The numbers are impressive but there is still a lot to be done
Brazil, November 2024 - A year ago, the Brazilian version of the largest scientific information portal in accessible language, The Conversation Brasil , went live . With all of its content made available free of charge to other media outlets, through Creative Commons licenses, the portal has accumulated more than 10 million page views.
The numbers don't stop there - more than 100 media outlets in Brazil regularly republish news produced by TC Brasil, configuring a penetration of scientific works that was unimaginable a year ago. Clipping alone has already generated more than R$20 million in spontaneous media, exposing scientists beyond research centers and classrooms. Partnerships with media outlets ranging from G1, UOL, Folha de São Paulo, Veja to BBC, CNN, Terra and Metrópoles, just to name a few, allow for significant traction of the content.
"Every day we expand our reach by bringing to light the work of Brazilian and foreign scientists that were previously invisible to the general public," says Daniel Stycer, director of TC Brasil. "In addition, our platform is an excellent way to combat fake news, since all published work is based on scientific analysis and research.
For COP 30, which will be held next year in Belém, the platform has just announced its newest project sponsored by FINEP - De Olho na COP 30. This is a special section where works produced by scientists are published and transformed into easy-to-understand language, on topics related to climate change. The objective of this content is to bring quality information to the general public so that everyone can understand what is being discussed in the negotiations of COP 30, which will take place in Belém next year.
Journalistic style, academic rigor
The Conversation Brasil is linked to The Conversation Media Group, a non-profit organization supported by more than 400 foundations, universities and research institutions around the world. In Brazil, the institution is supported by Fundação Editora UNESP, Fundação José Luiz Egydio Setúbal, PUC-Rio and FINEP.
The published articles are licensed under Creative Commons, which allows them to be republished by other media outlets free of charge. The aim is to give greater visibility to national scientific production, as well as to serve as an international showcase for academic works published here that are often unknown to society.
Jorge Félix, president of the TC Brasil Board, highlights the importance of increasingly amplifying the voice of Science and universities in the public debate through quality information in the media and social networks.
"Scientists who publish their work in TC gain visibility that can be attested to by the numerous cases of invitations for international collaborations, lectures and interviews in other media outlets", concludes Daniel Stycer, editor-in-chief of TC Brasil.
The global connection is ratified in the data collected annually: 68% of authors are sought out by the media for interviews, 20% are invited to contribute to other research projects and 14% receive invitations to collaborate on commercial projects.
Anyone interested in publishing scientific information can access the website www.theconversation.com/br . Another way to get in touch with the material produced is through the weekly newsletter:
What is The Conversation
The Conversation was founded in Melbourne, Australia in 2011. It now operates as a global network of websites with dedicated teams working in Australia, the US, the UK, France, Africa, Indonesia, Spain, New Zealand, Canada and Brazil.
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