Celebrating a year of opinions
Just one year after its launch, a new platform for news and discussions from the university and research community has proved itself a success, with many Monash University academics now considering it a first port of call for voicing their opinions.
Since March 2011, The Conversation has received 270 articles from 180 registered Monash University contributors, which have received more than 280,000 views in total.
One of the University’s most widely read contributors, Dr Michael Brown from the School of Physics says that he has found writing for The Conversation a rewarding experience.
“Articles can introduce readers to a topic and confront myths prevalent in the public sphere. One has the space to explain,” Dr Brown said.
“My most popular articles have been on climate change denial. I was inspired by the discussions following The Conversation articles, where vocal ‘sceptics’ championed blatant pseudo-science.
“I have been able to highlight the failings of pseudo-science that are obvious to most scientists and their students, but are perhaps less apparent to others,” Dr Brown said.
Dr Brown’s article How David Beckham caused global warming: the Man U climate model has attracted 255 comments.
Another regular contributor, Dr Zareh Ghazarian from the School of Political and Social Inquiry said being involved with The Conversation had been a great experience.
“The Conversation has generated dialogue on many important issues and the site has become a significant driver of debate,” Dr Ghazarian said.
“It has been a magnificent vehicle for presenting expertise that can be easily accessed and provides opportunities to engage with the wider community.”
Professor Greg Bamber, from the Department of Management, has written eight articles for The Conversationin in its first year.
“The Conversation has carved out an important space on the media landscape by offering an independent source of information, analysis and opinion,” Professor Bamber said.
“This is so important. Most other sources are silent on or much less explicit than The Conversation in disclosing conflicts of interest.”
Monash University is a founding partner of The Conversation.
If you are interested in contributing to The Conversation, contact the Monash University Media and Communications Team at media@monash.edu or +61 3 9903 4840.