Admitting When You're Wrong

When we see scientific educators online, we tend to trust them. Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Brian Cox are just some of the people who I grew up learning science from, and so I believe almost everything they say when they share facts online. But what happens when they mess up?

The Situation

Hank Green is the friendly science guy on Tiktok, best known by Gen Z as "that guy from Crash Course." He taught kids how to understand the periodic table, somehow solve for x, and now he's on Tiktok to answer common questions. In early February, he posted a Tiktok about mermaids using starfish as bras, and he said that they have the same hole for their mouth and anus. The Monterey Bay Aquarium noticed this, and replied back with a clarification on this statement, and explained how starfish actually have a mouth on one side (the oral side) and an anus on the other side (the aboral side).

The Response

After seeing Monterey Bay Aquarium's Tiktok, Hank dueted the video so that his followers could see, and apologized for getting his information wrong. He also encouraged his followers to share the clarification, and show support to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He then deleted the original Tiktok, so only the clarification is available on his page.

The Lesson

It's hard to admit when we're wrong, especially when we're speaking from an informed position. We want to know that the information we are sharing doesn't mislead people. But mistakes happen, and Hank demonstrates a great example of what to do when we mess up. He didn't ignore the response or respond in a defensive way to Monterey Bay Aquarium. Instead, he owned up to his mistake, deleted the misleading Tiktok, and shared the clarification with his audience. He took responsibility for his mistake, which is important to do as a role model. Kids on Tiktok learn a lot from his videos, so putting out incorrect statements can lead to these false facts being spread even further.

I always worry about saying the wrong thing. I don't want to make a mistake, especially in a public forum, because I don't want to contribute to the already huge distrust for science in the world. Seeing an example of how to handle a mistake does help me as a future science communicator because I can resolve some of my fears. It reduces the anxiety around losing my credibility from misspeaking, while also letting me understand how to work WITH people who prove me wrong rather than against them. It's important to look at the situation from an "Us vs. Misinformation" perspective instead of a "Me vs. Them."

Spreading scientific knowledge is about educating together, as a community, and working to keep each other informed and accountable. It's not a competition of who can be perfect, or who can be the most factual all the time - we're all in the ship together, and working to keep it afloat. Hank Green and the Monterey Bay Aquarium show a perfect example of how to do that, and I can't wait to see how they further collaborate!