Accountability Journalism Institute Appoints New Members to Its Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board

NEW YORK, July 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The nonprofit Accountability Journalism Institute (AJI) announces new members of its Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board. Anthropologist and science writer Wendy Orent will be joining the group's Board of Directors while infectious disease epidemiologist Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS, pediatrician Dr. Lauren Hughes, and climatologist and geophysicist Dr. Michael E. Mann will be joining the distinguished Scientific Advisory Board.

"America's vital institutions and values are under attack by far-right authoritarian forces inside and outside of the federal government," said AJI Executive Director Walker Bragman. "AJI is fighting back with the help of renowned experts—knowledgeable and talented people who share our passion for exposing bad actors and disinformation."

About the Appointees

Wendy Orent (Board of Directors) is an anthropologist (she holds a PhD from the University of Michigan), author, and science writer who has written for over 25 years on biological weapons and the evolution of infectious disease. She is the author of Plague (Free Press, 2004, 2012) and co-author of Biowarrior: Inside the Soviet/Russian Biological War Machine, the memoir of Igor V. Domaradskij, the co-designer of the entire Soviet biological weapons program. She has reported on many infectious diseases and bioweapons threats, including SARS, Lyme disease, smallpox, monkeypox, polio, highly pathogenic avian flu, plague, the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic, and Covid.

"I am honored to have been elected to the Board of the Accountability Journalism Institute," Orent said. "Over the last years, we have seen a tsunami of misinformation about the Covid pandemic, vaccines, and public health break across the nation. We need to help restore public confidence in scientific expertise, and stop the undermining of trust in science and medicine in general."

Jessica Malaty Rivera (Scientific Advisory Board) is an infectious disease epidemiologist and award-winning science communicator. She holds an MS in Emerging Infectious Diseases from the Georgetown School of Medicine and has dedicated the last 15 years of her career to emerging disease surveillance, public health policy, and vaccine advocacy. Her specialty is in translating complex scientific concepts into impactful, judgement-free, and accessible information for diverse audiences. From 2020-2021, she served as the Science Communication Lead for The COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic.

Currently, she is a Research Fellow at Boston Children's Hospital Innovation & Digital Health Accelerator, a Research Fellow and DrPH student at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a Senior Advisor at the deBeaumont Foundation.

"I joined AJI because we are experiencing an unprecedented information emergency in the U.S. From the death of expertise to the platforming of anti-science influencers, it's more important than ever to hold decision-makers accountable for abandoning evidence and data," Malaty Rivera said.

Dr. Lauren Hughes (Scientific Advisory Board) is a board-certified pediatrician, internationally board-certified lactation consultant (IBCLC), breastfeeding medicine physician, wife, and a mother of three. She is the founder and lead physician of Bloom Pediatrics.

"I joined the Scientific Advisory Board in order to help battle the onslaught of misinformation online and unfortunately in our government. Joining the panel of experts is an honor," Hughes said.

Dr. Michael E. Mann (Scientific Advisory Board) is Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania, with a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication. He also serves as Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action and Director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media (PCSSM). He has received honors and awards, including NOAA's outstanding publication award in 2002 and selection by Scientific American as one of the fifty leading visionaries in science and technology in 2002. He contributed, with other IPCC authors, to the award of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. Mann is author of more than 300 peer-reviewed and edited publications, numerous op-eds and commentaries, and seven books including Dire Predictions: Understanding Climate Change, The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial is Threatening our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy and Science under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces that Threaten Our World.

"There's never been a more important time to hold our media accountable for meeting basic journalistic standards of truth and objectivity, particularly when it comes to matters of science and technology that may well determine the continued viability of our civilization," said Dr. Mann. "I couldn't be more proud to be part of this effort."

About the Accountability Journalism Institute

AJI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to exposing threats to America's critical institutions and restoring the public trust. AJI's investigative newsletter, Important Context, has been cited in major media outlets.

Contact: Olivia Riggio
917-974-4383
[email protected]

SOURCE Accountability Journalism Institute