A CNRS Guide "for scientists who wish to express themselves in public"

"Scientists contribute to the quality of public debate by providing solid research-based knowledge. Disseminating this knowledge as widely and as clearly as possible helps combat the misinformation, misconceptions, simplistic solutions and conspiracy theories that can circulate in the media, particularly on social networks", says Antoine Petit, Chairman and CEO of the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research), in a guide to help CNRS scientists express themselves in public, published on 17/06/2025.

This toolbox is based on the recommendations of the CNRS's Ethics Committee and the expectations of its scientific communities as expressed in a survey conducted in March 2024, reports the French research organisation.

The CEO urges scientists to "disseminate scientific results and approaches to society, encourage intellectual curiosity and support the development of critical thinking".

The CNRS adds that this means the organisation endorses a statement from its Ethics Committee from 2023 saying that scientists have the right, but not the duty, to express themselves in public…