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Tasks: Participating in the Public Debate

Discuss:

Below are some statements about engaging in public debate. Discuss the statements in groups. Do you agree or disagree? Make sure you give reasons for your opinions.

Memes and social media posts are much more effective methods for changing people's opinions than blogs or Letters to the Editor.
Young people never read Letters to the Editor; it is a dying format.
The best way to reach people is through vlogs. If people can see and hear you they are more likely to trust you.
When people have formed an opinion no evidence in the world can change their minds. It is a waste of time to try to argue with them.
It is useless to participate in the public debate, because all you get is hate and harassment.
People who write in comment sections are unintelligent people with too much time on their hands, so it is a waste of time to engage.

Reflect:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people participated in the public debate about the dangers of infection, school lock downs, financial support for the unemployed and the road towards getting a vaccine. Below you will find two examples of Letters to the Editor from people who strongly believe in a vaccine and fear the dangers of vaccine opposition.

Read through both letters before you give your opinion on the following:

Which letter do you think is the best?
Which letter is most trustworthy?
Which letter is most likely to be published in a serious newspaper?
Which letter has the greatest potential to influence and persuade public opinion?

Give reasons for your answers and find examples from the texts to support your views.

Example 1.

I cannot believe people can be such idiots. We are in the middle of a pandemic, researchers are working hard to find a vaccine, and still many people say that we should not trust the vaccine that is being produced.

Ok, fine; if they have been produced too rapidly: yes, question them a little bit. But when credible researchers have developed them, they fulfil the necessary requirements, and are proven effective, there should be a loud and clear “GO FOR IT”!

Do not listen to false information being spread online, especially on Facebook. In the group Norwegians against vaccines, Linda Negative writes that "Vaccines are nothing but high-tech poison in needles", while George Antivac foolishly argues that "measles can actually prevent cancer". I do not know these people personally, but they must have been dropped on the head when they were babies.

I am not even going to begin trying to understand vaccine opponents. They are simply stupid and ignorant. I do not have any numbers that show how many people die each year because of diseases we have vaccines against, like measles and tuberculosis, but there are a lot. My message is stop listening to fake news and take the COVID-19 vaccine if offered. Save yourself and your fellow citizens!

From Steve Mart

Example 2.

It is Time to Get Out of the Rabbit Hole

The COVID-19 pandemic is still upon us, but there is hope. A vaccine is almost ready. Unfortunately, not everyone believes in vaccines. In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) listed vaccine opponents as one of the world's top ten threats to global health. As researchers and scientists all over the world are working day and night to find a vaccine against COVID-19, this is truly disturbing news. As a Norwegian student worried about my future, I cannot hold my tongue. Fellow citizens, we need to open our eyes.

Firstly, false information flourishes, especially on Facebook. "Vaccines are nothing but high-tech poison in needles" and "measles can actually prevent cancer" are some of the messages to be found. Intense debates are taking place, but I believe this is an entirely misplaced focus. Yes, it is important to stay critical towards the medical industry to keep them on their toes and prevent corruption and misleading marketing. But being critical of an industry and distrusting highly educated researchers and scientists are two very different things.

Secondly, many diseases have combatted with vaccines. Measles for example, which is one of the most contagious diseases ever known, killed more than two million people each year before the vaccine came in 1963. Between 2000 and 2018 alone, measles vaccination resulted in a 73% drop in measles deaths worldwide. Despite having developed a vaccine, 82 596 children and adults died only in Europe because of this disease in 2018 (WHO). That is the highest number in a decade. Why? Because a falling number of people take the vaccines. Anti-vaccine movements could undermine efforts to end the coronavirus pandemic too.

I am not saying you should accept everything thrown at you, but please: Do not rage against the vaccine for COVID-19. For the sake of your own health. For the sake of your family and friends. For the sake of your fellow citizens of the world. And stay away from conspiracy theories and the Rabbit Hole online. Please?

From Victoria Accine

Write:

Write your own Letter to the Editor about a topic you are passionate about. You may choose your own topic, or you can choose a topic from the list below. Aim to take a clear stand on the issue.

corona lock down and closed schools
taking action to prevent climate change
equal rights for same sex marriages
racism and #BlackLivesMatter
the death penalty

Your text should be between 200 and 300 words. You may use the check-list below for assistance, or watch the short film about letters to the editor.

Letter to the Editor check list

You have a clear purpose for your letter.
You address the editor as Sir or Dear Editor.
You give your full name, but you may ask for it to be published under a pseudonym.
You grab the reader’s attention from the beginning (hook).
You explain why the issue is important and state your opinion on what should be done.
You give evidence for your arguments, both praise and criticism.
You are concise and clear, and you keep it brief.
You want to make a professional impression, so you give your text a final spell check before sending it.

Video: Knut Inge Skifjeld, Anne Scott Hagen / CC BY-SA 4.0

Research:

There have been numerous reports that women experience more threats and harassment when they engage in public debate than men do. Use the internet and find updated statistics about harassment of women in politics, and discuss why women are more likely to experience abuse and threats.
Choose a popular movement, for example Black Lives Matter or School Strike for the Climate, and find out how it uses media and social media to spread its message.
The Flat Earth Society has gained a lot of members in recent years. Research how the society has used Youtube to get its message out, and discuss if freedom of speech should be limited to prevent people from believing misinformation.

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Participating in the Public Debate

How can we have our voices heard in society?