Gao Fu, editor-in-chief of the Chinese Science Bulletin and Science Bulletin, posed a thought-provoking question at the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing: "Do we still need scientific journals in the 21st century?" Drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 era, he reminded us that science journals serve as vital "truth filters" in our digital age, protecting society from misleading information – what he terms the "inforus."
Gao recounted a striking example: the U.S. CDC suddenly removed avian flu data from public platforms under a Trump-administration executive order, exposing how easily science can be silenced. Meanwhile, some preprint platforms were flooded with sensational claims like "SARS-CoV-2 contains HIV-like sequences," based on minimal similarities. As Gao put it, "This isn't science; it's the infodemic in action."
He argues that the best defense against this misinformation outbreak is to strengthen peer-reviewed scientific journals – platforms meant for professionals to share reliable ideas and discoveries. In his words, "The public understanding of science is a kind of vaccination" 💉; by reading credible science, the public builds a shield against the rapidly spreading inforus.
With experience as the former director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gao has worked tirelessly to bridge the gap between experts and the public – writing several science books each year for the past six years. He has also founded three influential international journals, Protein & Cell, China CDC Weekly, and hLife, which now stand as symbols of the Chinese mainland's rise from contributor to producer in global scientific discourse.
Moreover, Beijing hosted 292 English-language sci-tech journals in 2024, representing 54 percent of the national total. The "Statistical Report on China’s Scientific Papers" by the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China further demonstrated the Chinese mainland's leadership in producing influential research.
As our digital world continues to evolve, Gao Fu calls on all of us to embrace science literacy as our superpower 🛡️ against misinformation. Let’s unite globally to promote data-driven discovery and ensure that truth triumphs over sensationalism!
Reference(s):
Gao Fu: Science literacy a vaccination against the 'inforus'
cgtn.com
