 11:21 PM