arXiv:2505.07912v1 Announce Type: cross
Abstract: Democratic societies need accessible, reliable information. Videos and Podcasts have established themselves as the medium of choice for civic dissemination, but also as carriers of misinformation. The emerging Science Communication Knowledge Infrastructure (SciCom KI) curating non-textual media is still fragmented and not adequately equipped to scale against the content flood. Our work sets out to support the SciCom KI with a central, collaborative platform, the SciCom Wiki, to facilitate FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) media representation and the fact-checking of their content, particularly for videos and podcasts. Building an open-source service system centered around Wikibase, we survey requirements from 53 stakeholders, refine these in 11 interviews, and evaluate our prototype based on these requirements with another 14 participants. To address the most requested feature, fact-checking, we developed a neurosymbolic computational fact-checking approach, converting heterogenous media into knowledge graphs. This increases machine-readability and allows comparing statements against equally represented ground-truth. Our computational fact-checking tool was iteratively evaluated through 10 expert interviews, a public user survey with 43 participants verified the necessity and usability of our tool. Overall, our findings identified several needs to systematically support the SciCom KI. The SciCom Wiki, as a FAIR digital library complementing our neurosymbolic computational fact-checking framework, was found suitable to address the raised requirements. Further, we identified that the SciCom KI is severely underdeveloped regarding FAIR knowledge and related systems facilitating its collaborative creation and curation. Our system can provide a central knowledge node, yet a collaborative effort is required to scale against the imminent (mis-)information flood.
Expert Commentary: Advancing Science Communication Knowledge Infrastructure with the SciCom Wiki
In today’s digital age, the dissemination of information through videos and podcasts has become increasingly prevalent. However, along with the advantages of these non-textual media formats comes the challenge of ensuring their accuracy and reliability. This is especially crucial in democratic societies where accessible and trustworthy information is essential for making informed decisions.
The concept of the Science Communication Knowledge Infrastructure (SciCom KI) is a key development in addressing this challenge. By curating non-textual media in a findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable manner (FAIR principles), the SciCom KI aims to enhance the credibility and fact-checking capabilities of videos and podcasts.
The research presented in this article introduces the SciCom Wiki, a collaborative platform designed to support the SciCom KI. By leveraging open-source technologies like Wikibase and developing a neurosymbolic computational fact-checking approach, the researchers have demonstrated a novel way to convert heterogeneous media into knowledge graphs for more effective fact-checking.
This innovative approach not only increases the machine-readability of non-textual media but also allows for comparing statements against ground-truth data, improving the accuracy and reliability of information dissemination. The iterative evaluation of the computational fact-checking tool through expert interviews and user surveys further validates its necessity and usability in enhancing the SciCom KI.
The multi-disciplinary nature of this research, combining elements of information science, artificial intelligence, and multimedia systems, underscores the complexity of addressing misinformation in non-textual media formats. By providing a central knowledge node through the SciCom Wiki, the researchers have paved the way for a more systematic and collaborative effort in combating the (mis-)information flood.
Overall, this work highlights the potential of integrating advanced technologies with scientific communication to strengthen the reliability and accessibility of multimedia information systems. As we progress towards an era of artificial reality, augmented reality, and virtual realities, initiatives like the SciCom Wiki will play a crucial role in fostering a more credible and informed society.