Online harassment is silencing Canada’s health experts — institutions need to do more to protect them

The Increasing Threat of Online Harassment

In recent years, Canadian health experts have faced a serious rise in online harassment, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientists, doctors, and public health officials who communicate research or advice publicly often become targets of threats, intimidation, and abuse on social media.

These attacks not only affect their personal and professional well-being but also discourage researchers from engaging with the public. As a result, essential health information is lost, and public trust in science suffers.

Institutional Responsibility and Protection Gaps

Although individual experts bear the brunt of harassment, the issue reflects a wider institutional failure. Most universities, hospitals, and research organizations lack robust frameworks for protecting staff from digital abuse. Many institutions still treat harassment as a private matter rather than an occupational risk.

Public communications have become an expected part of scientific work, yet the structures meant to safeguard researchers have not evolved accordingly. Without systemic protection, experts often self-censor or step back from media engagement to avoid further attacks.

Steps Toward Better Protection

To reverse this silencing effect, institutions can take several concrete actions:

A national framework addressing online harassment against health professionals could signal a strong commitment to protecting the scientific community and ensuring that evidence-based voices remain active in the public sphere.

The Broader Consequences

When experts are intimidated into silence, misinformation spreads faster and unchecked. Protecting researchers is not only about individual safety but also about maintaining an informed, resilient society capable of responding to future health crises.

“Harassment drives many of us to reconsider public engagement,” one scientist remarked. “But staying silent feels like letting falsehoods win.”

Author’s Summary

Canada must build institutional protections that allow health professionals to speak openly without fear of harassment—because public health depends on their voices.

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The Conversation The Conversation — 2025-11-26

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