Panel: Trust in science - can we keep the faith?
This event is part of the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition 2026.
It has been said that we are living in a ‘post-truth’ society, where facts can be denied as fake news and opinion presented as truth.
In this climate, science can feel under attack, with growing scepticism in areas such as vaccines, medicine, climate change and genetically modified foods.
But how and why have poorly-evidenced views begun to enter mainstream conversation? What do scientists, journalists and educators need to do to counter the disinformation and misinformation that threatens to undermine efforts to tackle our biggest global challenges?
Join us on the closing day of the Summer Science Exhibition to explore for a discussion of this urgent and complex topic.
Speakers include:
- Fiona Fox FRS – Chief Executive of the Science Media Centre, whose mission is to provide, accurate and evidence-based information about science and engineering through the media
- Professor Frank Kelly CBE FRS – Emeritus Professor of the Mathematics of Systems, University of Cambridge, and Chair of the Royal Society’s 2022 The online information environment report
- Marianna Spring – BBC Social Media Investigations Senior Correspondent and disinformation specialist, and co-host of BBC Sounds podcast Top Comment
- Dr Philip Ball (Chair) – Award-winning science writer and broadcaster, author of numerous books including the upcoming The Man Who Broke Reality: Niels Bohr and the Making of Modern Physics (published November 2026)
Further speakers to be announced.
Attending the event
This event will be held in Theatre 1 at the Royal Society on Sunday 5 July 2026, 4.30pm – 5.30pm.
- Free to attend as part of Summer Science Exhibition on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to seat availability. We recommend that visitors arrive 10-15 minutes before the session
- Eventbrite tickets for Summer Science Exhibition are recommended, with only a limited number of walk-up tickets released on the day
- Suitable for students aged 14+
- This talk will take place in person
- A recording of this talk will be available later on the Royal Society YouTube channel
- Live subtitles will be available
- Travel and accessibility information and details on planning your visit - contact us directly to arrange any specific accessibility requirements
- Food and drink will be available for purchase at our onsite café
For all enquiries, please email us.